Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, October 20, 1908, Page 1

THE BEMIDJI DAILY PIONEER. VOLUME 6. NUMBER 157. BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 20, 1908. MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, FORTY CENTS PER MONTH MADE MASTER LY SPEECH ON ISSUES OF CAMPAIGN Congressman Steenerson Spoke to Large Audience at Blackduck Last Evening.—Spsaker Showed Wherein Democrats A HON. HALVOR Blackduck, Oct. 20.—(Special to Pioneer.)—Hon. Halvor Steenerson of Crookston, congressman from the Ninth district, and republican candi- date to succeed himself, delivered an | address in the city hall here last evening on the issues of the present| campaign, the speaker advocating the republican side of the contro-: versy over the great problems of today now confronting the people. Mr. Steenerson arrived in the village from Bemidji on the evening train, being accompanied from that | place by A. R. Erickson of Bemidji, Mr. Steenerson’s committeeman for Beltrami county, and several other republicans. A delezation of Black- duck people, headed by the Black- duck band, met the train and escorted Mr. Steenerson to the Palace hotel. After meeting a number of Black duck people at the hotel the party was escorted to the city hall, where a crowd had gathered which filled every inch of available space in the building and which was very demonstrative. About 100 of the crowd were farmers, most of them coming from a considerable distance. Congressman Steenerson was in-; troduced by Mayor J. E. Dade of | Blackduck who spoke very briefly. Mr. Steenerson gave one of the | most powerful and convincing ad- | dresses ever heard in Beltrami county, and those who attended the meeting listened very attentively during the entire speech. Mr. Steenerson handled the na- tional issues in a very able manuer, thoroughly explaining the stand taken by the republican party on these issues. Mr. Steenerson thanked the audi- and proceeded to give a very able discussion of the issues of the pres- ent campaign, dealing fairly with the opponents of the republican party, and going into much detail relative to national affairs. Mr. Steenerson believed that it was both appropriate and profitable to meet together and discuss the important issues involved, as the people were to vote, not only as to who should be the chief magistrate of the nation, but also as to what principles and policies would guide them. Where representative government prevails and the people rule, they must of necessity rule through the instrumentality of a political party, and the party in power must be held re Unstable. STEENERSON, of affairs. It is the previlege of the minority to criticise, and this criti- cism, so far as the republican party is concerned, the speaker was there to meet. On March 4, next, the republican party wiil have been in control for twelve years past and the achieve- ments of the party must, of neces- sity, be one of the main issues of the campaign. We must judge a political party by what it has done as well as by its principals. At the end of four years of demo- cratic rule, when the democrats had control of both the executive and legislative branches of the national government, they declared tariff for protection was not only unconstitu- tional, but was robbery pure and simple, and they promised to so revise the tariff as to do away with every vestige of protection. Ameri- can people decided the issue in favor of the democrats, and they (the democrats) went to work to put their theory of tariff for revenue into {actual practice by the enactment of the Nelson-Gorman law. Mr. Steenerson then rehearsed the effects of the enactment of this law, where industries were paralyzed, unemployed marched by the thous- ands, railroads in the hands of receivers, etc., etc. This was the result of democratic rule, and ought to satisfy the American people on that issue for a long time to come; and yet, the democratic platform of today declares for the same policy of a revenue for tariff, only they promise to approach it more gradu- ally than before, on the theory, no doubt, that a slow, lingering death to our industries is preferable to a . % . {sudden extermination. ence for its very kindly reception; The republican party came into power on its main issue, protective on a gold standard. These promises were faithfully kept. An extra enacted the Dingley law. The result you all know—adversity and de- pression both financialand industrial, was succeeded by prosperity such as no other nation has ever experi- enced in all the world’s history. The speaker called attention to the instability and proneness to error of Mr. Bryan in placing his issues, showing how he first espoused the silver issue, then took up im- perialism, and then tried govern- ment ownership, but when the strictly responsible for the conditions southern states, where the demo- tariff and a sound currency, based | session of congress | established the gold standard and |§ cratic delegates and votes came from, heard of it, they let up a howl of indignation against the proposi- tion—and the “Peerless Leader” shut |up like a clam. In the preseat campaign, Mr. Bryan does not seem to want to say much about tariff except to reproach the republicans for revising the Dingley law. He is devoting most of his efforts to explaining his scheme for “guaranteeing of bank deposits.” If Mr. Bryan’s revenue tariff scheme should again be put in oper- ation, it would be little or no use of guaranteeing bank deposits. That the Bryan plan for guaran- tee of bank deposits will be abso- lutely worthless as a preventative of panic wlll be plain to anyone ,who will consider it critically. The plan | as indicated in the democratic plat- form