The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1899-08-09

4
country. He encouraged new accounts
by sending out handsomely bound
books of deposit and check books with
the name Of the deposition engraved up
on the checks. The innovation arous-
ed a desire to secure the books and
brought business. Every new account
afforded an additional avenue for cur
rency to the interior, as remittanees to
planters and storekeepers were of fire.
quent occurrence. But the manner in
which the notes of the bank were
brought into almost national eireula-
tion was by inviting the steamboat men
to bring their freight bill checks to the
Citizens Bank for payment. These
bills aggregated from 5000 TO $4,000,
and they were generally paid by check
on some one of the numerous banks or
banking houses of New Orleans. 1t
was a decided innovation and a great
saving of time and labor to the collect
ors, who in the past had been obliged
TO present each check at the particular
bank upon which 1t was drawn.
In this way, rs was fOreseen by Mr..
Cammack, the steamboat men became
of great service to the bank, as the ma
jor part of the sum of their collections
was carried out Of the city to be dis
bursed throughout the Mississippi VAL
ley in payment for fuel, wharf-boat
dues, stores, wages, port charges, etc.
Thousands upon thousands of dollars
were taken out of the city every week
by packets bound for points on the Mis-
sissippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers and
their tributaries. the Wabash, Tennes-
see, Arkansas and Red. In this man.
ner, throughout the wide territory from
Pittsburg, Pa, st. Paul, Mimi, and st.
Louis, Mo-, to the Gulf, these notes
were kept in constant circulation until
they became better known than those
of any bank in the South, or in the
Union, and the circulation of the bank
mounted up to four or five millions of
dollars, then an unprecedented sum.
The following clipping from the Com
mercial Bulletin of New Orleans gives
an idea of the banks credit:
"The extraordinary success follow
ing the reorganization of the Citizens
Bank, the unparalleled pinnacle of
fame, the remarkable extent to which
operations have reached, the great ad-
vance in value of the stock, the steady
increase of its already vast business
have attracted large share of the at
teution of the mOneyed men of the
country"
During the panic of 1857 the bank
withstood two days run upon it and
came out with flying colors, while 9TH
ers fell all about it. This established its
credit so firmly that one of its notes
was as good as national bank note is
to-day.
The bank was known both as the Cit
izens' Bank Of Louisiana and La
Banque des Citoyens de la Louisiana.
The denominations were also printed
in French and English; five, ciHque;;
ten, dir; twenty, Uingt;; fifty, ciaqudRte;
one hundred, cent; one thousand, mile.
It will be readily seen that the French
names Of any denominations but ten
were unpronounceable, and no one at
tempted it, but the ten, dix" seemed
to attract the eye and to meet public
demand, always existing for something
| ~ Az ha
notes of the Citizens were seldom, if
ever, referred to in any other way than
as ''dixes." And, besides, it was the
most natural way in the world to iden-
tify this particular note. The denom-
inatiOn, too, was convenient size for
the steamboat men to meet their obli-
cations with, not too large or too small;
and of the many thousands of dollars
taken out of the city every week by the
river boats very large proportion of
it was in "dixies." In consequence
these notes had much larger circula-
ton than any other notes issued by the
bank, and ere long the expression, "a
dixie note" or note from the Dixie
Bank" was very common among the
large number of people everywhere
who were familiar with the currency.
This was the most natural thing in the
world, for the word ''Dix" is prominent
on the front of the note, and 50 much
so on the back that the observer, in a
hasty glance, would see nothing else.
A common, almost universal express
sion used by the steamboat men, when
leaving from the ''up river" country
for New Orleans, in answer to inquiries
as to their destination, was: "We're go
ing South after dixies," or going to
'tDixie land"
Gradually the Southern country be
gan to be known along the river ports
as Dixie land" because so much mon-
ey came from it. From this beginning
the word has grown to general usage,
and today it is Synonymous with the
South everywhere.
Mark Twain, when a pilot on the
Mississippi, doubtless handled many
''dixies," and, like others, wished he
had more. Among the steamboats, on
the Western rivers at the time were the
Henry Chouteau, Republic, Diana,
Chenoworth, w. NJ. Morrison, Mag
noIia, Shotwell, Ohio Bell, Queen City,
Alex. strader, b. ]. Adams, Eclipse,
Belle Key, Robert 1. Ward, Grand
Duke, Hiawatha, Fortuna, Glendale,
Alvin Adams, Indiana, Kate Adams,
Judge Torrance, John Simonds, Caro-
line Z. Watkins. c. B. Church, Con-
cordia, Natchez and Princess.
Every survivor of those days who
was connected with any of these boats,
and many of the older residents of the
ports where the boats touched, will tell
what blessings came to them from
"Dixie land" in the fifties.
Farewell, my notes. and wheresoe'er ye wend,
Shnn CANDY scenes and be the poor mans
friend;
| You've left a poor one; 90 TO one as poor.
And drive despair and hunger from the door.
Herbert l.. Jillson in New York Sun.
Man, married TO woman, is of many
days and full of trouble. In the morn
ing he draweth his salary and in the
evening, behold 1t is gone. 1t is tale
that ia told. IL yanisheth. and no one