Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-04-02
THE VASTEOF THE
GOLDEN PLAGUE
WHAT THE LUST OF GOLD DOES
TO YOUNG MIN,
million STOLEN ANNUALLY
Some Facts and Figures TINT the
Public Knows BBut 1ittlc
OF.

Have you heard OF the golden
plague?
II exists In malignant form, wheth-
or you havH or not. More, II is
wreNking destruction OF human hap
piness In the United States than any
other discasa, except, perhaps, the
dreaded and bitterly fought white
plague"
| Here is a little story, and true
one, OF how the new infection plants
its germ In the system and Of the
dlrc results 10 the victim and all those
around him.
a young boy with Job in small
Eastern bank fell In with a Jolly
crowd OF fellows last fall, and was
soon having the time of his life, He
did not cross the bounds Of deoency
into the grosser kinds OF dissipation,
but, night after night, only had n
downright good time, at the show, IN
restaurant on an automobile ride,
lie had to pay his share Of the fun,
OF course, and that was the poison
in his cup Of Joy,
He could not meet his debt Of hon
or out Of his salary, because he had
TO let his mother have some of that
every week. He did meet the "deht'
out Of the onnlt's cash drawer, IN the
sum Of Sl4S5.
The murder soon came out, OF
course, and one widowed mothers
promising son, who had such good
start, viii probably spend the best
years of his life, his early manhood,
In the penitcntiary. The rest of his
days he will exist as known jail
bird.'
Az commonplace os this tale of Il
youth runoi by the temptations Of
pleasure after dark may sound, not
one IN n hundred honest eiuzyns Of
this country an make a good guess at
the extent OF the thlevery going on
right now in public office, corpora
tlon employment private business
and fraterndl organizations.
There is one emhezzlement foun0
out In banks alone every day The
authority for this statement is Pierre
Jay, Banking Commissioner of Mas
sachusotts.
The sum stolen by officers and
employees In the eight years ended on
December 81, 1909, was two per cent
less than one hundrd million dollars.
To be exact he total was S9S,1i2.47S.
The amount for 1910 may be q
record-brea ter for the money gone IN
only ~ cases exceeds the total Of
1903, and renches nearly $1l 600, 00O.
Banks have been The sevorest guf-
ferers, ombezzlers taking moro than
two-flfths Of the total from them.
j Prosperity IS the condition IN which
this scourge thrives. This is shown
in the record that the highest figures
r ever reached by emboz2lers In one
year was in 1905 fow months be-
fore the panic OF 1907, the loss 10y
this species Of theft that year being
over slS,0OO,000.
The vast majority OF residents Of
tho United States are still perfectly
honest Tho bulk OF the men daily
+ trusted with others money are yet
/ worthy Of every ounce of trust placed
T in hem. Otherwise the buslnces OF
{ the country would be in rotting con
dition and we shoold be wallowlng IN
tho miro istead OF leading the world
> in the healthy delights and whole
some triumphs OF life.
The industrial leaders OF the Unit
ed States are but coming to q realiza-
ton OF the enormous waste in the dis
honest mans dissipation and Joining
the national movement for conserVa-
ton Of all our resources.
SO disastrous Is the effect OF This
golden plague upon business upon the
general handling Of money by trust
ed persons, that bankers' associations
state banking departments and the
United States Treasury have wracked
their brains TO find a remedy.
To meet the need, Just az fire In
surance companies are spending toll
and dollars and are succeeding IN the
effort TO check the vast waste by
, fire in this country, there has come
into existence a kind OF corporation
that insuros governments, wards OF
courts and private business against
dishonesty OF Bubordnates. They
have multiplied ana have grown in
size. wonderfully In the last ten years.
There are no detective stories ex-
tont more thrilling than those that
could be told daily by the inspectors
OF the surety companies. p The pur-
, suit Is relentless. cell or suicide
ia tho Inevitable end OF the man un-
der II corporation bond who goes
wrong. A real estate operator was
arrested in Brooklyn tho other day
for a theft Of $3.50 after he had been
hunted without days stop for Elk
years A Boston bank teller has he
gun n sentence OF five years as tho
end OF a pursuit for four years clos-
Ing In a Nevada gold field.