The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-08-16

notwithstanding all discouragements,
there is united effort to rebuild the
city, not only as great as it was be-
fore the calamity, but of still greater
splendor and magnifcence. The
eyes of the whole country are turned
toward San Francisco, and the sympa-
thy of the ma tion goes out for her de-
termined and courageous people.
CRIMINAL BANKING METHODS.
The failure of the Milwaukee
Avenue State Bank, of Chicago, is the
sensation of the month in banking
circles. This institution had the con-
fidence of a large number of deposit
ors, aggregating in the neighborhood
of several thousand, large number
of whom were attracted to the bank
because of the nationality of its Off
GERS. When the crash came, little
more than week ago, it had deposits
in the vicinity of four millions of
dollars.
The failure of the bank to open it's
doors on Monday morning, the 9Th of
this month, caused hundreds of de-
positors to become desperate, and it
required an army Of police to prevent
them breaking into the bank.
The history of the wrecking of
this institution is record of Grimm
ality and depravity on the part of its
officers without parallel. The
officers seem to have We'd with each
other in their efforts to loot it of it's
assets. Forgeries amounting to hun
dreds of thousands of dollars were
committed by it's president, and as a
crisis approached, he, with other
officers absconded, and are now in
concealment. A son of the president,
who is the Vice President of the bank,
and the cashier, are under arrest,
charged with criminal knowledge of
its condition, if not with actual guilt
in wrecking it. Other employees of
+, the bank are shown to have known of
its condition, and to have remon-
strated with the president because of
Irregularities discovered some time
ago.
Three deaths have already occurred
on account OF the wickedness of the
officers in wrceking the bank, and
one person has gone insane. The
penitentiary is yawning for number
of guilty officials. and depositors are
stricken with grief at the loss OF all
they possess. Public denuncia-
ton cannot be too strong against the
men in whom the people thus reposed
confidence, neither can censure be
too severe against those whom the
State appointed to examine and re-
port on the condition of the bank.
Next to the depraved officials who
were guilty of robbing the bank,
should the bank examiner be con-
demned for his criminal neglect of
duty. Ii he had performed his duty
as he should, the true condition of the
bank would have been discovered
months ago, and the failure, with all
of its attendant evils, might have
been averted. Frequently, the trou-
BILE with a bank examiner is found in
the fact that he regards himself the
guest of the president, or ether Off
Gals of the bank, and permits himself
to be lavishly entertained, and i'm
posed upon so far that he fails to dis
cover the extent of the irregularities
in the method of conducting the
bank. This bank, but short time
ago received a certificate from bank
examiner that its condition was salts
factory, While the evidence shows
that looting of the bank and forgeries
have been pastime of its officials
for an indefinite time. The cashier
of the bank is shown to have been a
common sport, throwing his money
away on the races, and dissipating
along other lines.
The punishment of bank officials.
who deliberately rob the depositors,
should be so severe, that when once
apprehended and sent to the peniten-
tiary, there can be no hope of an
end of punishment, in order that they
can look forward to a time to
enjoy their i'll gotten gain. The
law should provide for criminal pun
ishment for bank examiners, who fail
to make their investigation sufficiently
thorough to discover the true condition
of the bank, and the methods adopted
bv its officials.
Mr.. U. G. johnson is announced in
this issue of the Review as candi-
date for County Treasurer. Mr..
johnson is SO we'll known, that he
| needs no intrnd11ctin i'm To Tho pan.l,l;