The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-24
BRYAN CONFERS
 WITH ROOSEVELT No Inkling of Subjects Dis-
 cussed Is Given Out NEW PLAN TO AID BANKS Mir. Bryan Tells of His Plan To Have the Government Guarantee De-
 positors and Shows What
 a Simple Thing It Is.
NEW PLAN TO AID BANKS

Washington, November 23.-(Special.)- J. William J. Bryan called at the White House this afternoon to pay his respects to the President. He spent half hour with the President, ana upon emerging from the executive room smiled, spread his hands, and said he could not talk about the visit.
 This evening MT. Bryan made an ad- dress upon Good Citizenship" to the Georgetown university students.
 Before MT. Bryan arrived at the White House the President had received reports from Sterno D.. Payne and John Dalzell, the stand pat leaders, of the House. When asked about tariff revision they sa.-. there would not be anything doing in that line in the coming session. Then MT. Payne was asked py the demand of the newspaper for the removal of duty on wood pulp and printing paper. He laughed at the necessity of removing a duty of only per cent and declared that no newspaper would be hurt by so small duty.
 MT. Bryan's comment upon this was that if the duty does not hurt the news papers it certainly does not hurt the al- legged trust that Is said to control the newspaper output of the country.
 q am in favor" said MT. Bryan, "of removing the duty on any article that comes in competition with a trust made article"
 Then MT. Bryan was asked to explain in detail his proposal that the govern ment guarantee the deposits of indi- yiduals in national banks as a means of restoring confidence. It was pointed out to him that the last report of the Comp troller of the Currency in August showed that the total deposits in national banks, exclusive of government dep lsits, was about $426, 900, and he was then asked how 1t would be possible for the govern ment to become guarantor for that immense sum.
 T think it is simple and easy" he de- clared, and I believe that if Congress should put 1t into law-the plan have the financial depression now with us would vanish in no time. Every man knows that confidence is a basis of our business world and that when men with draw their savings from the banks and hoard them in various places, If the per- sons who do this could feel assured that
  in national banks not single dollar would be withdrawn.
 What I propose is that law be passed guaranteeing that the treasury would reimburse depostors in every na- tional bank that fails. The law would provide that the national banks meet the loss by an assessment to be determ- ined by the treasury. In this way tho government would never lose a penny. In two days after Congress passed a law, blanks could be sent to national banks seeking their agreement to a guarantee that they would pay their assessment in the event of loss to depositors in na- tional banks. I have no doubt that every national bank in the country would sign such an agreement almost immediately, as the assurance to depositors would be so great that the bank could not fail to enter with others. From figures I have had compiled 1t Is shown that in 40 years there has never been over I of 1 per cent loss annually to depositors in the national banks. It would be compara- lively nothing to banks to pay such a small sum each year. Under the plan I have in view the treasury which con- trols the banks would pay out at once to depostors in a failed bank in the agreement, their proportionate shares"
 Mir. Bryan declined to discuss the measures of relief adopted by the ad- ministration. especially the issue of 8 per cent certificates. He said he reserved an expression of opinion on these sub jects.
 T do believe, though" he said. "that all this begins at the wrong end. If the