The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 3, 1919, Page 4

‘ .. €€ ! ’ North Dakota Leaguers “Come Back Greatest Meeting in History of League at Fargo Votes to Make ' ““Scandia” Bank Largest in the State BY STAFF CORRESPONDENT 2 |N THE spring of 1915 farmers at the North Dakota legislature slop the hogs.” In the fall of 1916, something like 19 months later, they had organized the Nonpartisan league, swept the state in .general and primary elections, and come back to the capital in triumph. The success of the farmers in 80 short a time amazed the country. On October 2, 1919, after every other attempt to kill the Nonpartisan league had failed, a group of turncoat North Dakota politicians closed the Scan- dinavian American bank of Fargo. They believed it would cause a run on all farmer-owned banks’ and wreck the League. On October 21, 1919, just 19 days later, 7,000 farmers, from all parts of North Dakota, .gathered at Fargo in the greatest meeting in the history of the League. They voted to increase the capital and surplus of the bank to 10 times its former figure, thus making it the big- gest bank in North Dakota. They brought with them their savings, in amounts ranging from a few, dollars to $5,000. Until after midnight the bank was crowded, with a throng outside waiting to get in. It was a “run” sure enough—but a “run” to put money in, not to take it out. The farmers had “come back” again—but it took them' only 19 days this time, in- stead of 19 months. A few outdoor meetings, in " summer time, may have beaten the October 21 meeting at Fargo in point of size, but nevertheless the bank meeting must be rated the greatest in the history of the League. The day before the meeting the weather man laid a barrage of rain—and a little snow—in a 30-mile circle, with Fargo as its center. The gumbo roads became practically impassable. “It spoils the meeting,” said a few of the League enemies. “The farmers can’t get over the roads; a few will come by train, but not many.” But in spite of the rain they came. Some of them slip- ped off of the road into the ditch, but most got through. Thousands came by train from every direction. “West- ern Dakota farmers chartered a special train, leaving Bismarck, and got in just in time for the meeting. Minnesota sent its delegations. county, its presence felt especially. far away as Idaho. GRAND FORKS BOOSTERS BRING BANDS ALONG There was a Fargo band on hand to greet the visitors. But when the farmers came from the north end of the Red River valley it proved that the local music wasn’t needed. The northern farm- ers came down with two bands of their own—one of bare-kneed Kilties from Traill county and the khaki-clad band of the University of North Dakota. The northern men were a noisy bunch. Each wore in his hat or pinned to his coat a big card that said: Put the big mill in Grand Forks— no bank wreckers there. \ By 10 o’clock the city of Fargo was full of these cards, and the farmers from around Fargo were boosting mnearly as hard for Grand Forks as the northern men. By 10 o’clock, too, the town was full of farmers, and muddy Henry Fords were pull- ing in on every road, filled with men and women wearing “We'll Stick” buttons. League head- quarters were jammed so that it was impossible to move around. And in front of the Scandinavian . American bank there was always a crowd. Early in the morning one farmer had tapped on the win- dow and called out Bank. Examiner O. E. Lofthus, -.who is temporarily in charge. ~ were told to “go home and. One from Douglas representing the “Frazier-for-President” club of that county and headed by the county attorney, made There were scattering farmers from South Dakota and Nebraska and from as “I am not a League member,” said the farmer, “but when they start fighting farmers’ banks I've got to get in the game. Here is $5,000 I want to deposit as soon as the bank is opened.” There were many others .who followed his example. By noon farmers had started drifting toward the Auditorium, although the meeting was not scheduled to begin until 2 o’clock. At a little after 1 o’clock a crowd of several hundred had gathered at the Northern Pacific depot, waiting for the special train from Bismarck, with Gover- nor Frazier and farmers from the west aboard. With bands playing and the crowd cheering an altogether impromptu parade was started. It wound around the block and then started for the Auditorium. . When it got there every seat had been taken. “What are you going to do when you’ve got to put two gallons in a one-gallon jug?” some one said. That was the situation—7,000 farmers were trying to get into a building that had only 3,500 seats, What happened was that farmers jammed in until every available inch of standing room was taken, except the cen- tral’ aisle, which was kept clear. Perhaps 1,000 more were taken care of in this manner. And that still left 2,500 on the outside, who . could not possibly force their way in. They larger the crowds grew. started to drift away, but before long an over- flow meeting was arranged that kept going afternoon and night, and the cheers from the farmers on the outside