The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-12-27

SPEECH, ICIltIdllHS lis pau 1OI Cell
trial national bank with a billion dol
lars capital. He is a clear speaker.
But without sparkle and with the air
filed with talk of his retirement, he
failed to capture his audience.
Reed as DroIl as Ever.
Tom Reed is as big a man as ever:
his mountainous head more bald with
single hairs falling straight down be-
hind as in a cartooned preachers. His
and satirical philosophy as CONFUSING
as ever. The bankers gave him a
tremendous greeting. Reed gave up
congress because he needed more
money than the salary, and it was
said he came to New York on a $780,
900 guarantee to join a big law firm.
Bank Presidents at Close Range.
These bankers are smooth-looking
body of men. Here and there is an
old-fashioned looking bank president,
as Williams of the Chemical. precise
and venerable, but most of them are
men of the world and not few conf
paratively young, not far from 40. The
business of these banks is mainly loan
ing money on stocks as security. One
OF the presidents-a small bank, too
told me he lets out some days a mill
ion dollars, sometimes 100000 at a
time.
The security is largely stocks and
they are taken at price % per cent.
Off the listed value to allow for de-
probation. The result is that these
banks and Wall street are in close
touch, quotations on every sale being
| instantly made to the banks. An eX-
pert gives his whole time to quotations
and can tell from memory the range of
the values for a long time. Two mer
are constantly looking up the financial
|, responsibility of the patrons of the
bank.
Bankers as We Know Them.
City bankers [ know little about, but
/ think it can be truly said that if
there be any class of men in the small
err cities who command the confidence
of their fellows, whose home life is
beautiful, who are friendly to good
things and opposed to bad, who are re-
garded by men, women and children
as the mainstays of the community, it
is the bankers. 1t is so in Madison;
it is so in New York. If there is a sub
scription paper to be circulated, begin
with the bankers. If there is local
betterment on foot, get banker to
approve of it and it goes. If there is a
boy to be started in life, get him in the
bank to learn him to be exact, pune
tual and courteous.
Banker of the Olden Time.
I well remember the first bank pres
ident that swept within my boyish Wis
ion. For forty years his handsome
gray head-he died in harness at S.
adorned the banking rooms on the Sec
with a house key and pick the vault
with jackknife and nail He was Oft
en- alone in the back room with no
means to defend himself save his be-
nign face. He was no speculator, and
he was an excellent judge of invest
ments. From his office ran the silent
he 1or Ivy ho
ness interests of Kennebec county. He
knew the affairs Of us all and said
never word. One quiet uplift of his
! clear eye measured a man in remorse-
less scales, yet the men now old whose
/ rise in the world dates back to his
! faith in their penniless honesty are
many He was tall and spare, digni-
! fed and kindly. He worshipped no
hazy, sentimental Power which
makes for righteousness he believed
! in a God of Justice as well as in a
God of Love, with as keen a relish
for the punishment of the unrepent-
ent as for the forgiveness of those who
/
old deacon was, his sweet, clean life
had wrought a beautiful face that
| glowed like a benediction. It is TWEEN
| ty years since the old banker turned
his weary head toward the wall in
| death, there to find in heavenly treas
ures full measure for the trust of our
men, women and children he guarded
SO faithfully on earth.
| I have no panacea for perils, pres
ent or possible, but of one thing / am
assured. In the western country, as
among every contingent of our people,
the laws of production, trade and COM
merce will evolve without protest, de-
| spite incidental benefit or detriment,
provided only there be no suspicion of
privilege. We ask for divorce be-
tween great financial interests and
personal political ambitions. We be-
lieve with President Roosevelt that
publicity of accounts of quasi-public
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