Article Text

Popularity of Banking in Grant County. In the year 1852 the people of Wisconsin voted for and against banking, thero appearing a large majority in the state in favor of so amending the constitution as to authorize banking. In Grant County the voto on bank. ing stood against banks 2178, and for banks 464, so that Grant County was as decidedly anti-bank in 1852 as in 1868, which fact the Appeal will do well to note. Lancaster then polled 149 votes against banks and 30 for banks; Platteville gave 382 votes against banks and 62 for banks, although at that time a party of lead. ing men at Platteville were publicly announcing that if a majority carried in the state they would procure a bank charter and open a bank in that town, which pledge they thereafter fulfilled, although 382 voters said 'no.' Five years after, the banks of Wis. began smashing up. and in 1861 the Southern State Stock free banks of Wisconsin all smashed, the people losing about half their money. The people of the mines, as they were called elsewhere in the state, became radically anti-bank in 183740, when the old Mineral Point Bank failed, D. W. Jones, Cashier, and, it was thought by many receiver of the lion's share. Thereafter till about 1855, paper money was not used in lead region, but the circulation was almost exclusively American gold, British soverigns, and five francs.— Corwith at Galena commenced paying out bank paper for lead in 1856, and in two or three years after SOVereigns and American gold coin had pretty much dissapeared. At first the smelters and miners protested receiving the paper, but Corwith persisted and won against the popular predjudice.