The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-11-17
Splendid Financial Showing of Chief Banking
tutions of Oklahoma

terment is doubtless a powerful lever.
and If the end sought be laujable, and
the ambition wise. traversing no pure
and just principle, and if this lever
be rested upon the fulcrum Of a per
fected horting system. then is the
force exerted seemingly well nigh
omnipotent in its possibilities Money
without banking is Archimedes. lever
in hand. looking in vain for a bal
ancing point upon which to base his
lifting power Money with banking is
Archimedes. standing upon the source
of light and heat, his lever securely
rested upon the star Mercury and
lifting the world. Originally a place
of exchange at which the moneys of
the nations found their equitable bal
ance and scale of value, the bank has
grown to be successfully the place of
temporary deposit, the source of well
compensated loans and the repository
of wealth. equivalent certificates of
which afoat in the marts Of the word
furnish a sensible and convenient
means of the individuals, the corpor-
atoms and the nations financial trans.
actions. Banks are based upon the
two fundamental powers of wealth,
principal and interest. and are simply
to the gold and silver of the world
what the grist mills are to the wheat
and corn and rye of the world, the
places of concentration and fitting for
most perfect distribution and con
sumption, paid for their labor by the
miller's toll on the grist passing
through the mill That the banking
system is not perfect is due more to
the fact that the premises on which
the financial policy of the world of to-
day is based are not in entire accord
with the teachings of Christ, than to
any misGt with the worlds machinery
and only a new dispensation Of living,
based squarely on such teachings, will
call for a more perfect system, which
may after all be but doing away with
any banking systems necessity. Given
consequent inequality of opportunity
and growing inequality of wealth, inc
quality Of investment, of eXpediture
and Of living necessarily follow and to
and facilitate the movement of wealth,
the bank is a necessity and to the
poor, even more than to the rich, an
inestimable boon. Banking in its rude
forms of places of deposit, changers
of moneys and negotiations of loans
have existed farther back ia the ages
of human endeavor than recorded his
tory may trace and even in the seven
times buried cities of the Euphrates
and Niles banks doubtless found an
honored and honorable place What
the type or style of wealth deposited
loaned or exchanged, makes little dif
ference and whether the skins and
fiints of the cave dweller the tokens
of the Incas and Axtecs, the wampum
of the Indians, the gold and silver
arm rings of the Ethiopian, the cruel
bic drops. fattened ond stamped, OF
Tie walled cities of Persia, Egypt and
Messopotamia. the glttering sand and
nuggets Of the further Ind, the jewels
and coined moneys of the Greek AM
Roman the gold, silver nickel anC
copper coin and bank notes of the ma
tions of today, it has been sought and
boarded. loaned and returned with in
terest and the bank and bankers tor
to put them in order of importance o
the time, bankers and bsnkl we're the
medium of business transaction. A
just what time bills of exchange, th'
first bank notes, were set aaoat IL
great national centers is not known
but In the First and Second centuries
after Christ they were common, an'
1t is not sure even that their existenc'
does no. date back at least to thu
DAYS of Solomon of Judea and Hiram
of Tyre Stamped coinage certainl.
dates to the days of Ahashueras or Al
taxerxes, as the writer has coil
taken from the Balu temples of tn
sun worshippers, which temples were
it is supposed, frequently banks
deposit ana loan in their districts.
The banking system in Europe grey
out OF national necessity and impect
mostly, Venice In I'LL securing b
compulsion from her wealthy citizen
loaned fund for state, wars, in
provements and treaty security, whic
a selfish shrewdness made proftabl
TO the forced contributors, and out {
which wise beginning grew a nations