and as embodied in the Will- iams bill in Congress to tax the national banks upon their average deposits on half of one per cent per year until a fund of $15,000,000 is reached, which fund is to be held by the government at Washington to pay the losses.to depositors in failed national banks. There are five thousand, five hundred million dollars of deposits in these banks, and in case of a panic like that of last fall, when two hundred and ninty-six millions were withdrawn from August to Decem- ber, these fifteen millions would not be a drop in the bucket. but would in fact aggravate the panic. The minute that the people learned that the government fund was exhausted the panic would spread so nothing could stay it. Why, one bank in { New York, last fall, suspended with i more than fifty millions of deposits. If the proposition is to guarautee the ULTIMATE as distinguished from the IMMEBIATE PAYMENTS on demand of deposits, then the proposed fund might serve a good purpose, but that is a different proposition entirely. Take for instance, 100 farmers, each owning a farm worth $4,000— a half million in the aggregate; each we will suppose owing $1,000 due on demand. In case of a money stringency or a panic it would re- quire a half million dollars to guar- antee immediate payments, but one would be safe to guarantee the ultimate payment with a very small fund—probably if all demands are a million of property sacrificed at forced sale it would bring enough to pay the hundred thousand. It is “said, the average loss 'in forty years, to depositorsin failed national banks, is one twenty-sixth of one per cent per annum. That is to say, if you have for twenty-six years, kept on the average of $1,000 on deposit in these banks and had the average luck, you have lost ten dol- lars in all. This, however, is the ultimate loss, after all the assets of the failed bank have been collected and dis- tributed. It is perfectly feasible to raise a fund to idemnify against such a loss, but that is not PROMPT PAY- MENT. It is payment after, some- times, years of waiting. Whether such a measure is wise or unwise; whether it would not encourage care- less and imprudent, if not dishonest, banking; whether it would not tend Ito stimulate speculation and gamb- ling with the people’s money, isa grave question—but it is not neces- sary to answer that question in this campaign, for all that we need to point out now is that the demo- cratic platform proposes an imprac- tical and worthless remedy for secur- ing prompt payment of depositors in failed or suspended banks. It is said, “Why shouldn’t the depositor have security when the government demands security for its deposits?”’ The answer is, it isnot.a parallel case. The depositor has just as much right to demand and receive security as the guvenim_ent, but this proposition is that the depositor shall choose the bank he will lend his money to, and not the ‘Horrower put into judgments and the half| (the bank): but the government shall guarantee the payment. You might as well go one step further and say the lender (the depositor) may lend to individuals, to anyone he chooses, and the government shall guarantee the repayment of the loan. What the republican party says is if there are people who do not wish to put their money into banks, we will establish postal savings banks and you can deposit your money in the nearest money order postoffice, and then we, the government; having received your money, will guarantee its payment on demand, or when due with interest at two per cent. We will re-deposit this money in the nearest national bank, getting secur- ity, or invest it in municipal securi- ties in the neighborhood, so as to re- tain the use of the money in the locality where it originated. The postal savings bank system will receive as much as $500 at interest from one individual as up to 1,000 the last five hundred not to draw interest, and will accomodate all of small or moderate means. It is a plan that has been tried in many countries and has proven a success. It will answer every pur- pose and is.a much better plan than the untried and dangerous scheme of Mr. Bryan. The republicans have no appolo- gies to make for the Dingley law. It has been the most successful tariff law that has ever been sn the statute books. We have decided that the tariff shall be revised, not because it is not agood and wise law, but be- cause, in the nature of things, con- ditions and the cost of production was changed, both here and in other countries. | We have repeatedly declared that the measure of a protective duty shall be the difference between the cost of production here and abroad and revision is for the purpose of ;re-adjusting the schedules upon the | - (Continued’on last page.) E i | | Suit Printing you. The Pioneer Printery Is Equipped with Modern Machinery, ¥ Type Faces, and the Largest Stock of Flat Papers, Ruled Goods-and Stationery of All Kinds in Northern Minnesota. We have the highest-salaried Printers in Beltram: county, and we are leaders Up-to-date in Commercial Printing. Try us; we’ll Pioneer Printery Council Accepts Bid of Mr. The city council, st the meeting held last evening, disposed of the city waterworks bonds, which were voted at a special election held recently, and for the sale of which bids were received at the last meet- ing of the council. The bonds were sold to C. H. Coffin of Chicago for $50,501, being $501 above par. This offer of Mr. Coffin was con- sidered a very good one, as many | believed, considering the condition of the bond market, that the bonds could not be sold even at par. This sale of the: bonds will have to be approved by thé company Mr. Coffin represents, and if they are actually sold, the work of remodel-| ing the waterworks system of the city will be commenced. Mayor Pogue appeared before the council ‘and gave as his opinion that the council had no right to audit or allow bills pending the decision of! the district court in the municipal court tangle; that he would submit a | measure at the next meeting which would give the council a “touch of high life.” A number of bills were submitted but not acted upon, being laid on the table. A committee Was authorized to draw appropriate resolutions on the recent death of Alderman Washburn, John Marin, one of the city dray- men, was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the recent death of Tohn Washburn. WATERWORKS BONDS ARE SOLD AT A GOOD PREMIUM Coffin of Chicago.