The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-10-18
In 1896 AND IN 1900.
Contrast Between Condition of Bus
mess and Labor.
Men Who stood on the street Talking
Politics Then Are Now BusiIy
Engaged and Making
Money.

There is one very marked differ
ence between the conditions in 1896
and the present." said a prominent
Des Moines banker, a director in sew
eral banks. "In, 1896 the banks here
adopted the policy of making no loans
to business men that could possibly
be avoided. Any business house, no
matter how good its credit or how
prosperous its business, had to make
a pretty strong showing of needing
the money and ability to pay before
it could get a dollar from a Des
Moines bank, and then the rate
charged was a good stiff one. The
banks were hanging onto their money
and taking no chances that they could
avoid. They were reefng all their
sails and getting ready for the posi-
bility of a storm. Every kind of bust
ness craft hat was manned by prud-
emit men was keeping close to shore
in fear and trembling.
stood In the Rain to Talk Free Silver.
'"fhen, you will remember how it
was on the streets-hundreds of men
having nothing to do but stand on the
street corners and talk politics. 1
used to look out of my windows and
notice that it took a very hard rain
to drive these men off the street.
They didn't appear to notice an or
binary rain at all. They kept right
on talking. They seemed to be very
much in earnest. Some OF them. I
suppose, were hired to do it, but the
most of them believed they were out
of work either because they didn't
have free silver or because Of the
threat of free silver. They were
pretty well divided on this question.
Too Busy to Talk Politics.
"How is it now? Look at the
streets. You don't see any crowds of
men talking politics. Everybody is
too busy. All these men have work.
If q working man doesn't want to
work for you or me, he can get a job
somewhere else and takes it, and so
the working man a just about pick
his job, instead of the employer Sc
Letting his employees. An employer
who wants to do that must pay pretty
big wages. Look over there on the
corner of Fifth and Walnut. Remem-
Der how it used to be four years ago?
A man could hardly get past that
place in safety. A joint debate was
going on there all the time. Some
times it looked like a free fight and
every passerby was tacitly invited to
take a hand. You don't see anything
of that sort now.
Plenty of Money at Low Interest.
"And how is it with the banks?
Why, they've got more money than
they know what to do with. Deposits
are increasing at an unprecedented
rate. Every bank is eager to lend
money at almost any rate it can get.
Any business man with any sort Of
prospects can borrow money at low
rates on just ordinary security. OF
course the money question is still an
issue. The democratic platform
makes the same threat that it made
four years ago. Bryan, the ~persOnifi-
cation Of sixteen to oneism, is still
the candidate, ard he has taken back
nothing, but on the other hand has
reiterated all he ever said about get
ting rid of the gold standard at the
first opportunity. But the banks
don't seem to think there is the
slightest danger of his election. As
they look at it, there is no element
of chance in the situation. Bankers
generally believe that the good sense
of tho business mon yE.4rlriry ,,o ~