The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-26

OF the Constitution and the laws: and with
that broader obligation which those things
place upon him. In my opinion. the lawyer
VINO would sell out the interest OF his TEL
iow-citizens, or his community, or in any
way impair those great FUNDAMENTAL rights.
is no less reprehensible because the man
who pays him for doing IL is called client
In the same way with the banker. Inc
banker is the trustee. OF PUBLIC confidence
He is the guardian of financial peace, and,
as such. il means that there are several
duties upon him. 1t Is the duty Of the bank
er in all of our large and little towns-and
those in the little towns are far more i'm
portant in this connection than those in the
large TOWNSHIP be, in a sense, an instructor
and teacher of the people. He should be
an adviser of the people He is in a position
to be an adviser OF the people Through his
hands pour the great currents of industrial,
financial and commercial life; and he knows
those truths as a practical matter and is
able to demonstrate them TO the people
which the people themselves cannot SO well
understand comprehend or even know.
So that the first duty of the banker in his
relations 10 the community Is to be the
community's sound. and stable, and up
right adviser. Not its boss: not Its control
Ter; but its wise counselor and friend.
In the second place, think that, In con-
sidering the trusteeship OF the banker as
the trustee of public confidence, ii is some
times the duty of the banker not TO get
scared too easily, not TO fly away like
whipped cur hiding In his kennel at the
steadfastness, and wisdom, and courage
might avert; but to stand steadfast. not
getting frightened, not spreading panic. but
maintaining the good faith and good con-
fidence of the people, upon which our pros
perity depends, until it is absolutely GER
tain that he must get to cover.
POSSIBLE DANGER.
Then, in the third place, as a trustee Of
public confidence, it seems to me that 1t
could not and cannot be too well impressed
upon the bankers in this country that they
shall see to 1t as an individual matter that
each man of them keeps close TO the people,
be of the people, be with the people, be
one of the people themselves. This Republic
is in no danger unless 1t is from the estab-
lishment of classes. And the men who are
professors in our colleges should prevent
themselves from becoming an intellectual
class. The men who are in business Should
prevent themselves from becoming a bust
ness ness class. Workingmen should prevent
themselves from becoming merely class
TO themselves. And just so the bankers
should prevent themselves from being con-
sidered class of and TO themselves. There
are no arlStocracies in this country. There
never shall be nor will be as long as the Re
public endures, and when there are the
Republic will cease to endure. You must
remain of the people, you must cultivate
relations as one of the people, you are in
a position to control the public confidence
which your position places in your hands.
You must use II for the welfare of the
people.
Now. 1 am perfectly we'll aware that
bankers are the worst abused people in
the world, and they least deserve the abuse
which Is heaped upon them. Demagogues,
gentlemen-l said a moment ago that the
only danger this Rerubic was in OF
classes, but / say that there is even a
greater danger than classes TO this Repub-
lie, and the only danger really that threat
places, and even in editorial sanctums.
These demagogues tell the people that you
try to bring on hard times to benefit your
selves; that you are in favor of a monetary
" WI ha1
1 can understand how hard 1T is for you
to bear that. But my counsel is not 10
strike back in kind-not to indulge in cpl
thets and abuse. When you do that you
play the enemy's game. But show the people
patiently that the peoples interests are
ana snaf
the people, one by one, that when times
are good banking business is good. and
bad bad Show the people how It is, and the
| reasons why ii is, that your only sources
of income are brisk exchange and secure
| loans and that when times are bad fol
| the farmer, for the merchant, for the manu-.
| facturer. for the business man and for the
| workingman- those sources OF your revenue
| of the business depression Show to the
people, in short, day by day, month by
month and year by year that your interests
and your prosperity and the peoples IN
| and the same thing.
Gentlemen, when you do that upon upon YOU YOU
or not, say to you that there are some OF
| us in public life who, upon the public plat
| form and in the high places to which the
| Judgment and partiality of the people may
| have called us. will say that to the people
| upon our part. We will say it because it Il
| the truth. Thank God the greatest truth In
! our national life is this, that in America
the real interests of any good citizen is the
true interest Of every other honest man Owe
whom our starry banner floats. Applause.
IDEN TICAL INTERESTS.
1.-The interest of the employe is the interes
| of the man who employs him, and that cap
italist is insane from misers greed and ;
mser's fear who seeks TO gain a persona
| advantage at the disadvantage of the people
! he employs. Why. gentlemen. knit to
| gether are we in this great civilization o
ours. so welded are we by the fingers o
| fate into one great industrial mass, that thu
4 smallest act of any one of you. no matte
how little it is. involves in its consequence!
| the whole of our Industrial civilization. Th'
| prosperity OF the farmer is necessarily TIL
| prosperity of the manufacturer whose good
the farmer must buy. The prosperity of tn
manufacturer is necessarily the prosperit,
| of the laborer whose labor the manufacture
| must have and whose wages he must pay
And the prosperity of all the people /
necessarily the prosperity of the bankin,
| interest of the land; and conversely, tn
| poverty of the people is sure and hopeless
disaster to the banking interest of the land
cannot too often think about We are on
In this great industrial civilization of ours
| farmers. manufacturers, workingmen, mer
chants, lawyers and bankers-one, thanl
God, brothers in the great sacred indus
trial brotherhood called the American Ma
ton. To that proposition. my friends, sa.
to you to-day / expect to devote tn
service of my life. IApplause.] United W
when first that golden truth was uttered
| United, the American people of all interest
stand in the commercial supremacy of tn
world. and. gentlemen. divided. we woul
down with any man that would divide Us
| Down with special interests and speca
classes and the men that would Great
them Up with the great truth Of the unit
classes. Up with the great thought and tn
great idea of universal American brother
hood. Up with that banner which mean
common Interest common prosperity, com
destiny for all the American people, no mat
ter what calling they are engaged in, unit
its stars shall blaze to the farthest rir
OF the futures most distant horizon. An
starry banner Of universal American conf
dence and brotherhood and run up in II
place the black flag Of universal distrus
and hatred, shoot him on the spot. IGrea
| applause.J Gentlemen, good day..
DISTRICT REPORTS.
At the close of Senator Beveridge's ao
dress reports regarding the financial cor
ditions of the State at large were hearC
The State was divided into the congres
sional districts and the reports given b
representatives-the vice presidents-of I'll
thirteen divisions. From some districts ther
were reports OF such surplus of funds
the hands OF the customers of the warrior
banking institutions that loans were har