—Mayor Pogue Promises anncil “‘Hot” Message on the Allowing and Paying of Bills, A written opinion of the city attorney to the effect that the city should settle the damage suit which Mrs. Charles Scrutchin brought against the city was laid on the table until some future time, when the city attorney was present to introduce a resolution to that effect, The attention of the council was called to the condition of the cement sidewalks on Beltrami _avenue, be- tween Tenth anb Eleventh streets and the matter was referred to the sidewalk committee. A resoiution was adopted grant- ing to the Northern Grocery com- pany permission to cross, with a sidetrack, a certain street in the vicinity of the M. & L depot, the shipping facilities of the company requiring the use of the track. Ordinance No. 35, forbidding the throwing of glass, wood with nails in it, or scrap iron on the street or in the lake was introduced and given its first reading. The ordinance provides for a maximum fine of $25 and costs or thirty days in jail for the violation of this ordinance. The license application of Frank Silversack was granted and his bonds accepted, with William Murtz and August Golz as sureties. There were two applications for appointment as sexton to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the sexton recentiy. The appli- cations were laid on the table until some future meeting. -_— Fine Business at Handle Factory. Business is increasing at the Be- midji Handle Factory, and that institution is enjoying a very good patronage, these days. The plant, as it now stands, is equipped with modern machinery for making handles of all kinds, the capacity being 125 dozen handles. | The supply of timber for the manu- facture of handles is very good and the factory is being run night and day. Much of the business of the fac- tory comes from orders outside of the city, it having been recognized that the products of the local handle factory is among the best in the state. The factory at the present time, employes ten people and is one of the small enterprises of the city, which is thoroughly appreciated. Aeroplane at Blackduck. Word comes from Blackduck that a party consisting of 'Gene Smith, D. D, Rolfe and Dr. Os- borne have conceived an aeroplane which will be used in chasing ducks and other wild fowls which inhabit the air, “Billy” Squier is authority for the statement that the flying machine will be equipped with a full set of barber tools for the pur- pose of getting the pin feathers off the ducks. It has been suggested that the craft be named the ‘“Hemming Birdt.” The machine will be ex- hibited at the ¢Duck” next Thurs- day, at the time of the K. P, con- vention. Judge Stanton ““Courting” at Aitkin. Hon. C. W. Stanton of this city, judge of the Fifteenth Judicial dis- trict and candidate for re-election to that office, left this morning on an official trip to Aitkin where he will preside at a session of the district court of Aitkin County. Court will be opened tomorrow morning, and it is understood that the session will be a short one, as there is very little work listed on the calendar. Fifteen civil cases have been placed on the calendar GCOMPANY K'S FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYS GASS LAKE Will Line Up Against Coach Dumas’ “Bunch,” at Cass Lake, Next Sunday. The Company K football team, members of Bemidji’'s national guard company, will play a game against the reorgnized Cass Lake team, at Cass Lake, next Sunday, when it is expected that the Cass Lake pig skin chasers will have a much stronger eleven on the field than they lined-up against the Grand Rapids City team last Sun- day, when the Grand Rapids play- ers won the contest by a score of 21 to o, The Cass Lake team is being coached by Dr, Dumas, an old University of Minnesota player, and he has been putting his re- organized gridiron gladiators through some new stunts, with hard practice, this week. He has some fine material for a team, and no doubt, the Cass Lake warriors will show a vast improvement. The Company K boys wiil have several new players, since they played here against Grand Rapids, which will give them a much stronger line, and at least one ad- ditional man in the backfiled who is a consistent -ground-gainer, thoroughly understands the game, and is a ‘‘stayer” in all branches of the game. A number of Bemidji people will go to Ca\ss Lake Sunday noon to see the game. “‘Bemidji Slim” Got 30 Days. Lawrence Johuson, better known in this community as “Bemidji Slim,” was taken before Judge Bailey in the municipal court this morning on a charge of breaking jail. “Shm” was given a sentence of thirty days in the county jail and, as he has already served thirty days awaiting trial, he will probably learn that it pays to stay m the county up to the present time, but the criminal cases are very few although there is work for the grand . jury which is considered uncertain. e gl boarding house until his time is up. Additiona' local matter will be found on fourth page. o