Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-03-01
ANNOYING RED-TAPeIsM
the American System of Identie.
Contrasted with That of r,,.,

<,. VI ldentification
A rich man compelled to pawn 1t.
watch for a meal and a nights lodg;nA
That was the strange Situation s.
which young Englishman who bas
just landed in New York found bir
self the other day. He had arrivas
from the West Indies where ha in,,aN'
ed nearly all the money on his nersos
in draft for two hundred pounds on =
New York bank. Anxious to get
train for st. Louis the same day he bnr'
ried to the bank for his money ~.
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 Indie,
took my good money for that draft and
want 1t back again. Am Ito infer
that this is "a bankrupt institutions 81
He got no satisfaction, lost his train
and had to pawn his watch for a ma.l
and bed. A fellow-passenger identi.
fed him the next day. l was discuss.
ing this matter the other day with q
very liberal American who has had
much banking and mercantile expe.
rlence here and abroad. Nothine
looks more ridiculous to a London
mercantile man than to see a lone
string of persons with books in their
hands. waiting to make a deposit
through 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 receivingAnd 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 large proportion are com.
mltted by those inside of the railing
and not outside of it. My hypercrit-
cal English friend said:
81 do not like to be looked unon
when l enter a New York bank a
stranger as if l had 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 | cross itP' 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 itP | 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
check for 81, 200, payable to myself or
bearer on the Sixth National bank of
New York. l presented it. Don't
know YOU said the teller. Neither
have | the pleasure of your acquaint-
ance, was the answer, but my name
is on the check and l am also the
bearer. Cant help it; it's too
large an amount to give a stranger,
and you must be identified MY
friends are out of town. said |, and
President Arthur is in Washington. |
can't very well send for him. We'll.
won't give you the money Then
write your reasons on the check
: No, | won't do that. Then, said
|, Il am newspaper man, l shall
protest this check and proclaim in
Wall street this afternoon that the
Sixth National Bank refuses to honor
the checks drawn on it, l got the
money. "--B. B. Valentine, in PAiladel-
phid Press.