The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-10-13

Z
mi 10 be shielded and protected. even
sroag-2oins. by = banks officials,
merely Because be happens 10 be de-
posiaor Of that bank:
Its = strange gospel THE TINES
brings 20 young men starting their
! business careers Is bank clerks. TIE
TINES would not find its IDEAS popular,
j: is 20 be hoped among the members OF
the South Carolina Bankers AsSocia-
! tion.
The suppositlonS, The Record
indulses in, will not do in argu.
ment, but granting tnat it does.
then we say whenever bank
official has reasons to believe
that patron of his bank is do
ing dishonest business, and he
does not propose to have his
i bank converted into "a fence"
to receive ill.Sotten gains. the
moment he makes the discovery.
he should tell the patron Of his
suspicious. and require him TO
withdraw his business from the
bank. 1t not Will do for the bank
official to continue. and perhaps
solicit the business Of a diShon-
| est man. and then when occasion
arises. as we understand arose
in the Chester oank-the cashier,
whose suspicious were aroused,
continued business with the sus-
pected parties. and said nothing
until the president Of his bank
became an opponent Of one OF
the suspected CRIMINALS for the
office Of mayor Of the city Of
Chester; it was not until then did
this cashier make known the
transaction and gratifying anldle
curiosity, and then only, to drive
votes away from the man who
was opposing his employer.
We do not pretend to say that
a bank should be a screen for
criminal operations. but We do
sav that the relations between
patron and bank are strictly
confidential and. that when an
officer of d bank plays the role
of detective and becomes a
'.spotter" on one whose business,
and patronage he is receiving
and continues to receive. he is
not carrying out in good faith
that confidence the patron has
| a right 70 expect, and which is
promised by every bank.
There are times when bank
official must expose the transac-
tons Of his bank, but that is
when court of competent jb- S
dictioa issues the proper author
| ity FOR l:im to come into court
ard testify from the banks re
cords, Of course, in that case he
must tell the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth,
but we contend, that until then,
he has no right to tell anybody
of what is done in that bank, and
when he does, it is breach Of
confidence.
The Record says. and We agree
with it. 1T is admittedly i'm
moral for any citizen to shield
by his silence those whom he
discovers to be criminals" Yes,
and if the cashier of the Chester
bank upon his discovery Of
crime among a couple Of the
banks patrons, had at once re-
quired those patrons to with
draw their funds because Of the
discovery, in our opinion, he
would fare better in general esti-
nation, but lone cannot keep
his cake and eat it too" When
be accepted the deposits OF these
men, especially after his susplc.
ions were aroused. he could no
longer claim the right to expose
them on the ground that their
operations were unlawful. No,
criminal is not to be shielded
and protected, nor even afforded
a convenience for his wroug-do
ing, by a bank officials. because
be happens to be a depositor.
But when it becomes known or
suspected that the bank is being
used by criminals, then IS the
time for an honest bank to rid
itself of the business of the crimi.
mails. not wait for a municipal
election. There is ample pro-
lection in the law for the public,
without man supposedly occu.
pying a confidential business re-
lation becoming a spy on the
movements Of those conhding
their trus: in that bank.
When the law. in the interest
of Justice, wants information
from bank there is proper
way to get it, and that is under
stood by the patron when be
opens an account, hence when
an Official gives up information
on the mandate of court, the
officer giving :heIi information
has not violateda a confidence with
his patron, because the conf
dence is so received. We there
fore insist that no bank official
has any right in morals or in law
to expose the relations existing
between bank and patron with.
Iout the patrons consent, unless
required to do so by a competent
authority, and We further con-
tend that when a bank receives
deposits of a patron that 1t