The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-04

! W bAAlAAhAAb aANASSs " 49,
Erastus Wiman, Of R, G. Dun 4 Co.,
and Mr.. Henry WoIlman, q very promi-
ncnt young attorney OF Kansas City, is
good reading While Mr.. Wollman did
not interpret Mr.. Wiman's meaning
correctly, yet his statements are SO true
and iorciblc that they are worth putting
upon record as an answer to false
charges which are continually beng
made. Mr.. Wollman wrote:
KANSAS CRY, Mo-, July Il, 1901.
Hon. Erasim BImGn, Nor York City:
Ny DEAR SR:-The great admiration
evoked by your writings and public
addresses which l have always had Tor
you induces me TO take the extreme
liberty Of offering friendly criticism on
your address at Edgewater, on 'The
Hebrew in America.
That you should tunless misinter-
pref the inference to be drawn from
YOUR rcmarks) have fallen into the un-
fonn, cd but common error, purely the
outgr with OF prejudice, that the per-
ccuta , Uf dishonest business failures
| is larger among Jews than non-Jews, |
AM not little surprised at.
While you do say, "There were ras-
cally failures among them rs well as
among Christians, iOr humanity was the
same in all ages and circumstances, but
the number OF failures were not in
greater proportion among Hebrews than
among Gentiles," yon also say that "cas-
ualties Of this kind among Jews were
rarely from the same causees as
among Christians; thus failures from
incompetence, IRON lack OF business
ability or training, were rare among
Jews, while they were frequent from
these causes among Christians" which
| interpreted rs meaning that theymust
then have resulted from dishonest, for
the same drouths, failures nf crops, gen.
eral depression i'll business, certainly
affect the Jew no more severely than
his non.Jewish neighbor, AMI, there
fore, since you admit that they do not
fail from incompetence, lack of business
ability or training, or inattention, and
you say, inferentially, that the percent.
age OF failures il as large among Jews rs
among other, then what other infer
cnce is there to be drawn from your re-
marks but that they result from dis
honesty?
There have been three failures in this
city within the last four months, the
liabilities of which, including the CAPT.
tai account, aggregate probably seven or
eight million dollars, with total actual
assets in the three cases OF less than one
hundred thousand dollars; and since
these failures have thought ten thou
sand times II any one Of them had been
Jew the credit OF every jew in the
United States would have been affected
thereby. Although the officers of each
OF these concerns within six months be-
fore their failures made false state
ments, showing enormous assets, their
capital not only not impaired, but
surplus; and, although they numbered
among their creditors hundreds OF
widows and orphans, teachers and
preachers, they still rank high in church
circles, and certainly their fraudulent
dealings are not used to reflect discredit
on their coreligionists. believe that
these three dishonest failures involve
greater loss than all the Jewish failures,
honest and dishonest. in Missouri and
Kansas since these States were admitted
to the Union.
Many people are trying to find some
plausible excuse to defend their mis-
takes;" but il one OF them had been
Jew you know he would have been boy
cotted and forced to move out OF this
community.
Very few banks that the officers do
not use to further their own ends and
are honestly managed, fail. Very few
in the country are managed by Jews.
Look at the enormous lot OF dishonest
bank failures every year. No ono asks
or cares to what religious denomination
the presidents or cashiers, who have
fleeccd their contiding depositors, be-
long-it is enough to know they arc not
Jews, which precludes any inquiry into
the question Of their religious belief.
Let man lose $4,000 in bank fail
ure, lie does not denounce oil the Meth
odists or Presbyterians in the land; but
let some little Jewish merchant fail on
him the next day 70! $500, and he says:
81 ought to have known better than to
trust u jew"
When New York millionaire floats
railroad scheme, sells millions OF
stock and then freezes out, by fore.
closure, tho people, rich and poor, who
bought on the strength OF his name, he
Is called u great iinanCier. But let q
Jew give mortgage on his little stock
OF goods for $l.UOO to his wife or his
mothcr.in.law, and all his creditors, be-
fore lnQuirins into It, denounce him as
u thief an'l tho preference us dishonest.
Every commercial lawyer who speaks
truthfIlly will tell you that the rankest
and rottenest failures, the "cleanest
sweeps" he has ever seon were perpe-
trated by people who were not Jews
But these are fought out in court anil
are attributed TO the dishonesty OF the
individual. But the slightest wrong o
jew does is cited as an evidence Of
bad streak running through the entire
people.
Jews are MS honest as other people.
They are no better and no worse, hut
just tho same. II your agency has sta
tisties on this subject, they will not show
any larger percentage Of dishonest fail
ures among Jews than among their
neighbors, II Is time that this iallacy
was exploded.
Your whole address was 90 kind and
intended ia he so complimentary, and
knowing YOU TO he a brOad.minded. lih-
eral man, shall DO glad to hear from
YOU that your words are susceptible OF
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