The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-10-05

lated to the period of circulation.
Federal Reserve System.
There were on July 80, last, 1873
national banks, with capital and
surplus of $1,797, $4,000, which were
members of the new system, and
| about 22,460 state banks, with a
capital and surplus of $780, 900,
which were not members of the sys-
TEN, besides large number OF trust
companies. In all the commercial and
industrial countries of the world, great
and small, but ours, single great
bank of issue stands at the head of
their banks and monetary systems,
while we have IL heads for part
only of our banks. The reserve banks
have added no new banking capital.
Their capital and reserves have all
come from the member banks. And
so far, after being in operation since
Nov. 16, 1S14-a period of one year
and nine months of the IL
banks have paid any dividends, and
these 5 only total dividend of
per cent.
The new system had nothing to
do with staying the threatened panic
of 1914. That panic was stayed
partly by closing the stock exchange,
partly by clearinghouse certificates,
and largely by the currency taken out
under the Aldrich-Vreeland law. So
i far the new system has been mostly
burden to the member banks. Elk
/ cept in the five cases mentioned, they
| have received no dividends and have
lost the 2 per cent interest on their
reserves which they formerly secured.
The system has added no new capital
or new wealth to our country. Our
| prosperity and our abundance of
money has come from our immense
exports and the high prices result
ing from the European war. Part of
the proceeds of our exports have been
| invested in foreign bonds, but the
| great bulk of it has found it's way
into the Golfers of the banks and the
circulation of the country.
Other Democratic Legislation.
In the spring of 1914 the admins
tration gave out, through the public
press and otherwise, that triology
| of bills would be introduced and
| passed to remedy most of the ills
and wants of our industrial and eco
nomic system. The general purpose,
| it was declared, was to repress, reg
| ulate, and control all trusts and
monopolies and all the great business
| interests of the country. These prom
| ised bills were afterwards introduced,
and turned out to be as follows:
First. A bill "to create an inter
| state trade commission, to define its
powers and duties, and for other pur-
poses," introduced in the house April
| Is, 1914.
Second. A bill "to supplement ex-
listing laws against unlawful restraints
and monopolies, and for other pur-
| poses." introduced in the house April
IA, 1914. This bill was commonly
called in its transit through the two
houses the Clayton anti-injunction bill.
Third. A bill "to amend Sec. 20 of
an act to regulate commerce, to pre-
| vent overissues of securities by car
riers, and for other purposes" intro
duced in the house May Is, 1914. The
| purpose of this bill was to regulate
| the issuance of stock and securities
by railroad corporations, and was
really the most important and most
valuable of the three bills. 1t passed
the house, came to the senate, and
was referred to the committee on
| interstate commerce. This commit
! tee on July 90, 1914, reported it back
to the senate favorably, with certain
| amendments. But by this time a
change had come over the spirit of
the Dreams of the Democracy, and
this, the best of the three bills. was
left to languish and finally die an
| ignominious death.
| The trade commission bill became a
law on Sept. 26, 1914. 1t created a
commission of five members, with a
yearly salary of $4,000 each, and
| W1Cn SECRETARY DIT d oaloly VI Yo,ooo
year.
Prosecution of Trusts.
For a number Of years there has
been under Republican administra
| ton a pretty vigorous prosecution OF
various big trusts and monopolies
! This was not relished by them, and
a hue and cry went up from them
and their friends throughout the coun-
try that it was difficult for business
interests to know just what they
could and could not do under the
antitrust law of 1890, and they Wig
orously, through the public press and
otherwise, clamored for relief. At
| tempts had been made during the
last administration of President
Roosevelt to pass a law to relieve
/ them against what they conceived to
| be the harshness OF the enforce
ment Of the antitrust law. This
attempt failed, but they renewed their
Efforts and the general Impression
among the public is that the trade
commission act was passed as par
tial antidote against the harshess
4 of afl,o t,,,,c+ 10 w. VIC thic