Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-02-15

Tuesday night before the Bankers
association. Every man should pom
der his words well. He said;
"The great truth Of the hour is
this-tbe real interest Of every Amer
lean citizen is the true interest OF
every other American citizen; the ul-
innate good Of any class is the final
good Of all. II farmer, manufactur-
cr, artisan, carrier, banker and all
! he elements with which God has WOW.
en- the American nation can under
stand that their interests are identi-
cal and not antagonislic, the sover-
eighty Of the republic over the
markets, minis and mines OF all the
worlds no longer a prophecy. but,
in the very realization Of the great
truth, becomes an accomplished fact.
1.-The occupation Of demagogues to-
day is to divide the American people
and to set brothers laboring in one
calling against brothers laboring in
another. OF all OF these the banks
and bankers are the favorite objects
of perpetual attack. The reason Of
this is that that the banking interests
OF the nation are the natural objects
OF the peoples suspicion, because the
banks are the holders Of the peoples
accumulated wealth, and each depos.
itor, forgetting his individual depos.
it, looks at the vast aggregation OF
deposits and thinks Of that massed
and mighty bulk of wealth as the
property Of the banks themselves.
And so the ear is credulous to the
charge of'the Jack Cades of politics,
that the banks are unnaturally rich;
that this enormous wealth is dishon-
est wealth, won by mysterious and
wizard hands, won by grinding the
people, won by squeezing the juices
out of prosperous times until only
the husks OF hard times is left for the
masses. -frt
"All patriotic men should denounce
that SANDER. For there is no bust
ness so utterly dependent on the well
fare Of their fellowmen as the bust
ness Of the bankers Of the United
States. Banks have but two sources
Of proft-interest and exchange.
When times are good money is in de.
mand, rates are high, exchange is
brisk, and banks prosper precisely as
the country prospers. When times
are bad exchange diminishes, loans
are called in and all the sources Of
income dry up like the whitening
roots Of growing corn in summers
drought.
1.-The banks are not creators Of
wealth; the government is not the
creator Of wealth. The people, the
soil, the air, the mines, the looms
these are the creators of wealth. The
banks do not even own the wealth
they hold. They do not own them
selves. The stockholders own them
partly, but the depositors own them
under the accumulating decisions
more largely even than the stock
holders. So the demagogues' state
ment that the banks own the country
is merely statement that the coun-
try owns the banks. The real bank
er is the American people.
1.-The real prosperity Of every in
dustry and every calling rests on the
prosperity of every other industry
and calling in the nation. When we
injure one we injure all. And so |
plead for American fraternity. |
plead for American unity. ! plead
for permanent settlement of the
question with which the mischievous
vex and divide us. The commerce Of
the far east needs common currency
and that need must be supplied by
the genius Of American bankers. No
man can enumerate the work that
calls us to its doing over all the
world. 10 do it we need all our
strength, all our labor, all our capt.
tai, all our practical Of mind, all our
exalted Of soul. And SO, | propose
the sentiment. The brotherhood of
American business, the fraternity Of
American industry and the mutual
affection Of all American hearts to the
end that the American people may be
prosperous and powerful and the re-
public supreme among the govern
ments OF man."
A - -