The Hope pioneer., 1921-02-10
Partisan Fanaticism Dares GraveSt consequences

ing. The bank was designed, pri-
marily, to serve two purposes; first
to liquidify the credit of the state
so that its flow could be adjusted
efficiently and cheaply to those re-
gions where it was demanded; in
other words, to see that the stream
of credit flowed where it would do
the most good for the greatest num-
ber. The other purpose was to
provide a better system of rural
credits; which it has done.
BY concentrating the power of
public funds, usually lying dormant
in private institutions serving rare
ly more than the purpose of petty
private graft, the bank was enab-
led to increase the efficiency of the
credits of the state immeasureably
for the benefit of the people.
Private banking interests, not
only of those of North Dakota, but
those of the Twin Cities and the ma
ton at large, saw an immense dan
ger in the Bank of North Dakota.
1t could not be permitted to sue
ceed. 1t not only tore down the
false tradition that the private
banker was absolute over the cre-
dts of the nation. 1t struck at his
private profits. For the first time
in it's history, the State of North
Dakota was on its way to something
like independence from the Twin
City grain-banking combination
which had held it down for so long;
which, dictated, as it were, the fate
of practically every inhabitant of
great commonwealth.
The system works through pol
itics.
Consequently a hungering pack
of politicians were unleashed. They
proceeded by devious means-thru
Misrepresentation, lies, libel-to
strike at the confidence of the peo-
pie.
They concentrated their efforts
on The Bank of North Dakota. Up
on the milling program they dared
not dwell. The people knew what
they wanted in that regard. The
System knew that if it could des-
troy The Bank of North Dakota,
the states industries would return
to complete dependency upon its
whims; because it is the credit
structure of the country that is the
mainstay of the System.
To repeat, one motive was back
of the never ceasing campaign.
That motive was to destroy conf
dence in The Bank of North Dakota
The various peaks of the politi-
cal conspiracy dictated by the Sys-
TEN are easy to trace.
The first outstanding peak is
that famous incident whereby a pol
itician endeavored to wreck a bank
in Fargo-one of the large insti-
tutions patronized by farmers and
their organizations. It was not
that particular bank which the Sys-
tenn cared SO much about; but it
was hoped by that closing to cast
some discredit on the Bank Of
North Dakota. The record is clear
on that point, however, SO far as
the people of North Dakota are con-
cerned.
So far as the people of the nation
living outside North Dakota's bord-
ers are concerned, the story Is diff
ferent. Millions of newspaper read
ers gained the impression that it
was the Bank of North Dakota it.
= self that had closed its doors. Such
an impression was merely ques-
tion of skillful propaganda exercis-
ing the art of inuendo. What mat
tered it if the Fargo bank itself
reopened its doors. The object had
been achieved. Propaganda has
skillfully linked up the name of
The Bank of. North Dakota in such
way that the casual reader car
ried in the back of his head some
vague suggestion that he couldn't
define. Yet the entering wedge had
been driven. Such is the power OF
pen and ink and printing presses.
It would hardly be said that the
Fargo bank fiasco was a success
for the political conspirators set
ting out to destroy the confidence
of the peole of whole state in
their credit structure. But, the
Fargo incident was only the begin.
ming of the campaign.