VI * ?
10 Conservative ,
THK ItANKS OF NKI1KASKA CITY.
THE CONSEHVATIVE with pride am
satisfaction gives to the rending public
the following sensible nutl plain state
nient of facts from the cashier of a Ne
hrnsku City bank. It is a clear state
nient and conies from n young man who
lias grown up in this community , ant
by industry , truth and honesty , com
bined with ability , secured the esteem
and confidence of all who know him :
"Let us consider banks from a loca
standpoint and see if the system is to be
commended or condemned. Wo have
four banks , three national and one state
with a combined capital and surplus oi
over $ $00,000.00. $ This amount is but a
small part of the wealth both real and
personal of our city , but wo find on the
tax books that the total banks assessment
is over $00,000.00 , or about one-twelfth
of the total assessment , paying unto the
city fully $3,000.00 and to the county
about $2,000.00. Still , if you listen to
.some of our politicians , you would think
that no local tax was paid at all by the
banks. What do they offer the public ?
A safe place to deposit their money , a
place for the merchant , the manufact
urer and the farmer to borrow money to
maintain aud carry on their respective
business enterprises.
"The combined deposits of the Ne
braska City banks aggregate about $750-
000.00 contributed by about 2500 indivi
duals. The banks in turn have loaned
about $050,000.00 , supplying the wants of
from 1500 to 1800 borrowers. Thus you
see the banks have brought together the
idle and surplus money of the city , of
fered with their capital security for its
custody , and in turn loaned it to the
community. By so doing , allowing the
factory wheel to turn , the merchant to
carry his stock , the farmer to tide over
the period of the putting in and har
vesting of his crop. Can you detect in
the above anything that should bring
upon the banker the avalanche of words
decrying lu's business and almost threut-
. cuing to wipe him from off the face of
the earth ? Rather he is a servant of the
people , living by their sufferance , with
draw their support and his business is
taken away. Ho is prominent as a tax
payer. He is solicitous as to the growth
and prosperity of the community , for
the depositors' money for which his cap
ital is security is loaned to them , and
success or prosperity is his also , as in
turn would be disaster to him should the
community he loans to , fail or lack pros
perity. Ho is public-spirited , recogniz
ing that anything that tends to improve
the moral tone of the people , to elevate
their standardwill add to his security in
doing business with them.
"What as to the moral effect or bene
fit of a bank ? Let us consider. We are
good or bad largely as opportunity pre
sents or environments influence. The
bank in its deposit feature takes from
the business house , the home and the in
dividual , the money that , were the banks
f > f 1
not iu existence , would bo lodged in their
respective places and be an alluring
prize to the thief and murderer , render
ing one's business unsafe and jeopardise
ing his homo and life. This danger the
bank removes , rendering life and home
so peaceful and safe that by comparisoi
the moated castle seems a form of bar
barism and not the protection absolutely
required there.
"If it removes dangers it also in a like
degree reduces the per cent of crime
thus elevating the moral tone , contribut
ing to the security of life and to man's
possessions , forcible arguments imleec
for the existence of banks. "
A IHJOI.K IJIAST FKOM CltOKKlt.
The redoubtable chief of Tammanj
Hall denounces the 10 to 1 department
of the silver question which he supported
in "dead issue. '
ported ninety-six as a
The war is now on. The Pacific States
andlowa , and Kansas , and Wyoming ,
with Nebraska , depressed into an almost
fatal slump on the issue now denounced
by Mr. Croker as "dead , " indicate that
it will not bo much of a war when the
day for fighting arrives. But for the
fear of negro rule in the South there
wouldn't be enough left of the silvei
question in nineteen hundred to make a
respectable shadow in the national con
vention. Mr. Seltzerwater , who thrum
med the cheap-money , repudiation
banjo in Omaha a few nights ago , will
have abundant excuse for holding on to
his pretty hair on his return to New
York. The sachems and braves of the
Iroquois democracy are evidently on the
warpath.
COST OF LOCAL OOVEKXMKNT.
The excessive cost of local govern
ments and the consequent high rate of
taxation which it imposes , repals from
some of the best portions of our com
monwealth the highest character of
thrifty and intelligent immigration and
the most desirable capital and enter
prise.
Cass county makes a better showing
for inexpensive local government than
any of the older counties of the territory
uid state , as her annual levy has aver
aged only 1 per cent from 1865 to 1895 ,
and in the latter year was only a little
over 1 cent on the dollar.
Douglas county has averaged over 14
uills on the dollar during the same
thirty years. But Washington county ,
which began with 14 % mills in 1865 , has
now a tax of 2356 mills , aud makes an
average of annual taxation for thirty
years of 21.49 mills.
Burt county began with 10 mills on
the dollar in 18(55 ( and closed with 14.4
mils in 1895 , making an average of
12.294 , including and between the two
lates.
In 1865 Dakota county had a tax of 18
uills , aud iu 1895 of 19 mills on the dol-
ar's valuation , aud shows au annual
average during thirty years of
mills.
Throughout the state , during thn
"boom" period , and for the purpose of
continuing au artificial energy of devel
opment in most of the larger cities , the
fallacy of making public improvements ,
merely for the alleged purpose of giving
employment to the idle , quite largely
prevailed. Many big sewers which
were unnecessary , and miles of expen
sive pavements in streets which needed
no pavement at all , have been levied
for , with the avowed purpose of raising
funds with which to employ idle mus
cle. It has been deemed a duty of gov
ernment by n majority of the voters in
many localities to furnish compensatory
employment to all seeking it. Follow
ing out this economic fallacy , those who
have been temperate , industrious , self-
denying , and acquisitive have been com
pelled , by the power to tax , to fur
nish the means of livelihood to those
who have been largely during their
whole lives intemperate , improvident ,
aud indolent. Paved streets vehicle-
less , trafficless , and almost peopleless
running out from Lincoln , from Omaha ,
and from other metropolitan points to
wards impossible additions , attest the
futility and folly of such expenditures.
The transitory and almost vagrant pop
ulation in behalf of which such alleged
public works were undertaken left each
one of those towns so soon as the arti
ficial excitement aud unnecessary ex
penditure of public money subsided , or ,
by force of depleted exchequers , finally
came to au eud.
It is not the business of governments
to furnish employment to citizens. But
it is their business to protect the lives ,
liberties aud properties of citizens with
in the areas which they cover. Having
afforded this protection , they may right
eously tax for the service thus rendered ,
and a tax for any other than such a pub
lic purpose is licensed larceny.
The question arises uow : How shall
the good people in the various precincts ,
_ . . . . . cities and counties
Th Ouohtion.
of the commonwealth -
wealth of Nebraska hereafter avoid un
necessary extravagance and burdensome
taxation in local government ?
This is a very serious problem. It
must be answered therefore , with care
ful , thoughtful deliberation. There is
one absolutely certain method of cor
recting the evil of extravagant adminis
tration in local affairs , and that is , to
recognize , respect , aud exalt individual
merit aud personal worth in selecting
public servants. Eulogize good char
acter aud denounce bad ; choose for of
ficial places only those citizens who are
peculiarly qualified , fitted aud adapted
to those places. The best method to
accomplish the selectiou of that class of
aitizens , aud thereby put a premium
upon acknowledged ability and clean
character , is to repeal every statute in
he state of Nebraska which requires