Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-10-11
ANNOYING RED.TAPEISM.

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A rich man compelled to pawn his
watch for meal and "a nights lodging.
That was the strange situation in
which a young Englishman who had
just landed in New York found him
self the other day. He had arrived
from the West Indies where he invest
ed nearly all the money on his person
in draft for two hundred pounds on a
New York bank. Anxious to get q
train for ST. Louis the same day he hur-
ried to the bank for his money. The
teller refused to pay the draft unless
he was identified.
And the young man was an absolute
stranger in New York!
"Your people in the West Indies
took my good money for that draft and
l want it back again. Am l to infer
that this is a bankrupt institution"
He got no satisfaction. lost his train
and had to pawn his watch for a meal
and bed. A fellow-passenger identi-
fed him the next day. 1 was discuss
ing this matter the other day with a
very liberal American who has had
much banking and mercantile expe-
rience here and abroad. Nothing
looks more ridiculous to a London
mercantile man than to see long
string of persons with books in their
hands. waiting to make deposit
through a cubby hole with a solitary
receiving teller-and it is the same
with the payment of money. A bank
with large business ought to have half
a dozen receiving and as many paying
tellers at large, wide open counters.
Why all these cages and ratings and
bars and peep-holes through which
you are occasionally permitted to
catch a glimpse of the teller's nose,
who suddenly and unwillingly hands
you your money? They don't have
these things in England and robberies
in banks are very rare. Here, despite
all these precautions, they are fire.
quent and a large proportion are COM
mitted by those inside of the railing
and not outside of it. My hypercriti-
cal English friend said:
Il do not like to be looked upon
when l enter a New York bank a
stranger as if l had a natural predi-
lection for perjury and forgery, for the
teller is not satisfied if you tell him
your right name and even sign it-you
must be identified. In England checks
are usually made payable to bearer.
Shall l cross it?' asks the drawer,
which means that by drawing two
lines across the check and inserting
the words bank or Co. between the
lines the money can only be collected
through a bank or banking firm.
Otherwise any bearer can get the
cash at the bank without any questions
being asked except How will you
have it?' l may send any body with
my check payable to bearer for 5000
pounds to bank and he will get the
money without any trouble. A friend
of mine some years ago gave me a
check for 81, 200, payable to myself OF
bearer on the Sixth National bank OF
New York. l presented it. 'Don't
know you,' said the teller. Neither
have l the pleasure of your acquaint-
ance,' was the answer, but my name
is on the check and I am also the
bearer Cant help it; it's toe
large an amount to give q stranger,
and you must be identified MY
friends are out of town. said I, and
President Arthur is in Washington. ]
can't very we'll send for him. We'll.
I won't give you the money Then
write your reasons on the check.
No. l won't do that Then. said
I, Il am newspaper man. I shall
protest this check and proclaim in
Wall street this afternoon that the
Sixth National Bank refuses to honor
the checks drawn on it. I got the
money. "-R. 3. Valentine, in PhiladeE