Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-06-28
"FLOURISHING CONDITION OF FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS OF GRANT COUNTY DIRECTLY
DUE TO THRIFT AND INDUSTRY OF FARMER"
Annual Meeting of Grant County
Bankers Association a Rep
sentative Assembly.
BANQUET AT HOTEL INDIA.
Review Banking Business i'm Grant
County Past % Years and Con-
template Future 0ptimiSticalIy.

Despite the failure of last years
corn crop; despite the great amount
of money leaving the county for auto
mobiles and other luxuries; despite
other conditions which might serve to
reduce the wealth of the county, Grant
county banks have shown remarka-
BILE increase for the year, ending May
1, 1916" said Hon. Chas. Baxter, pres
ident of the Grant County Bankers
association at the annual meeting and
banquet held at the linda hotel last
Wednesday evening.
Senator Baxter, as speaker, opened
the meeting with figures TO show the
increase in the banking business, and
Of course the general increase in
the wealth throughout the county
which naturally follows.
On June %, 1915, twenty-five banks
in the county showed total deposits
Of S6.OS2 ,OO442; cash on hand $780,
OO5. 577.57. and due from banks, S703.-
1905, making grand total of S6,974,-
9O4.S1 as the resources of all the state
banks.
On May !, 1916, twenty-siX state
banks showed total deposits of ST.
1872, 1864; cash on hand, S210,06S.12,
and due from banks S735, 423.37, max
ing total of SS,e44, 2S5.1S, an increase,
approximately of over a $1,000, 900.
Added to that are the resources Of
three national banks-One at Fenni-
more, one at Cuba City and another at
Platteville, with resources of one mil
lion dollars, thus placing the aggre-
gate wealth OF Grant county banks at
more than nine millions.
L. II. Stevens, of the Lancaster
State Bank, welcomed visiting bankers
in behalf of Lancaster, and s. E. Pear
son, of Bloomington, responded for the
visitors.
c. P. Him, president of the Fenni
more National Bank, made an address
that contained matter of much inter
est. as it reviewed from an authOrita-
tive standpoint the causes of present
day prosperity in Grant county. Mr..
Him has lived in Grant county for
many years, and has seen with his own
eyes the development of The agricult-
ural industry of this section. His adj
dress follows:
Our worthy chairman insisted that
/ make few remarks, or in other
words, talk to the bankers of Grant
county here assembled, but, although
/ am an officer and president of "a
bank, / do not consider myself much
of a banker, especially when / com
pare my Limited experience with that
of our Noted members here who have
devoted their life work To the banking
business.
IN calling upon me for a speech
reminds me, when number of years
past, farmers institutes were held IN
our town On those occasions there
were always two men whp were theH
living on the farm, on the program
The one TO talk on the breeding and
raising of horses, while the other was
booked for talk on general farming.
Now whenever these two men got
up to speak many OF the farmers
would leave the hall, while those re-
naming would hang their heads and
smile
Il fear. were I to attempt To tell you
hard-headed bankers how TO conduct
a successful banking business, that
about the same treatment might be
accorded me. So | will only say a
few words regarding the growth of the
banking business IN our county
No other line OF business in Grant
county has made such strides and such
-, ~
quarter century as has the banking
business.
twenty-five years ago there were
only a few banks in Grant county.
With limited deposits and still more
limited capital. Few farmers then had
money on deposit in the banks. Few
OF them really had any ready money
at all. and those who did have lit
tie bought United States bonds or
other securities they thought were alb
sOlutely safe investments. For the
banks at that time did not enjoy the
universal confidence placed in them
to-day.
Not a single farmer paid out
money by the check method. Bust
ness men were the only ones to al
low themselves this luxury. The
banking business in Grant county
played only an inferior part in its af-
fairs twenty-five years ago. But what
DO we find to-day
"yearIy all the financial business
al Grant county, not only that OF mer-
chants and other business men. but
also the farmers and the WOrl ingmen,