Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-02
SOME INTERESTING INCIDENTS
In the Recent Career of James H.
EcLles, an Admirer of Mckinley.


In the Recent Career of James H.
Eckles, an Admirer of Mckinley.
The activity of Mr. H. Eckles in be-
half of Mr. Mckinley in this campaign
recalls some incidents in that Sound
money" gentleman's official career as
comptroller of the currency under Presi-
dent Cleveland that have not lost inter-
est. By his own open confession he
used that office for the protection of an
insolvent bank, and, without blushing,
he defended his act on the ground that
an election was coming on and that in
the interest of the sound money" candi-
date he deemed it unwise to perform his
sworn duty
The whole story is told in documents
in possession of the Democratic national
committee. They reveal moral tur-
pitude on the part of Mr. Eckles as
public official that is amazing, and they
suggest that a man capable of using his
office for political ends is capable of us
ing his business standing with equal
recklessness and disdain of truth and
justice and right reason.
National bank was one of the startling
episodes of the Mckinley prosperity
show. 1t occurred towards the end of
December, 1897. 1t dragged down with
it the Chestnut Street Trust
Company, and also involved the
Philadelphia Record and the person
al estate of William NJ Singerly, its
proprietor. Mr. Singerly was president
of the bank and also of the Trust com
pany, and he became the ardent cham
pion in 1896 of sound money" and of
the Republican gold brick prosperity en-
terprise Shortly after his failure, he
died suddenly under very peculiar cir
cumstances, and the exact truth about
his taking off will perhaps never be
known.
But the truth about the relation of
Mr.. Eckels. Mr.. Cleveland's comptroller
OF the currency, is on record. Mr.. Sin
gerly in 1896 was deeply involved; his
bank was rotten; his trust company was
loaded up with securities of the most
doubtful value. Il knew of the con-
| dition of the Chestnut Street National
Bank two years ago" said comptroller
Eckels, in published interview, few
| days after the wreck, defending his
course. Il called the individual atten-
ton of each director to it over year
ago, and received replies from each of
| them. AS close a watch as possible was
kept on the bank. But there was no
time within the past two years during
which any definite action could have
! been taken without seriously affecting a
number of other banks in that city
(Philadelphia). This was especially the
case year ago. A year ago
the election was on ind IT WOULD
| Net HAVE DONE TO HAVE A BANK
FAILURE AT THAT'TIME. It might
have elected Bryan.
Comptroller Eckels clearly evaded
his sworn duty under the law to help
/ SinSerly's bank. because Singerly. either
willingly or unwillingly. had enlisted
| himself and his paper in the fight for
Mckinley as gold Democrat. 1t is i'm
| material that MIR Eckels represents
that by staving off the collapse until af-
ter the election the losses were less Sc
we're That is merely Mr. Eckels ex-
parte statement, and it may be taken for
what it is worth. The important point
| is that, as public officer. he used his
office to protect an insolvent bank in Sc
curing deposits and doing business on a
large scale, thus obtaining public money
and the funds of widows and orphans.
fer political reasons. He did it avow-
eddy to help Mckinley. He refused TO
perform his duly because an election was
on and it would not have done to have
! bank failure at that time"
| This is the man whom the bankers
! gravely accept as their spokesman in
&c 1or rAof ion
of morality and honor and national
credit before assemblies CT sound
money patriots He says that in the
| Singeriy affair he took business view
| CT the situation and of his chances"
He was willing not only to imperil the
fortunes OF Singerly clients. but his own
official honor, to tide a bank failure
over the election. There is nothing ex-
| pressed or implied in the law which the
controller of the currency swore TO in
4 force that authorizes that functionarv
| to take a business view Of the situation
and of his chances" He acted sinDlv
in defiance CT law and he did it for raa-
sons which he could not then nor can
| now justify. He was net paid to take
| chances. He was paid to protect the
! public from bank wreckers. But no
| failed to do this Instead he shielded
! Singerly because Singerly was a Gold
Democrat and because he used his now
erfui paper in a critical campaign 10
canfuse the issue and 10 mislead Demo
! Gratis into betrayal of the party to the
trusts.
Mr. Singerly had been the Democratic
candidate for governor in 1895. AS
such. he had won the confidence of the
Democracy OF that State, and largely
of Democrats generally His detection
| from the party and his indirect support
of Mckinley was therefore damaging to
| The cause Of Mr.. Bryan. This axulsins