Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-06

Piled the secretary of the treasury. Il can
tell, you, however. of a time when l was
really scared by having what seemed a big
sum of money on hand. II was when was
a boy and had Just received my first wages.
1 worked Tor a truit vendor IN a httle cor
ner store at Rome, n. Y. We sold oranges
apples, pears. ginger ale, peanuts and Graf
fenburg pills. The hours were from early
in the morning until 10 at night. and my
wages We're S. a month. 1t was about 1880
O'Clock the last Saturday night of the first
month when my employer paid me my hrst
and each of those half dollars seemed as
big as a dinner plate; l was a small boy
afraid l shout lose it, and ran all the way
home, hoping to get there before my moth
er had gone to bed and show it to her"
A Great Bankers Start.
Did you work long for such wages" 1
Yes replied Mr.. Gage. II worked for
several years for from s. to $ a month. 1
was employed in the pOstofhce at 500 a
year. Then a bank was started in our lit
tie town. It was known as the Oneida
Central bank. The cashier received $l,20O
a year, the teller $500 and l got a place as
messenger at 800 a year. l had to sweep
out the bank, make the fires and run er-
rands. as we'll as do other things.
After l had worked for the bank a year
and a half / wanted an increase of wages.
1 had learned TO keep some of the books.
l was in my 10Th year, and L thought that
l ought to have more pay. The asher
said he would refer the matter to the di-
rectors. He did so. and the next day he
told me that the directors had said that
the times were hard and that they could
not afford to increase their expenses, but
that if / waited for a few years a va
cancy might occur and l could be the tel
Ter at a salary of $500. Upon that L de
cided to leave. Had they offered me Sl5O
a year 1 should nave stayed. but as it was
! concluded to go West and try my luck
in Chicago"
What did you do in Chicago?"
Il first tried to get a place in a bank"
was the reply, but there was no vacan-
Cies. 1 had to do something and l took
the first Job that offered. This was in a
lumber yard. l did all sorts of work there.
l measured lumber, fed the circular saw
and now and then drove a team of mules.
/ did not get much pay, but it was enough
TO keep me until something better turned
up. After a time l became night watch
man in the lumber yard, n then was
promoted to be bookkeeper. / was keep
ing the books when the panic of 1891 came
on. The times were a great deal worse
than they are now, and the lumber men
suffered with the rest. My employer cut
down his force and l found that my serv-
ices were to be dispensed with. 1 again
tried the banks, but could see no open
ing and eventually had to go back to my
cid place as night Waterman"
But. Mr.. Gage, after a time you got
TO banking again, did you not?"
Yes was the reply. 1t was about a
year after that that / first obtained en-
ployment in a Chicago bank / remember
that IL was on the Sd of August, 1888. that
l got a note from the Merchants Loan and
II a. AOAAapahN dEhAAlE ANS " NaA ollh z
them. You see, ! was known 10 the banks
as wanting a position, and many of them
had my name on file as a candidate for any
place that might offer. That was the case
with the Merchants Loan and Trust Com
pany. l called in response to the note and
was employed as bookkeeper at $500 a year.
Then a little later on ] became teller at
Sl,2O and then cashier. l remained at that
hank for ten years Grd then became as
siStant cashier of the First National bank
of which l was president at the time !
received my appointment as secretary of
the treasury"
n and the Farmers.
How long have you been connected with
banks and banking. Mr.. Gage?"
In all about forty years"
You have been president of the Ameri-
can Banking Association. Mr.. Secretary.
You have been a banker all your life. Now
l want to ask you what is the matter with
the banker and the farmers? The farm
ers seem TO think the bankers are against
them"
Il know that that idea prevails to some
extent, replied Mr.. Gage. But 1t is a
great mistake. The bankers are the friends
of the farmers, They are dependent upon
the farmers for their business. and they
cannot prosper without the farmers pros
per. There Is no class more INTERCEPTED in
the general prosperity of the country than
the bankers. It'is a curious thing, how
ever, that this prejudice among. the farm
ers exists not against individual banks or