Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-03-24

guided solely by the character of the mel
whose names are associated with the in
sltution. When the crash came. anc
with the overthrow of the banks went the
SInaI! earnings and limited fortunes of
WIDOWS y ORPHANS,
and the helplcssly aged, the directors
stood with idiotic stare. and to the inquiry
Of he frenzicd dcposito, and stockhold.
rs who had lost their "A. and 10 the
rraignment of an indignant v,.5lC had
nothing to say except: We thought il
was all right. We did not know there
was anything wrong going on. 1t was
their duty 10 know. They stooG III n pc
sitton which dciuded the people with the
idea that they were carefully obscrvant.
Calling themselves directors. they did no
direct. They bad opportunity of audit
ing |accounts and inspecting the books
No time to do SO: Then they had no
business jo accept the position. II seems
20 he the pride Of some Wouica men TO be
directors in d great many institutions, and
all they know is whether or no they get
their dividends regularly. and thcirnam IS
are used as decoy dlcke to bring others
near enough to be made game Of. What
first of all is needed is that 900 bank
directors and Insurance company direct
OTIS resign or attend to their business rs
directors. The business world viii he
full of fraud just as long as fraud is 50
easy. When YOU arrest the president and
secretary OF "a bank foI an cmhczzlcmcnt
mcnt carried ON for many years, haze
plenty Of shcriNs out the same day to
arrest all the directors, They are guilty
either Of neglect OF completely.
oh some one will say. better
preach the Gospel and lot business mat
tiers alone. | reply: If your Gospel
does not inspire Common honesty IN the
dealings Of men, the sooner You close up
your Gospel and pitch il into the depths
Of the Atlantic ocean the better An or
th0duN swindlcr is worse than "a hctcrO-
doN Swindlcr. Tie recitation OF AL the
catcchisns and crccds ever written. and
drinking from al the communion chalicps
that ever glittcrcd in the churches Of
Christendom Will never save your soul
unless your business character cor
responds with your religious profession.
Some OF the worst sCOundrls in America
have been members Of churches, and they
rot fat on sermons about heaven when
they most needed TO have the pulpits
preach that which would either bring
them 10 repentance or thunder them ont
OF the hOly COmmunionS where their pres
enCC was
ASACRnEGE AND An INFAMY.
We must especially deplor the mi,for
tune of banks in various parts Of this
country in that they damage the banking
institution, which is the great cunvcn-
fence OF the centuries, and indispensable
to commerce and the advance of nations.
With one hand it blcSscs The leader and
with the other il blesscs the borrow or
The bank was born of the worlds ncces
eitics. and is venerable with the marks of
thousands of wears. Two thousand years
before Christ the bank of Iilium existed
and paid its depositorS ten per cent. The
bank of Venice was established in I'LL,
and was of such high credit that it, bills
were al a premium above coins, which
were frequently clipped. Bank Of Genoa
founded in 134j. bank of BarcClOin, l4Ol,
bank of Amsterdam, 1899, bank OF Ham
burg. founded 1919. It's circulation based
ON great silver bars kept in the vaults.
Bank of England. started by William
Patterson in 1912. up To this day manag-
ing The g%tupcndous debt of England bank
tl F'NtlI .lltil, lollll'H III i''', lttih Va
Ireland. 1888: bank of North America
planned by Robert Morris. III, without
whose financial help all the bravery OF
our graudtathcrs would not have achieved
American Independence But now we
have banks in all our cities and towns
thousands and thousands. On their
shoulders are the interests OF private in
diyiduals and great corporations. In them
..4n l..,, ,I,,l ,,,,
thc currents Of the nations life. They
have been the resources Of the thousands
Of tinancicrs in the days of business ext
gency. They stand for accommodation, for
facility. for individual, state and national
relief. At their head and in their man
agcmcnt there is as much interest and
moral worth rs in any class OF men-pcr-
hans more. How ncfariouS, then, the be
hayior of those who bring disrcpute upon
this venerable. benignant and God-hon-
orcd institution.
WHEAT GAMBLERS.
We also dcplorc abuse of trust funds.
because they ilv in the face Of divine
GOODNESS which seems determined To bless
this land. We are having the eighth year
of uncXamplcd national harvest. The
! wheat gamblers get hold of the wheat,
and the corn gamblers get hc!d OF the
corn. The full tide of o 5 mercy 20
wards this land is put back by those great
dykes of dishonest resistance. When
God provides enough food and clothing
to feed and apparel this whole nation like
princes the scrabble OF dishonest men to
yet more than their share and get il at all
hazards keeps everything shaking with
uncertainty and everybody asking
What next Every week makes new
revelations. How many more bank pres
idents and bank cashiers have been spec
ulating with other peoples money, and
how many mere bank directors are III I'M
beetle silence letting the pcriidy 90 on
the great and patient God only knows
NV opinion is that we have got near the
bottom. Thcwind has been prickcd IRON
the great bubble of American speculation
The men who thought that the judgment
dav was at least 5000 years oil, found i
IN 1855. 1857. 1886; and this nation has
been taught that men must keep then
hands out Of other peoples pockets
Great businesses built m borrowed CAPT
tai have been oblitera,,d and men wht
had nothin: havo lost all they had. | be
licve we are started on a higher career %
prosperity than this land has ever seen
if, and if, and if.
A BUNDLE or IFS.