Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-10-20
HOW The STATE OFFICIALS and LEAGUE LEADERS HAVE SANDED BOTH PUBLIC and PRIVATE MONEY

which several Thousand dollars Of
North Dakota money has been moved
out Of the pockets Of Its citizens and
into sisal plantation in Florida.
Much Of the money that went into this
enterprise came out of the Scandin-
avian-American Bank and as such con-
sists Of money belonging to the tax
payers Of the state and to the patrons
of the bank who had the money de-
posted in 1t, Farmers In Walsh
county and elsewhere who. gave notes
to this concern in amounts ranging
from 81, 600 to 5000 will not soon for
get their experiences Ia that connec-
ton. Messrs. Townley and Waters are
now in court to determine who shall
have possession Of what is left Of the
sisal farm.
Farmers" and Peoples" "BanIss".
The thirty-seven League owned or
controlled banks have been means
Of moving approximately three-quar-
tiers of million Of dollars out Of the
pockets Of the farmers for capital
stock alone. To this must be added
the money deposited in these institu-
tons by people who had confidence in
the honesty and the ability Of the
League leaders. Control Of these
banks was obtained by means of the
League Exchange and other third par
ties without putting into them any
actual money Of their own. In many
cases the cash that was put in by the
farmers was taken out and CD, put
in place of it. Most of these banks
are now closed and have in their
vaults bundles Of CD. notes and other
collateral which is not worth much
more than so much baled. paper. This
is in place of the hard cash that was
put in by the farmers.
Accommodation Notes."
No definite information is available
as to total amount of money that, has
been extracted from the farmers of
North Dakota by means Of getting ac-
commodation notes which 1t was rep
resented to them that they would
never be called on to pay. They were
told that it was merely case of want
ing to use their credit and not their
cash. Many of the heretofore wealthy
farmers of the state have been roped
In on this accommodation paper
scheme so severely that they are now
financially embarrassed because Of It.
Thousands of North Dakota's farmers
now wish that they had needed the
time, worn advice, "Never sign paper
for stranger"
Other schemers in trying to form a
reasonably correct conception of the
amount of money that has been moved
out Of the pockets of the people Of
North Dakota there must be added to
the enterprises already enumerated a
number Of other "b1ue sky" corpora
lions that have been "foated" in
North Dakota. These, though not d.
rectly controlled by the leaders Of the
League, were promoted with their
knowledge and consent, and with prac-
tically the same arguments that were
used for the promotion of the Nonpar-
tisan Leader. Leaders Of the League
were personally interested in many Of
these and the impression was DELHI
erately left In the minds of the people
who were induced to invest in them
that they were part Of the League
movement. Among these are the fol-
lowing:
Peoples Fuel, Power & Clay Prod
ucts Briquetting Co."
''The Kimbnll Investment Co."
The Federal Development Co.
The Home Lumber CO..
The farmers who have been s'taken
I'M by one or more Of these enter
prises will recognize these names and
they will know that they have had a
lot Of annoying trouble and worry as
n result Of their connection with these
enterprises.
Total e Staggering.
The total amount of money that has
been moved out Of the pockets Of the
farmers and into the pockets Of the
trained organizers, schemers and pro-
moters is so. great as to stagger those
who have not heretofore given this
matter any serious thought. Every
agricultural state has had its lightning
rod agents, nursery agents, stud horse
promoters, railroad promoters, stove
peddlers, etc, but no where have SO
many schemes for getting money out
Of the pockets Of the farmers been
worked at one time as in North Da-
kota during the last few years. The
confidence men that have worked agri-
cultural states in the past have each
worked their own particular line by
themselves but in North Dakota these
dozen or more schemers have been
co-ordinated in fact organized 30 as to
operate like one system, emanating
from one central head and gathering
the proceeds Of all of them into the
pockets Of the same bunch OF promot-
ers and organizers.
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