The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-02-11

the h~elplssziy aged. the directors stood
with idiotie stare. and 10 the inquiry Of
the frenEied dePOsitou and stock
holders who had lost their all and 20
the arrsignmsnt Of an indignant pub
Lis had nothing to say except; We
thought II was all right. We did not
know there was anything wrong 60
ing ou.- IL wa their duty to know.
They stood In a position which delud-
Cd the people with the idea that they
were carefully observant Calling
themselves directors they did not d.
rect. They had opportunity OF audit
Ing accounts and inspecting the bookA
No time to do so9 Then they had no
business 20 accept the position 1t
seems to be the pride Of some moneyed
men to be directors In a great many In
sututions, and all they know Is wheth-
er or not they get their dividends rgu.
larry, and their names are used as deeoy
ducks to bring others near enough TO
be made game OF. What first Of all Is
needed Il that 800 bank directors and
Insurance company directors resign or
attend to their business as directors
The business world will be full OF fraud
just as long as fraud is SO easy. When
you arrest the president and secretary
OF a bank for an embezzlement carried
on for many years, be sure to have
plenty of shedffs out the same day TO
arrest all the direetorA They are
guilty either Of neglect or completely.
"oh." some will say, "bettsr preach
the Gospel and let business matters
alone" Ireply. II your Gospel does not
Inspire common honesty in the dealings
Of meh the sooner you close up your
Gospel and pitch 1t into the depths Of
the Atlantic ocean the better. An or
tAodox swindler is worse than q hetero-
dox swindler. The recitation Of all the
oatechisms and creeds ever written
and partahng Of all the communion
chalices that ever gilttered in the
churches Of Chnstendom VIII never
save your soul unless your business
character corresponds with your re-
hgious profession. Some Of the worst
Bcoundrels In America have been mem
bers of churches, and they got fat on
sermons about Heaven when thsy most
needed to have the puipits preach that
which would either bring them to re-
pentance or thunder them out Of the
holy eommunions where their presence
was a sacrilege and an infamy.
We must especially deplore the mis-
fortunes of banks in various parts Of
this country in that they damage the
banking institution, which Is the great
est convenience Of the centuries and In
dispensabie TO commerce. and the ad-
vance Of nations. In one hand It blesses
the lender. and with the other II blesses
the borrower. On their shoulders are
the interests Of private individuals and
great corporations. In them are the
great arteries through which run the
currents Of the nations life. They
have been the OF the thou
sands OF fnanciers In days Of business
~exigency. They stand for accommoda-
ton, for facility, for individual, state
and national relief. At their head and
In their management there are as
much interest and moral worth a. In
any class Of men, perhaps more. How
nefarious, then, the behavior Of those
who bring disrepute upon this yenera-
BILE, benignAnt and God honored insti-
tutionl
We also deplore abuse Of trust funds.
because the abusers fy In the face Of
divine goodness. which seems deter
mined TO bless this land. We 70 hav-
ing a series Of ~unexampled national har-
vests. The wheat gamblers get hold
Of the wheat, and the corn gamblers
get hold Of the corn The full tide OF
Gods mercy toward this land Ia put
back by those great dikes Of dishon-
orable resistance. When God provides
enough food and clothing TO feed and
apparel this whole nation like princes,
the scramble Of dishonest men TO &c,
more than their share and get II al
hazards keeps everything shaking with
uncertainty and everybody asking;
what next?" Every week makes new
revelations. How many more bank
presidents and bank cashiers have been
speculAting with other peoples money
and how many more bank director,
are in imbecile silence, letting the
perhdy 60 on, the great and patient
God only knows. Ny opinion Is that
we have got ear the bottom. The
wind has been pricked from the great
bubble Of American speculation. The
men who thought that the judgment
day was at least 5000 years OF found
It in 1898 or 1897 or 1890, and this ma.
ton has been taught that men must
keep their hands out Of other peoples
pockets. Great businesses built on Dor.
rowed capital have been obliterated
and men who had nothing have Loaf
all they had. l believe we are started
on a higher career Of prosperity than
this land has ever seen-if and II and II
II the first men, and especially Chris
tan men, viii learn never 10 speculate
upon borrowed c~apital-if you have q
mind TO take your own money and turn
II all into kites, TO dy them over every
common in the United States, you do 70
eiety no wrong. except when you tum-
BILE your helpless children into the poor
house for the public to take cars OF.
But you have no right 10 take the mon
sy Of others and turn II into htes.
There il one word that has deluded
more people into bankruptcy and stats
Prison and ruin than any other word in
commercial life, and that IL the word
borrow. That one word Is responsible
for the defalcations and entertainments
and financial considerations OF the last
20 years. When executors conclude to
speculate with the funds OF an estate
committed 10 their charge, they do not
pnrloini they say they only borrow.
When = banker makes an overdraft
upon his institution, be does not COM
NIT q theft; be only borrowA When the
ofBeer Of 9 company. BY flaming adTer-
iIsement In some religious paper and
gilt certificate Of stock. gets 3 multi
tude Of country people 10 put their
small earnings 10 an enterprise for car
rying on some u~ndeTeloped nothing, Re
does not f~rauduleutly take their mon
sy; he only borrows. When . young
nan with easy access 10 his employ
ers money drawer or the confidential
clerk by close prOpinqulty to the ac-
count books takes q few dollars for q
Wall street excursion. he expects 70
put Il back. He will put II all back. BE
will put It all back very soon. He only
burrows. Why. when you are going 10
do wrong pronounce 80 long a word a.
borrow. a word Of six Letters when you
cen get a shorter word more descriptive
Of the reality, a word Of only ere letter.