Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-17
GRAND RAPIDS WISCONSIN.

GRAND RAPIDS WISCONSIN.
The Park National bank of New York
mad an assistant cashier who lived at the
rate of $4,000 a year on a $500 salary.
The Park National Bank is now minus its
assistant cashier and, what is more i'm
portant to its stockholders, it is minus
$4,000 of the cash that should be in its
vaults, if its cash and its books agree.
Of course there is nothing strange about
the disappearance of cashier and money
in this case, as a cashier cannot be ex
pected to live at the rate of $4,000 a
year beyond his legitimate income with
out leaving a deficit somewhere, and as
the banks vaults were accessible to him
it was natural that the deficit should be
where the money was the easiest of access.
The strange thing about the case is that
the directors did not find out that the
stealing was going on for ten years, and
would not have found it out then but for
the fact that the cashier got tired stealing
and resigned. the trustfulness of some
bank directors approaches the sublime.
THE new Minister TO Liberia, just ap
pointed by President Cleveland, is Ez kiel
Ezra Smith, now principal of the North
Carolina state normal school at Fayette-
vile, who was born a slave sc years ago.
AS a boy he learned to read, he went to
a night school for three years 1866 8, and
in 1870 he began to teach in the public
schools. He was one Of the North Gao
lima Jubilee singers who raised $4,000 III
the North for Shaw university at Raleigh,
and he was graduated from that institu-
ton in 1878. Then for four years he was
at the head OF the graded school of Colds
boro, and in 1881 Shaw university made
him an A. NJ. He was elected to the post
he now holds in 1888. Mr.. Smith was one
of the founders of the North Carolina in
dustrial association, founded and edited
the Carolina Enterprise OF GOldabOro,
has conducted several institutes and sum
mer schools, and has been prominent in
militia affairs, having been commissioned
major Of the 4th battalion in 1880. He Is
active in the Baptist denomination, and
vas secretary of the colored Baptist state
convention from 1876 to 1888. In fine, he
appears to be an excellent xample of The
best qualities of his race. He is deeid
edly intellectual looking mulatto, with q
thin face and heavy moustache.
WHILE there can be no doubt that is
this age railroads are essential to the de
7eIopment of any country, the wisdom of
The policy which has been adopted in
many localities may be seriously doubted.
The United States government has been
entirely too liberal in that regard, and
many of the states nave seriously ori O.
pied themselves. In the south especially
the evils of lavish Legislation in favor of
railroads have for IA long time been but
too plainly apparent. But the Argentine
Republic, where railroad furore at pres
GAA1 @Ai0oGf iA1lS AAo1AA@AASs AAOAA
experience. The government has made val
liable concessions and unusual guarantees
- seventeen lines, with total mileage of
something more than 1000 miles, and
whose total cost will be, including rolling
stock, about $285,OOO,OOO. Cne of these
lines ends in Patagonia, aud it is not sur
prising to learn that very considerable
system of railroad is contemplated for
that country, in view of the information
that $4,000 square miles of land have been
donated to the company which has under
taken the work. The line to which this
donation is made will be 325 miles long.
Two great transcontinentaI lines are to be
built at once, in spite of the patent fact
that they will not for years be able so earn
more than a third and, IN a few cases,
one-half of the guaranteed interest, and
it is estimated that the government will
long have to make good about 9l,500,000
per annum from the national treasury.