started those on the in- side to cheering too. : It was not time for the program to begin, but the crowd was there and it proposed to start something for itself. There were cheers for Frazier and for Townley and for Grand Forks as the site of the mill and elevator. organized itself on the governor’s special coming down from_Bismarck, started to sing “We’re Here Because We’re Here,” to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.” approval and demanded more. So the quartet started to sing again—the same thing, but when they came to the last line they made a change and said, “We’re here because they told us to go home and slop the hogs.” . The cheering and stamping that came then fairly shook the house.. It was another reminder to the farmers that they had “come back.” Governor Frazier, standing in the .wings, stuck his head out to see what the crowd looked like. Only a few hundred could see him, but they split the air with a cheer and called for Frazier to take the stage. He came out to place an American flag PAGE FOUR From early morning until after midnight there were crowds like this around the Scandinavian American bank. The later the hour the Below is shown the Kilties band, brought to Fargo by Grand Forks boosters, as they appeared going to the depot to greet Governor Frazier. Then a volunteer quartet that had- The farmers stamped and cheered their’ and the whole house stood up with a yell of welcome. Lieutenant Governor Howard R. Wood took charge of the meeting. He introduced in succession Senator J. L Cahill, Speaker L. L. Stair of the North Dakota house of representatives and William Lemke of the League executive committee. Then M. W. Thatcher, president of the Equitable Audit company of Minne- apolis, called upon by the stockholders of the Secan- * dinavian American to exaniine the financial affairs of that institution, was called upon for a report. BANK FULLY SOLVENT EXPERT AUDITOR SHOWS Thatcher told in simple language, with exact fig- ures to back it up, what he had found. Although the bank wreckers had first attempted to claim that the Scandinavian American was below its legal reserve when it was closed, Thatcher said this was not true. The bank should have had a reserve of $249,- 000 on the day it was closed, Mr. Thatcher said. All other banks of Fargo united on October 2 in demanding cash in settlement of balances, al- though in at least one case they were unwilling to give cash to pay their own balances, but in spite of this effort to deplete the bank’s reserve, Thatcher said, it had a reserve on the day it closed of $266,000, or $17,000 more than was re- quired. “In the few days of its control by Bank Examiner Lofthus loans and discounts of $191,000 have been paid in,” Thatcher went on. “The bank can get rid of more paper if it desires. Yesterday one bank phoned in and offered to buy $100,000 worth and of- fered to leave the selection of the paper to the presi- dent of the Scandinavian American.” Owing to the work of Examiner Lofthus the bank that was pronounced “hopelessly insolvent” by the wreckers October 2 is even in better condition today, Thatcher pointed out. “The bank should have a reserve of $228,000 today, of which $91,000 should be in. cash,” said Mr. Thatch- er. “They have in cash $200,000. TFhey should have a reserve with other banks of $137,000. . They have $160,000. “The Scandinavian American bank is not only solvent but it has its capital and surplus unimpaired and has accumulated net profits of more than $10,000.” James Manahan of St. Paul ._spoke briefly. He came, in his talk, to a brief mention of the old Equity fight and as he named the leader of that fight —George Loftus—cheers broke ~ out again. The cheers for the dead leader of the Equity fight had hardly’ died away before their place was taken by louder cheers for the' leader of the League fight. President A. C. Townley was introduced. ' He walked: to the front of the stage, his hands in the pockets of his serge coat. The cheering start- ed up—and kept up. The farmers stood up so they . could yell better—and after they had stopped cheer- ing they still stood up. From the back of the hall came yells of “Sit down,” “Down in front,” and “We can’t see him.” Finally there was quiet and Townley started to speak. “Three weeks ago,” he said, “there was no thought of any meeting like this, or of any meeting at all,” yet here was this enormous crowd, the larg- est ever assembled in Fargo, and nearly as many more in the overflow meeting outside. “I used to get up meetings,” said Townley, “a good many of them, and they were pretty good meetings as they went, but I’'ve come to the con- ' clusion that I don’t know how to get up a good meeting now—”’ : “Call on Langer,” a farmer yelled, and the crowd broke into applause, Townley went on: “Langer, Hall and the bank wreckers are better at it than I am,” and the big building rocked with the laughter and cheers. “The Fargo Forum told you this was to be a shakedown meeting,” he went on. “They even ‘printed in advance the speech they said I would make to you. It is quite a'reputation they are mak- ing for me.’ They call me a crook—suppose we ]