Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-11-03

The failure of the Enterprise Ma
| tional Bank, of Allegheny City, and
the suicide of its cashier, T. Lee Clarke,
Is climax in the trail of blood and
boodle," which has marked the control
Of the fiscal affairs of the common
wealth by the Republican machine dur
ing third of a century.
Favored BY the Gang.
The Enterprise National Bank, of
Allegheny City, has been favored by
the machine to a singular degree. AS
far back as 1900 it held one-tenth of
the treasury surplus and that ratio has
never been diminished, though accord
ing to cXigenCies it has been increased
At intervals. Its balance, moreover,
has been regulated by its necessities.
| For example, according to the state
mcnt of the state treasurer $50, 600
| check was drawn against the balance
on the last day of September 1t didn't
suit the bank to give up that amount
at that time and the cashier notified
State Treasurer Mathues of the fact,
whereupon he drew a check for the
| amount in favor of the Enterprise
Bank and mailed it at once.
The Enterprise National Bank, of
Allegheny City, has a capital of $780,
| 600 and no prudent custodian of trust
funds would put in its vaults on deposit
more than the aggregate of it's capital.
But according to the records of the
| state treasury there was in 1892 S417,-
600 of state money, general fund. on de-
posit in the institution. In 1903 this
was increased to S712000, and in 1904
to $767,O0O. At the time of the failure
of the bank and suicide of the cashier
the state deposit. including general and
sinking fund, amounted to the prodig-
BUS total of $1,03O0OO
Business Men Curious About Il.
Naturally business men are curious
10 know the influences which secured
Tor that particular bank the favor of
the machine In such prohigate propor-
tons. They can't understand how
business men can be hypnotized in that
way. But scrdtiny of the records of
the gang spectators and industrial
operations makes the matter entirely
bull' Andrews and his associates IN
the New Mexican railroad enterprise
began operations the first considerable
increase in the state deposit of the En-
terprise National Bank, of Allegheny
city, occurred. The cashier of the
bank, now in a suicides grave. had
undertaken to Finance" that operation
~
IN MS bank. AS the demands for
money increased the state deposit was
augmented, and finally when the bank
mad been ruined and exposure newt
able the cashier settled his troubles
and cancelled his obligations by blow
ing his brains out, just as other VIC
tins of gang rapacity had done before
him.
Cashier Victim of Gang Rapacity.
That the Enterprise National Bank.
OF Allegheny City, and its unfortunate
cashier are victims of the machine
admits OF no doubt. When the crash
came the unsuspecting president of the
institution, Mr.. Frederick Gwinner,
was overwhelmed. Mr.. Gwinner is an
''''NN'' ih'hStii american
whose reputation for probity and intel
ligence was the mainstay of the insti-
tuition. He trusted the cashier i'm
pliGitly and the information of the dis
aster came to him like a bolt of light
ming from clear sky. After he had
recovered from his establishment he
made the following statement:
"The bank has been robbed by
lot of politicians. know moth.
Ing of the affairs of the bank.
have never been paid a cent SAL
ary. For three years ! have de-
manded of the directors that they
accept my resignation, but they
held to using my name.
u was not under salary, nor will
be held responsible for the doinqs
OF Clarke or anyone else connected
with the bank. The only t1inu
will pay is about $5o,OoO which
my relatives put in there at my
special request. They believed II
safe, and put it there at my soIicita.
ton, and they must be protected.
Further than that | will rot 40.
was euchred many years ago In