Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-10-19
lin 1896 AND IN 1909.
Contrast Between Condition of Bus
mess and Labor.
Men EN.iio $ TODD t,n tIse Stree Ea ing
gH0lifics Then ARE Now Hastily
5Ensaged aanL milking
AlOReS.

There IS one Very marked differ
eenee between gNhe conditions in 1886
aand the present said "a prominent
ll}es AioiIrss banker, a director in ssev-
taral banks. '''ln 1856 tine banks here
adopted the policy cof making mo leans
TO business men that could possibly
De avoided. Any business house, mo
ma ttar now good its credit or how
prosperous it's business, had rio make
d pretty strong sshuwing Cof needing
the money and ability ITO pay before
it could get q dollar IRON a Dies
Moines bank, and then the rate
charged was "a good stiff one. The
ranks were hanging onto their money
and taking no chances that they could
avoid. They We're feefing all their
sails amt getting ready for the posi-
ti)iiity tof a storm. Every kind of bust
ness craft that was manned by rprItl-
.eut men was keeping Close ITO shore
in fear and trembling.
Stood in the Rain to Talk 3FSt.e silver.
."Then. You will remember now IL
was on the strectS-hunttredS OF men
having nothing 10 do hui strand On the
street corners and talk politics. ]
used 10 look out Of my windows and
notice that il took q very iiard rain
to ltt2ivc these .nien off 'the street
They didn't appear TO NOTICE an OF
rtiinary rain at all. They KEPT right
on talking, They seemed 10 be very
much in earnest. Some OF them. 7
suppose wefc hired TO do it, but the
most Of them believed they were uttt
of WORK either because they didn't
have free silver or because OF the
threut OF ieee silver. Tner were
pretty well divided OF This question.
Zoo ln,.s, 10 'I,aik Politics.
How is it nov? Look at the
streets. You DON'T see any crowds OF
men talking politics. Everybody is
100 busy. All these men have work.
If a working man tiuesr't want TO
work for you or me, he can get "a jup
somewhere else and takes iii, and so
ahe working man can just ABOUT pick
his iob, Instead OF the employer Sc
iecting his employees. An employer
who wants 10 do 5tilat must pay pretty
big wages. Luo;, over there on the
corner Of Fifth and Walnut. Remens
per how it used to De four years ago"
a man could hardly get past that
place in safety. 4 joint debate was
going on there all the time. Some
times it looked like & free fight and
trverr paSserpr was tacitiS invited to
takc a hand. You don't see anything
OF 'fnat sort nov.
Plenty of Money at dlcw dnterert.
lind how is it with the lpankso
Why. they've got more money than
they know what to do with. Deposits
ase increasing at ;an unprecedented
rate. Every bank is eager TO lent
money at almost any rate il 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 IN
Issue. the Democratic platform
makes the same tisre,at, tii,at H. made
four years ESQ. B1yfln, the personiti
cation Of sixteen ITO pneiSrrl. is still
the candidate, and he has taken back
nothing, but on the other hand has
reitrrated all HE ever said about get
ling rid of the gold standard at the
! FIRST opportunity. But the hanks
don't seen to think there is the
slightest danger of his election, AS
liney look at it,, there is no element
Of rrhance in the situation. Bankers
generally believe that the good sense
OF the business man, working man
. and people geueraliy Will lead them
to continue these prosperous .con6i-
lions. They had one experience in
| 1892 in wanting a change when they
We're prosperous, and 4 don't believe
! they viii make the .salne mistake