The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-08

poor woman called at the White House
one day and asked to see the president.
Doubtless she had read some picturesque
story about a benevolent prince and got
her inspiration there. She saw the pres
ident-it was easier to get to the presi
dent in those days than it is now-and
she told him that one of the depart
ment clerks owned her bill for board
and would not pay it. President Jack
son gave her full hearing and at its
close asked her to get from her debtor a
note for the amount which he owed.
She had no difficulty in doing this.
The following day she came to the
White House with the note. The presi-
dent was a practical man. He did not
pay her the money which she needed so
much. He merely Endorsed ANDREW
Jackson on the back of the note and,
handing it to the woman, said, 81
think he'll pay it now" 1t is hardly
necessary to say that with so distin-
guished an indorser the clerk made all
haste to take up the obligation.
OF course if the clerk had not paid he
would have lost his position. So would
any department clerk today who neg
lected his debts notoriously. Uncle
Sam pays his employees well and pays
they should run in debt. If they want
to borrow. however, the government
has nothing to do with their debts I'M
less their obligations go to protest. But
it does not want them encouraged to
run into debt by making money lending
possible within the four walls of the
department building. A clerk who
would hesitate to go to a stranger for a
loan would hardly think twice about
negotiating it with fellow clerk. And
the fellow clerk if he wanted to turn
over a dollar or two. would be much
more likely to lend to some one in the
department than to some one outside,
because he would have a department
debtor constantly under his eye.
This business has always fourished
in the dark corners of the department
buildings. In the Harrison administra-
ton the son of Pension Commissioner
Raum was removed from Office after
public hearing because he was mixed up
in a note shaving transaction. A few
years before two brothers working in
the treasury department lost their places
because they were doing money lend
ing business. These brothers did no
business during Office hours, but they
had an Office on New York avenue, only
stones throw from the department
building, and here they were visited
after O'Clock in the afternoon by the
needy department clerks. They did not
care for the salaries which the govern
nent paid them, and they staid in the
treasury only because they thought it
helped their business.
CoIored Usurers.
There are many wealthy negroes in
Washington, and one of the most pros
porous of them made his fortune as a
department usurer. He was a messen-
ger drawing $50 or $50 month He
lived, as negroes can live. on a very
small part of this, and what he saved
from his wages he lent to the other less
provident messengers, charging them 81
for the use of $40 until the next pay
day. His capital grew. Word went
around the department that he would
accommodate any one who wanted to
borrow small sums, and soon he had a
long line of loans out every month,
clerks as well as messengers being his
debtors. When he left the department
service, he was reputed to be worth
more than $50, He drew his pay
as messenger up to the last minute.
though his income from improved real
estate alone was four or five times as
much as his wages. He is great deal
better off now than any of the white
clerks who used to borrow money from
him.
Another notorious money lender of
! years ago was doorkeeper of one of the
, departments, and many clerk trembled
/ as he passed in and out of the depart
/ ment building morning and evening
under the eye of his creditor
Army and navy officers are not infre
quent patrons of the note shaver, and
when you read in the newspapers of an
officer who has been court martialed for
duplicating his pay account, you will
know that he has been victim of the
Insurer. The money lender squeezes inter
est out of the officer at 100 per cent a
year until he is SO far in debt that he
cannot borrow any more. His pay for
six months is hypothetical. He has no
money for the ordinary expenses of 1iv-
ing. In desperation he draws his pay
and when the money shark presents his
order to the paymaster the money is
gone. If complaint is made to the war
department, charges are preferred
against the officer, and he loses his COM
mission. But the money lender does not
complain until the case is hopeless. If
he threatens to complain, he knows the
officers friends will probably come to
his aid and even reward him for his
forbearance. The usurer is a blackmail-
er, too, when he can be.
Navy officers do not borrow so much
as army officers. Their bankers very
often are their tailors. The tailor who
makes regulation uniforms usually has
the officer in his debt for clothing.
From owing money in trade it is an
easy step to borrowing cash. When the
officer goes TO sea, he has fewer oppor-
tunities for spending, and his pay is in
oraacod Co he ir able RI save mn IN a