The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-06-16
TRICK or A CASHIER.
Hidden Mlliions In the Greek
Treasury.


(alrealy announced to you by wire).
Our n ewspapers arefull Of it, and per-
laps you may feel sufficiently interes.
ted in this extraordinary and, I
should think, unprecedented event,
TO find room FOR q more detailed &C
count. You know our Prime Minis.
ter. He has lived several years in
London, and you have published
many an article about him. But you
do not Know that "Prime Minister"
- not half expressive enough of what
Mr.. ~I'ricoupis is to us. He is Prime
Minister, leader of our Parliament,
Minister OF War, Minister OF Finance,
avowedly, moreover he is, de facto,
Minister of Marine, Minister OF For
eign Affairs, and OF almost everything
else. Mr.. Tricoupis has, from the day
be came into Office, given up ten out
OF his nineteen hours daily work to
the Ministry Of Finance, which needed
it.
The fruits OF his work were rot long
:ipening. The country's in
increased. the taxes yielded more, and
FOR the first time after MANY years
the National balance sheet bade fair
10 show on the right side. Neverthe-
less, the public treasury seemed to
benefit nothing. Mr.. Tricoupis could
not make it out. He asked the "Chief
Central Cashier" to lay before him
every evening a balance-sheet OF the
cash in hand. The balance-sheet was
produced regularly as clock-work,
only the item Payments in Suspense"
seemed to swell and the balance in
hard cash to become less. Mr.. Tri-
coupIs could not understand it.
simultaneously with this dwindiing
OF the cash balance in the public treas
ury. the Opposition press INDUCED in
long articles %lamenting the country's
coming disappointment in the expect.
tation of a balance. At the same
time the militant part OF the opposi-
ton took the lead and there were
threats of a revolution. There was
a procession in the streets, and in a
central thoroughfare a volley of re-
volver shots n fired, with the result
OF killing IN unlucky young tailor who
was looking on. The very next day
the Chief Central Cashier brought in
his daily balance sheet. showing a
balance of % francsl The Minister
stared and wondered at the coinci-
dence of the maximum heat Of the OPP
position with the minimum ebb of the
cash balance. He said nothing, but a
suspicion crossed his mind, and he set
about sitting and comparing the bal
ance-sh"ets. which had been handed
him. Very soon he found liscrepan-
cias with the general statements in the
accountants department. His doubts
grew stronger, until one morning he
made his appearance in the Ministry
at the unusual hour Of 7 o'clock, sent
for three OF the highest officials, and
had all the needed documents drawn
UP and signed there and then, ap.
pointing them "a committee, for ey-
aiming and ascertaining the exact
state OF the treasury" or something
to that effect.
Shortly afterward this committee
were standing at the door of the
Treasury Department, and when the
Chief Central Cashier made his ap-
pearance he was politely called on to
deliver his books and the keys of his
strong rooms and safes. He appear
ed greatly surprised. but there was no
help for it, and the keys were deliver
ed. The examination begun straight
way. And what did the committee
discover? A deficit? No, no deficit;
on the contrary a surplus, and a
good, round surplus-plump and liv-
ing. The balance sheet submitted to
the Minister on the previous evening
showed a cash balance of $4,000
francs, and you may judge the sur
prise of the committee when they
laid hands on a large bundle of bank
notes. and counted 10, 20, 80. 40, so.
go, 100, 200 thousand francs. You
can picture how they rubbed their
hands with Joy, and plunged them in
to the safes once more. Another
bundle, another counting-a total of
40O,O 900 francs More plunges into
the safes and strong rooms, more
bundles OF bank-notes, more parcels
OF Napoleons, more bags of dollars,
and when the counting was V the
sum total of the surplus reached six
millions odd thousand francs! The
news spread like wildfre, and the
whole Ministry of Finance, from the
Minister down to the clerks and COM
missionaries, were soon dancing
about in glee. Passers-by looked
in. were told the news,
caught the epidemic, and rushed
out into the street also rubbing their
hands at express speed. An hour
later half Athens was excitedly walk
ing the streets-talk, talk, talking
about the news. After the first sur
prise everybody began wondering and
specializing why Mr.. Chief Central
Cashier had laid the nest-egg by.
What was he going to do with it?"
Annex it? No; he is known all over
the country as a scr%upulously honest
fellow in money matters. What was
his object then? He says it was out
of pure love and kindness to Mr..
Tricoupis, as he 1.-THE cashier) intended
TO increase the six millions into a
a dozen. and then at the end OF the
financial year to surprise his superior
by enabling him to show off brilliant
ly i'll his budget. | am sorry to say
the Atheuians we're incredulous and
suddenly it was remembered that the
Opposition had predicted the calcu-
lations OF Mr.. Tricoupis would prove
wrong by ten or twelve million francs,
Just the amount Mr.. ex.Chief Central
Cashier was so DESTROYS OF saving up.
Then came the thought-how wonder