Year: 1859




the style of the celebrated JUN1us- PECK.
SNIFF, we think-EDs. is addressing series
of very milky and watery letters to the Hon.
GEORGE L. BECKER, in one of which he
makes the modest request that Mr.. BECKER
shall tell the people as follows: Say that
"you know me well; that l am friend to
the best interests of the State friend of
" the Railroads one who wants to see them
"built! !" &c. If Mr.. BEcKER's opinion
should be asked, he will say, most probably,
that so far as Mr.. BANNING has capacity to
do wrong, he is the boldest and most dan
gerously bad man in the whole State, and
in respect to his being friend of the best
interests of the State, will point to the fact
that be daily violates the law and subjects
himself to indictments and a call to the
penitentiary, by putting in circulation as
money, the spurious paper called the Bank
of Gray. If this were not enough, be would
refer to the scheme by which the Bank of
Rochester was started, and the currency
sustained by Mr.. BANNING, until Lis hands
were clear of it. Or, he might point to the
fact that Mr.. B. had been posted in this
community as Ga base slanderer and un-
mitigated liar" and while the foul blot "
was nailed to his forehead" he failed to
remove it, but, on the contrary, his explana-
tion rendered it more apparent.


And perhaps he would add that Mr.. BAN.
MING claims that debt of five thousand
dollars, with interest, should be paid to him,
and that be has repeatedly threatened that
he would use his utmost endeavors to ruin
the Railroads, unless and until it was paid,
and boasted that he had already injured
them to the extent of hundreds of thousands
of dollars and be would say, such is this
immaculate friend of the Railroads!


If time permitted, he would also inform
bis auditory that Mr.. BANNING was origi-
nally the most active, loudest and most
persistent advocate for State loan to aid
the Railroads, and went so far as to employ
an eminent lawyer to draft bill for loan
of State credit, and another for banking
law exactly to suit Mr.. BANN1NG-and no
body else; one of the provisions of which
was that the State Bonds should alacays be
received by the Auditor at par for banking.
And further, that this same disinterested
patriot proposed to make a prirate arrange
ment with the Railroad Companies to help
carry his scheme through, and then allow
him to take the entire amount of bonds to
be issued by the State, and pay for them in
this currency!


And if Mr.. BECKER should happen to be
in no hurry, be might further say that Mr..
BANNING, in discussing sub rosa the details
of his splendid plan, expressed the design to
locate his banks at places so remote from
the centres of business, that holders of the
currency could not incur the trouble and
expense of sending it to the bank for re-
demption, and that one of his most favorite
places for bank was Sheyenne


And be might still add, that Mr.. BAN
MING had a confrere-a Broker-in another
branch of this Railroad loan business,
whose name was to have been used as a
contractor for building one or more of the
roads and who was to give the currency q
"good circulation !"


And if Mr.. BECKER should find his audi.
ence still interested in these details. he
could go on and further say, that these
sainted persons severally suggested to
prominent Railroad officer, that if he could
aid them to such an extent as to make the
plan effectual, all his debts-known to be
very large-could easily be paid-in cur
rency-and without any sacrifice of his
private interests.


And to conclude his remarks he might
add, that when Mr.. BANNING and his friend
found that their patriotic project was not
favorably entertained, they became sudden
ly opposed to the loan of State credit, and
violently denounced it as a scheme for
swindling the people! And finally, that
our most worthy fellow citizen, BANNING,
swore that he would send the measure, and
the State, too, if it was adopted, to HI.
Whether he will precede them remains
to be seen i; but his symptoms indicate that
he will And if he walls and gnashes his
teetL as much there as here, would advise
all other bad people to keep away, for they
would never have any peace. He would.
bore them continually. There would be no
end to his sensation meetings "to consider
the currency question; no opportunity lost
to button-hole a fellow on the corners of
the streets to ask him "what he thinks of
the Forty Thieves 2" No decline of the
prospect of ruin. No cessation of the warn.
ing note of starvation. No escape from
the howl Of taxation; constant calls of "a
meeting of the Board of Brokers to remedy
the finances" innumerable petitions for a
banking law, the currency to be based on
real estate mortgages, in lieu of the Bank
of Gray; occasional advertisements in the
Minnesot'an, announcing the formation of
"a Military School, for Young Boys, under
the patronage Of w. L. BANN1NG"- to
keep his name before the public.


Allow me to suggest to BANNING that