The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-18
NO BRANCH BANKS.
Continued From Tenth Page.

NO BRANCH bANkS.
Continued From Tenth Page.
there is no danger of exceeding the
truth and quoted the following verse
by waller, who, writing of this section
said:
1.-The Spring. which but salutes US
here,
Iphabits there, and courts them all
the year,
Ripe fruits and blossoms on the same
tree live;
At once they promise, what at once
they give.
So sweet the air, so moderate the
cline,
None sickIy lives or dies before his
time.
Heaven sure has kept this spot of earth
uncursed,
To show how all things were created
first
with such location and under such
influence it is not surprising that Sa-
vannah has always been distinguished.
1 do not believe any other city in the
United States has taken so active
part in the defense of freedom, or more
bravely fought out American progress
than the city which to-day entertains
the bankers from the three greatest
states of the South. From the early
Creek wars through every conflict in
which the nations honor was at stake,
down to the late war with Spain, her
brave people have marched from these
historic commons always ready to lay
down their lives at their country's call.
I'VE have just heard the first firing
by the invading army of the trusts at
the outposts of our prosperity. The
beef barons have attempted to levy
tax upon the people as unjust and I'M
fair as unnecessary and unwise as that
which our forefathers in the colonies
refused to pay. The tea has been
thrown into the harbor, and it may not
lead to a Bunker Hill or Yorktown, but
will soon lead to the greatest battle
ever waged within the halls of Con-
gress. In this country neither man.
mon nor anarchy must rule and in the
direction of this legislation for the
proper control of the trusts the bank
ers of the North. East. West and
South should unite their intelligent
forces to make capital what God in
tended it to be, a blessing to human
ity and for the best development of
our civilization.
1.-The South especially wants no in
terruption to the wonderful progress
1t has made in the last quarter Of a
century. The waters of prosperity
which were so long confined in the
Middle and New England States,
checked by that invisible dam along
the Mason and Dixon line have at
last been drawn Southwark, and your
strong Banks through which it flows
will wisely control its course to fer
tilize our fields, run our factories,
and float our products to all the
world. We have had but little help
in dredging from out it's channel the
ruins of a long and disastrous war,
but thank Heaven at last the
golden stream has touched the thirst
ing lips of all the Southern states and
their commercial strength was never
so great as to-day.
I'VE belong. gentlemen, to one of
the oldest guilds in the world. From
the earliest dawn of history there has
been financial system. Job was IA
miliar with bankers in his prosperity
and knew usurers in his adversely. The
Bible mentions in the Old Testament
both bankers and lawyers, but nowhere
speaks in complimentary terms of eth
er. One reason may have been that
the ancestors of our profession were
not worthy of commentator, but
think the better and more correct view
to take is that it has required nine
teen hundred years of civilization and
progress to bring the world up to the
proper appreciation of both bankers
and lawyers Some banks, however,
must have been recognized as safe
places of deposit, and in the early ages
paid interest on balances, for we learn
from Saint Luke, in the parable of the
nobleman who, on the eve of his de-
parture, gave to his ten servants a
pound each and said unto them occu-
Ply until 1 come we find the one who
had not increased his holdings, but
said, Here is thy pound, which l have
kept laid up in a Napkin was re-
proved by his master, who replied,
Wherefore, then, gavest thou not my
money into the bank, that at my COM
ing 1 might have required mine own
with usury?' And, although this unwise
man lost cen that which he hath by
not making the deposit, there are still
some few of his descendants who pre-
fer to keep their funds laid up in a
napkin
THE standard of our fraternity is
high. Through your hands have pass
ed billions of dollars. You have heard
the patehtic stories of the widows and
orphans as they deposited in your safe
keeping their all. You have heard the
schemes of corporations and the Sc
crets of firms and individuals, but out
of the thousands who have been en-
gagged in your honorable profession
those who have defaulted or been I'M
faithful to their trust would not make
a corporars guard.
II will only renew the thanks of the
Georgia Bankers Association to your
generous city for your cordial greeting,
and hope that this Tri-State Conven-
ton may bring pleasure to ali>kANsent
and result in much good to the large
interests which we represent"