The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1919-01-16

L
! subscribe, in fact, our people were told
that we did not want them to do more
than to take their allotment. We could
not hold them back, however, and the
| s32 100000 extra shows the impetus
that Ninth district loyalty had gained
Distribution Of Bonds.
| The method of distributing bonds in
this district has been unique in many
ways and has made bond selling his
tory that other districts and nations
| fave and will study and attempt to
copy.
We are an agricultural district. Up
TO April, 1917, our people had never
purchased bonds. For the most part
they did not know what bond was
| During the past twenty months, our
| people have not only been educated to
what government security is, but
the district has changed from one in
which there were practically no bond
| buyers to one that boasts considerably
over one and quarter million bond
| holding individuals. In the Fourth
Liberty loan, bonds were sold to 1,301,.
$50 individuals in this district, the
| average purchase per individual being
$1S592.
A very proper question and one that
has been asked is-Don't the banks
and trust companies of this district
buy large portion of the Liberty
bonds?
Startling as it may seem, our an
of fact, practically no bonds have been
sold to either banks or trust COM
ranics in the Third and Fourth Lib
erty bond campaigns except in a few
instances where these institutions
bought them of their own volition or
in order to help out local situation
which needed temporary assistance.
Value of Distribution.
We must recognize, and I am sure
we do, that with 25 per cent of the dis
trict's population owning Fourth Lib
erty bonds, plus other individuals who
purchased bonds of preceding issues,
we have brought into this district a
moral influence for good government
that will be of inestimable value and
will be forcibly expressed in improved
conditions.
Don't you think that the owning Of
government securities by so large a
percentage of our people is going to
be safe ground against the spread
of Bolshevism? Stockholders in con-
Germ won't purposely wreck that con-
Germ.
In addition to this public benefit, it
is hoped that by buying and owning
government securities our people have
learned the first principle at least of
necessity for saving, as well as the ben
effts and the joy of thrift and economy.
The Districts Difficulties.
The floating of these immense bond
iss"es in the Ninth district has been
difficult for many reasons. AS I have
said before, our people were not &C.
customed to the buying of bonds and
lit was necessary to educate them, not
only as to the value of these securities,
but as to the necessary details of bond
buving and bond owning, and beside.
this, we have had practically no war
contracts in the entire Ninth district.
Our money for investment has come to
us through the regular channels and
as the result of marketing products of
the soil, or conducting the regular bust
ness of the district. In fact, many
lines of business have been seriously
handicapped because of war conditions
and this Of course has been an added
handicap to bond sales.
We have been further hampered by
having in certain parts of our district
decidedly pro-German citizens and
communities, where the propaganda Of
enemy nations has had the effect of
interfering seriously with the work of
our committees.
Our Pre-eminence.
Notwithstanding all these difficulties,
the Ninth district stands at the head
of all the districts Of the United States
in many noteworthy particulars:
First we originated and perfected
the allotment system which is now rec
ognized throughout the nation as the
most equitable, fair and just manner of
distributing bonds. At first, in many
portions of the country, our plan was,
looked upon with suspicion. Now the
leaders in these same districts are
wishing they had adopted our methods
and are wondering If it is possible to
use them for the Fifth Loan.
Second, we initiated and perfected
the system Of voluntary subscription.
This plan was tried out in the Third
Loan in a modified form and 1t was
80 successful that it was used during
the Fourth Loan in IS per cent of the
counties of the district In these coun-
ties not less than 80 per cent of the
people who purchased bonds did SO
voluntarily, calling at given point
and buying them "cver the counter"
In the opinion of those in CHARGE Of
this work, this is the most pronounced
step forward of any plan adopted. In
my opinion, nothing has been done
which is of greater inheritance for the
future than the abortion and rutting
into successful operation of this fea-
ure could cite you many illrstra-
tions showing the benefit of this sys-
tenn upon individuals and communities
and give you innumerable testimonials,