The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-01-10
FINANCIAL FI1NESSE.

Forty years ago the brokers and spec
rlators knew very little of corners,
such as have rendered the operations of
these gentry in New York and Chicago
notorious in these latter days. Stocks,
grain. and provisions were bought and
sold them in quite Il primitive fashion
according to our present ideas. But,
notwithstanding their ignorance OF the
improved facilities for making money
which these latter days have developed,
our fathers Mt times conducted financial
schemes so daring and startling as to
evidence they were not unworthy pro-
genitors of the brilliant geniuses of this
day. One of these, desperate and
reckless effort, made during the fore part
of Gen. Jackson's Administration, to
gain control of the then United States
Bank, for the aid its funds would afford
abou. election times, was entirely worthy
of the best of our present party man
ayers.
The first e.for5 was made upon the
Branch Bank at Portsmouth, \. H., of
which the celebrated jeremiah Mason
was President but the result was so
hopeless that the tactics were changed I;
and 50 great hue and cry WAS finally
commenced upon the bank, as monster
of political corruption and public dan
ger. This aroused the bank-for its
charter would expire, if not renewed, in
some five or six years. This new ele-
ment of controversy speedily drew in all
the adherents of the respective parties ;
and in q short time the entire nation was
hotly by the ears upon a subject that
nobody thought about at all until the
politicians cried aloud over it.
From insinuations, the assailants OF
the bank soon proceeded to specific
charges and finally they came out with
the astounding assertion that the bank
was positively insoivcnt, and they made
the confding "old hero" honestly be.
leve this was so. A charge 80 grave
only added to the fury Of the contest, as
might well be supposed but the story
was stronger meat than the public MIND
was vet ready to digest. In this state o.
the struggle the idea was conceived OF
breaking one of the branches Of the
bank, of which there were twelve. i
the attacking party could do this, they
might feel certain that the adversary
would fall under the shock. Such al
effort was full OF danger. A discover.
and an exposure of a plot SO diabolica
would have overwhelmed its originators
and swamped the party. But it was no
a time, nor we're the managers in mood
to sickle at means, or hesitate over dan
gers. The agent chosen to do the worl
was New York broker, whose name W
will call Clark. For the valuable con
sideration which the job would net :
his purse, he readily undertook tin
general business way, of course. TIL
branch selected to be assailed was tn
Savannah Bank. This was not 80 diff
cult o task, either, as might be supposed
for that bank was at very remote qua
ter in those days, and its business WI
comparatively small. Usually the amour
of specie in it's vaults was only fro
eight to twelve thousand dollars. !
secure far more than the sum of its bill
was easy /; and as every bank was lab
to Fay specie for every bill prcsentc
and was broken bank if it failed to (
so on demand, it appeared to be an a
sured work that the Savannah bran'
would be broken. True, even if Il