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FIRST NATIONAL AT DUNKERTON REFUSES TO HANDLE LIBERTY BONDS. DIRECTORS HALT WORK OF BANK EXECUTIVES Loss of Customers Thru Sale of First Bond Issue Frightens Men Who Have Their Money in Stock-North Black Hawk County Appears to Have Much Disloyalty. Dunkerton, Oct. 9.-Kaiser Bill is so "strong" here that the First National bank is afraid to boost the new Liberty bond Issue. At a recent meeting of directors it was decided to solicit no bond sales and to conduct no aggressive campaign of any kind. lest the bank lose a lot of Teutonic customers. The men at the bank's helm took this move after drinking a deep and bitter potion from the cup of "Experience." When the first edition of Liberty bonds was issued the First National Bank of Dunkerton launched an ag. gressive selling campaign thru its cashier, F P Davis, and disposed of $27,000 worth. Bank directors themselves subscribed for a total of $3.600. A short time afterwards German customers began to withdraw their accounts, and in many cases transferred them to rival banking institutions at Denver and Readlyn. lowa. The latter banks did not sell any Liberty bonds They refused to handle them. it IS said. Seeks Davis' Aid. A few days ago F. B. Miller, president and cashier of the Cedar Falls National bank, began to outline plans for boosting the second liberty loan in Black Hawk county. He was looking for a "live one" to handle bond sales in Bennington, Barclay and Lester townships, and bearing in mind the fine results obtained by F. P. Davis of Dunkerton wrote and asked him to undertake the work. Mr. Davis laid the proposition before his bank officials. and received the following instructions from G. S. Kleckner, president of the institution: "I do not want you to undertake the work this time. We have lost a lot of customers because of your activities in connection with the first M.berty bond issue. 1 have received many complaints from disgruntled German customers, who have declared: Why should we be solicited to subscribe when our neighbors who do business with the Readlyn and Denver banks are not asked to subscribe a penny and their banks do not sell the bonds?" President Kleckner informed his cashier the First National of Dunkerton would have the bonds on hand but would solicit no sales for business reasons. "If the Readiyn and Denver banks would handle the Liberty bonds we would gladly get into the game in earnest," said Kleckner. Davis' Interview With German. Disloyal Germans are the exception rather than the rule in Black Hawk county, according to Mr. Davis, but he says there are numerous kaiser lovers in the northern part of the county as well as in Bremer county, where the Readlyn and Denver banks are situated "When I was selling bonds the first time," said Davis, "I tackled a German farmer in the northern part of Black Hawk county. He was rabid and began to berate the United States, after refusing to subscribe. "This farmer said: The United States soldiers will never get to France. We will sink their ships before they get there." Dunkerton bank officials believe a number of their German customers have been lured away by the argument: "We are not asking patrons to buy liberty bonds. You will not be bothered that way at our bank." Loses Job Because Loyal. So strong is the pro-German sentiment in some parts of Black Hawk county that Supervisor Fred Schoof was defeated for re-election because he was outspoken in his defense of the United States and declared this country was justified in entering the war. Schoof's utterances were so dietasteful to kaiser lovers that they started on the warpath and succeeded in throwing him out of office. The latest move against the Dunkerton bank was begun about sixty days azo. when Germans of that town organized a rival institution. A contract has been let for the construction of a new one-story bank building. Dunkerton has a population of only 300 people, and cannot support two banks. One of them is liable to suspend.
