University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1914-04-14
From the Missouri Alumnus.

. hlitN, II. ii IL uNsNiio'S
his experiences in gathering business
news" for the ST. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat. His article not only gives an
insight into newspaper wOrk-a field
that is attracting Missouri alumni in
increasing numbers-but affords an
. intimate view of several of the leaders
in ST. Louis finance.)
The gathering of news is a mystic
rious process to one outside the news
paper fraternity. The finding of bus
mess news is just as much puzzle
to most newspaper men. When l
was given the business. real estate
and insurance run on the GlObe-Dem-
ocrat. the business end seemed 10
involve the daily visiting of Offices
without number. Ii seemed as if one
must cleave his way into a London fog
and query persons bumped into at ran
dom.
4 few days brought the lesson that
the seven large national banks and five
trust companies are the backbone of
the run. Brokers' Offices prove valua-
bic news sources. A word of advice
coming only the other day was TO cul-
tivate the acquaintance of bank direc-
tors. as promoters of new enterprises
call on them early in the game to
h. of oattinty lnanS
| shall describe a typical early after
noon on my run.
After making some calls on Real
Estate Row. ! find myself at Eighth
and Locust streets about , O'Clock.
Festus J. Wade. president of the Mer-
camille Trust Company. is confronted.
He stops writing. He may discuss the
new currency law or Catholic pro-
ject. He is financial adviser of Arch
bishop John J. Glennon and is known
as one of the leading Catholic laymen
of St. Louis As president of the Clear
ing House Association. he is official
spokesman for St. Louis bankers. He
readily discusses financial trends.
NJ II. Sturtevant. vice-president of
the Central National Bank. on Seventh
street near Locust. next is visited. Mr..
Sturtevant is on the agricultural de-
velopment committee of the American
Bankers Association, and keeps in
formed on steps taken to increase the
income of the farmer and to lessen the
drudgery imposed on the farmers
wife. He has each day a list of visit
ing Oklahoma or Illinois bankers for
the personal-mention column.
A kneeling camel, serving as an ink
well. has an important place on the
roll-top desk of Walker Hill. president
of the Mechanics-American National
Bank. southwest corner of Broadway
and Locust Mr.. Hill has built up the
bank to be the third largest in St.
Louis. Mr.. Wade and Mr.. Hill received
all the St Louis contributions for the
food sufferers of Dayton, Ohio. Mr..
mn - oh
form. He also is ranked as litera
teur
CatacOrnered across the street is
the Guardian Trust Company. form
erly the Commonwealth Trust, where
Robert l.. Gurney is official spokesman.
All his friends seem to write interest
ing letters to him when they go
abroad. AS result. newspaper read
ers in Missouri can trace their bank
ers through Montmartre in Paris or to
the Cafe Rheingold on Bellevue
Strasse in Berlin. Mr.Gurney has
been called the friendliest banker"
Above this bank. at a big fiat-top
desk in the center of a large room,
sits James Campbell. president of the
North American Company, which con-
trolls three St Louis public utility COM
panies-the United Railways. Union
Electric and Laclede Gas Light. Mr.
Campbell strengthens and clarifies his
remarks with "a; wealth of homely
phrases. His estimate of the present
value or future of any enterprise sub
consciously becomes that of thousands
of ST. Louisans who read his terse re-
marks while slipping coffee at the
breakfast table
At the home of the ST. Louis Union
Trust Company, is the office of A. T.
Perkins. railroad expert. A gas crate
is blazing cheerily. Mr.. Perkins may
have news of steps taken by Western
stockholders TO gain generous rep
resentation on a railroad Board of
Directors. or of preparations to joust
the bondholders. With him may be
Colonel S.'W. Fordyce. who owns in
Arkansas a fine estate. where he has
conserved the naturally rugged seen
cry. Colonel Fordyce and his good
wife give dinners to their host of rel
atives and friends in their Washington
terrace home at o'clock Sunday af-
ternoons and then let their household
retinue take off the rest of the after