Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-09-03
"NOb|L|z|NG" ALL
GOLD IN FRANCE
Citizens From All Parts Of Re-
Public Turn in Their
Savings
ALL DEPOSITS ARE
VALUED BY WEIGHT
Peasants Draw Lots for Honor Of
Taking Funds to Minis
ter Ribot

Soille IGludTk dUle scenes dL CnG Bdnk
of France since Alexander Felix Ri
Dot. the French minister of finance
issued his call for the mobilization
of gold. WE are spending two bill
lion francs a month";" he said. It's a
frightful sum and we've got to KEEP
it up another winter-bring On your
gold" The call spread rapidly, and
the response has been prompt.
Monsieur ,Ribot is only one month
oder than Monsieur Colin, of the Rue
des Tours, who was 73 this spring
Madame Colin so wrote on the slip
she delivered in the Bank of France
vita a hundred francs OF gold to be
exchanged for national defense bonds.
81 had saved it to make a presentsto
Monsieur Colin on our golden wedding
day." she added, "but we decided that
we could both get more pleasure and
satisfaction out Of that gold by turn
ing it over as a sort of homage to
Monsieur Ribot. ar
School Children Help.
Hundreds of school children will as.
sociate the name, of the venerable
minister with their first visit to that
mysterious and awe-inspiring institu-
ton, always so impressively guarded
by the handsomely uniformed Repub-
lican guards. Their teachers lift them
up to the teller's window, where geld
is exchanged, and they are generally
disappointed not to see the patriarch
al head Of Monsieur Ribot some
where behind the counter.
One woman showed a pile of coins
amounting to $50 francs through the
teller's window at the Bank Of France
with the concise explanation, "For
Ribot." She turned to go
away without her bank bills and had
to be persuaded that Monsieur Ribot
was not seeking gold without giving
the equivalent in exchange.
A man who had spent years collect
ing hundred-franc gold pieces, and
had gotten Together 2 hundred OF con.
secutive dates, including the rarest
efigies, brought it to the bank.
Worth as collection five times as
much, he went away satisfied with
10000 francs in bank notes. Another
numismatist sacrificed a unique col.
lection of 200 of double louis"-for.
ty-franc pieces.
Peasants Aiding.
Another man, in the familiar peas
blue frock, came in, took his
place hesitatingly in the line and
continually while waiting.
He left the line once and got to the
door, hesitated, turned back and took
his place again at the foot. When
his turn finally came, he cast a fond
glance at the sock he pulled out of
a vest pocket, then poured 1000
in gold upon the counter.
The counting of the millions of
pieces received would take too long;
it would also be too complicated,
with the luis, napoleons and re-
publics, there are s~oyereigns, eagles,
double eagles-in fact, pieces of near.
y every nation that coirs gold. Con-
sequently every deposit is valued by
weight. Sometimes weight is the on
y possible means of valuation, as in
he case of the Cure Of Huron, who
deposited at the branch of the Bank
France at Marine, a
'hapeless he had recovered from
he ashes of the %presbytery after the
'etreat of the Germans. Coins of the
jotal value of 4SO francs had been
Melted and run together by the heat
# the conflagration. The million and
lalf francs received at Chalons in
,luded a 20-franc piece of the efigy
If the republic that had been nearly
pierced by a German bullet.
Snuggle Papers,
A newspaper announcing the gold
exchange movement was struggled
nto a hamlet on the battle front that
las been taken and retaken several
lines and now happens to be occu-
bed by the Germans. The peasants
made a purse Of all their gold and
lrew lots to choose the one who
would have the honor of carrying it
through the lines to Monsieur Ribot.
All l ask" said the simple-minded
peasant who accomplished this mis-
;ion, SIS that you just give me a pa
Der that I "a take back to show that
he COLDS turned over"
you'll take it back with US when
We march in" said the colonel, giving
lin a receipt in the name of the
"You could never get through
here twice, alive"
None of the principal banks will de-.
liver gold to anyone now, but traffic
n it is still going on under cover.
\ man wio wanted Ditch gold to the
ralue of about 300 francs got it from
! money exchanger by paying a pre-