The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-10-14
BRINTON SAYS THAT THE
FARMERSPRESS IS WRONG

false and misleading. Mr.. Cathro,
himself, in Bismarck two weeks ago
admitted on the witness stand that
the First National Bank of Minneapo-
lis, alone, "about four million dollars"
to use his exact words, and, this week
at meeting of league campaigners
admitted that he had on deposit over
So, 900, 10000 last spring, outside the
state of North Dakota. Mr.. Cathro
not only admitted having nearly $1O,-
OOO, 100000 on deposit with eastern
banks but went on at length in a
speech and justified his action in TAX
ing this money out of the state-to
his own satisfaction at least. He
claimed if he had left it in North Da-
kota banks they would not have hon
ored his checks in case he needed the
money. Just where the editor Of
the Ward County Farmers Press gets
his information is not known to me,
for even the Fargo League Service
Bureau-and Lemke-now all admit
the big eastern deposits in the Min
neapolis Chamber of Commerce Banks
2 percent when North Dakota banks
in Minot, Bismarck and elsewhere are
charged 4 percent. While Townley,
Lemke and Cathro have favored these
big banks in the east, they have lied
to the farmers of North Dakota-and
claimed they were not depositing any
money in the east. But when Mr..
Waters, manager of the Bank at one
time, gave out the exact amount on
deposit in the big eastern banks
over $4,000, O00.O0-he was called a
traitor, liar and the Courier News
was so enraged it called him a
skunk. All the league papers and
workers denied the big eastern depos-
its-until Mr.. Cathro was subpoenaed
as witness in court and under oath
admitted that he had "about four mil
| lion" in the bank in Minneapolis own
ed by the Chamber of Commerce
crowd. The league leaders then
changed their story and began JUS
tifying the taking of $4,000, 100000
out Of the state in the spring when
money was needed the most by the
farmers and the banks-upon whom
the farmers demanded loans. The
Minot editor of the League paper
must have been sleeping the past
monitor he is still printing the lies
about there being no eastern deposits.
This misinformed employee of Lem
ke's also makes several false state
ments about loans made to Golden
Valley people by the Bank of North
Dakota. As a long resident of
Beach, postmaster and mayor of that
city, / wish to inform the Minot ed
itor and others misinformed by him,
that D. H. Mcmahon, to whom Cathro
loaned $25,0O0.00, was never resi-
dent of that county and is not now
. resident there or in North Dakota.
The nearest he ever came to being a
resident of Beach was at the time
Congres sman Baer, then post
master, married a relative of his, and
the only excuse Mr.. Cathro had for
making the loan was the relationship
between the applicant and Congress
man Baer. Baer would be a poor
congressman if he couldn't get loan
for a relative even though he did live
in St. Paul. There is no use lying
about such matters. It only makes
them worse. Mcmahon never lived
in Golden Valley county, and the farm
which the Minot misinformed editor
speaks of, which he claims Mcmahon
farms out there. is located across the
line in Montana.
Another loan of $2O,OOOOO was
made in Golden Valley county to a
nonresident, John H. Haigh, of Pick
EFT, Wis. This loan was made on
Golden Valley land, but Mr.. Haigh
is banker and real estate Spectator;
he owns a bank at Carlyle, Mont,
Just across the line in Montana, is
not resident of North Dakota and
never was, and while this loan was
being made to Mr.. Haigh, man
worth $250,0OO at least, farmers who
lived in North Dakota were receiving
letters from Cathro, saying they could
not get loans because he had no
money and the bonds were not sold.
And while this was going on he ad-
mits having ten million on deposit in
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Chicago and
other eastern cities. l am writing
you this letter to set the gentleman
who edits the Farmers Press Alright,
because l know he has been misin-
formed originally, and, no doubt, has
mt heard vet of Mr.. Cathro's adnlis-