Mower County transcript., 1907-12-04
FARMER BEN'S
COLUMN

J
tectin' depositors in banks SO that
when the banks quit business the de'
positors hav absolute surety that they'll
get all their money out agen. We amt
much interested in this prop rite here
with strong banks like we hav but take
in the big centres where the banks
smash up occasionally on account OF
rascally management it's a purity vital
question. Now can see that wheh
Shaw takes in a million dollar deposits
he CAN'T pile the million up in gold IN
his vaults ready for call rite out any
mint. We all know that most OF this
money is let out on good security ana
it takes time to turn 'em back into
cash and all banks must be run on this
same idee of lettn' out funds to make
interest. So it's fool prop to think
that a bank has to keep as much cash
on hand every mint as it's got depos-
its. But l know that there's way OF
iggerin' out sure perfection OF all de-
positors so they can't lose any OF their
deposits no matter what comes and II
the present hnancers can't fgger this
then we'll get Some that can.
Isee that walker Weston has just
made another trip from Portland,
Maine, to Chicago and broke his record.
l thought this chap was dead long ago
1 remember just after the war that he
was walkin' to beat the band. He's
nigh onto 70 years old this very mint
and he can leg 1t off 1875 miles in less
than 25 days. l tell you it's feat to
be proud of and takes us back to the
good old days when legs counted. we
didn't used to think anything of swing
in off twenty or thirty miles on an
errand even in pioneer days rite here
I've walked to Frankford in the early
days and it was no trick at all TO make
Lvle or Austin from the old farm with
nv legs I'll bet Uncle ODE Smith can
today outwalk ninety per cent OF the
dudes of the county. I'D like to see
walkin' popular agen. There's nothin'
like it to put the color in your cheek
and Civ elasticity to the body. Down
in New Y York city they've just opened
a walkin' school and lots of the young
women are trampin' day after day on
regular rules lookin' for health and
beauty and they'll find it too. 1t was
a Austin gal I'd like to make record
at walkln' and III put up our gal Sarah
agenst the whole bunch at it.
In spite of Tawney's idees on states
rights Farmer Ben lines up with presi-
dent Roosevelt on the prop that more
extensive federal supervision over the
differin' lines of interstate trade is the
proper thing. l can see how half a
hundred state Legislators made up of
all kinds of rubbish same as Minnesota
has will never agree en- anything reas-
enable or tittin' to control the corpora
tions and 50 we'll continue to hav chaos
in dealin' with em. l can see how this
matter might hav ben fixed up years
ago and the country hav ben in clover
and peace now with the big combines:
If Uncle Sam can take national bank
and tell 'em just how much stock they
can issue and supervise their securities
ct cet., he can also take a big railroad
corporation and 6gger out what the
property is worth fairly and what is the
proper capital stock without water and
can forbid any issues beyond what is
correct, If we could get all corpora
tions down to the right basis of capital
and let 'em make nice return on act
ual investment and values and then
figger rates for the public on this foun-
dation it would be square deal to
every body and all hands would be bene-
flied amazingly.
Ireckon that lots of folks. are goin'
to get down to hardpan in livin' ex-
penses as a result of the recent finan.
cial tumult. It'll be good lesson too.
Folks that hay good incomes hav ben
spendin' it on extravaganza and luxury
and not savin' red to invest in farm
or home and when the pinch comes all
they can do is to squeal. l amt agenst
livin' comfortably but the way folks
that L know can't afford it sling the
style and livin' amt accordin'"to right
idees of economy or safe 6ggerin'. T
hold it as incontrovertible prop that
money spent in big hats and sealskln
coats and mansions can't 60 into the
fund laid up for pinchin' time. And
when it comes to real comfort that
amt the way to spend money to get the
most out. Down in New York one
family that has been runnin' seven ser.
wants has cut down to five and Ill bet
they'll be just as happy and get along