Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-15
"Commoness" As An Asset
Richard Spillane in the Philadelphia Ledger.


Richard Spillane in the Philadelphia Ledger.
An old farmer, coarless, stability clad his
cotton socks hanging over the top of his shoes,
sat himself down on the steps of a southern
bank at ] o'clock one morning. Some one,
knowing that the bank would not open for an
hour or two, explained the situation to him
and asked if he waiting to see some one.
He replied that he was, that he wanted to see
Percy Johnston. The townsman asked him why
it was that so many farmers liked to come and
chat with Johnston. oh" replied the farmer.
its jes because he's so burned common" This
same Percy Johnston is today senior vice pres
ident of the aristocratic Chemical National bank
of New York, where he is introducing some Of
the "commonness," otherwise humanness,
which appealed to the farmer. Is there not a
pointed moral for bankers as a class in this
anecdote? Have not our banks, as a rule,
failed to win a warm place in the hearts OF the
rank and file of the people in their community?
Has there not been too much marble and not
enough "commonness?"
The foregoing is from. the Central Banker.
It is not likely that any collarless hayseed will
plant himself on the doorstep of the Chemical
National bank and wait for the doors of that
venerable and remarkably rich bank to open.
If he did crowd would collect cop would
appear and the agrculturist would be hurried
over to the city hall police station and get
scare that would rob him of years growth
And yet the Chemical needs fresh blood and
smiling, obliging officers about much any
big bank in America. 1t has been too stlted
1t has had such reputation for wealth that
people lower their voices when they speak of it,
1t was not always So A quarter of CEN
fury ago the person who carried the largest
account in the Chemical was shanghai" Pierce
of Pierce Station, Tex. "Shang" was the rich
est man in Texas He was about six foot six,
a..
spoke you could hear him in the next county.
"Shang' had his own private bank in Texas
under the name of Weekes, Mccarthy & Co.,
at Galveston, but carried large deposits with
the Kountze Brothers at Omaha and the Chem
cal at New York. When he came north and
to some of the folk, but JOY to others. The
echo of Shang's 'howdy' could be heard across
the park If he started to tell how hot it was
in Texas the people began to gather in Broad
way and spread the story that something ter
rible happening in the bank
But "Shang' didn't call often. Once year
or two the average Next to "Shang' the
largest individual depositor was "Hetty'
Green.
"Shang" had ranches in various parts of
Texas. His brother. Jonathan, had one of sim
guar charm in Matagorda county. Its western
boundary was the Tres Pelacios river; its east
ern was another stream; its southern, Mata
gorda bay, and its northern l3-mle fence Of
Cherokee rose bushes about 40 feet wide at the
base and rising to height of 80 feet. From
Texas "Shang' used to drive his cattle north
to Kansas City or Omaha. In the Indian
ton he had big ranch, where he rested and
fattened his cattle. That ranch district is
a city and has skyscrapers apenty. You may
know it is Tulsa, Ok.
1t is pretty good asset for bank to have
a president who, for want of better descrip-
ton is called human" The success of the
mamoth Continental and Commercial National
of Chicago is ascribed in part to this quality
in George NJ. Reynolds He comes from Pa
nola, la. His first banking experience in
sweeping out the jerkwater country bank at
that place, polishing up the handle of the big
front door and hitching the teams of farmers
to the posts in the road in front of the bank
building.
Mr.. Reynolds is bucolic. He reads more
country newspapers than any other banker in
America He loves to read them He is pro-
foundry interested in agriculture. He knows
more farmers than any other big banker. He
is George to all of them and they are Jim"
Pete or Henry" to him. They feel he
is one of them, as he is. As a result of that
closeness of its president to the farmers of the
Mississippi valley the Continental and CONNER
cial has an agricultural following of tremendous
size. Without it the bank would not be the
giant it is today.