Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-05
BANKS AND BANKING
Capt. John w. Morrlson's Long
official Career; stenosrsphers
Who Rose to High Places
Of Political Preferment


D. OF Political Preferment
+--.--- -
BY GEORGE NOX Mccain
TliE tremendous strides that the
l. commonwealth has made in regulat-
ing and safeguarding it's banking in
terests has been brought to public at
tcntion by recent event--the illness
OF Captain John w. Morrison, deputy
banking commissioner.
Captain Morrison has Just rounded
out twenty five years of continuous
service as deputy banking commits
Sioncr. lie has carried locked up in his
breast more secrets of vital interest to
millions of bank dcpositors ip this state
during this quarter of century than
any other official in Harrisburg.
In that time he has seen the depart
mcnt grow from one room, seven
employe affair to great bureau en-
ploying more than forty persons.
The best posted man on banks and
banking In Pennsylvania. he is the
strong arm upon which every banking
commissioner has leaned from Charles
III. krumbhaar, its first superintendent,
down to John s. Fisher, the present
commissioner.
krumbhaar was known ms superin-
tcndent of banking when the depart
mcnt was first organized In 1891. That
office was abolished and the supcrin-
tendent after 1895 became commits
sioncr.
During the entire existence of the
banking department there have been but
two deputy commissioners, L. Asbury
Awl aud John w. Morrison.
NONE know. aud fancy that in the
~ lapse Of time that Captain Morri.
son has forgotten. the number of at
tcmptS that have been made to secure
from him inside" information by poll
ticians. bank officials. dcpositors and
outsiders generally concerning the con-
dition of certain barking institutions.
But he has stood against these appeals
and cajolings like armorplatc against
! machine gun fire.
So far as Captain Morrison is indi-
vidually concerned. the inviolable law
of secrecy in the department has not
even been dented. %
recall two Instances where personal
friends interested in institutions under
current suspicion sought to obtain con.
crete knowledge of affairs from Morri-
son. AS dcpositors they were inter-
cStcd to the extent of thousands of dol =
/ lars. But the deputy commissioner,
courteous and low spoken. almost gen
. tie in his refusal. firmly rcpulsed the
/ attempts.
lie is an old soldier. lie was both n
private and an officer of tho Tooth Rcgi-
.mCnt, Pennsylvania Volunteers. the
/ famous old Roundheads during the Civil
| War. lie is a Philadelphian by birth,
and though for more than thirty years
/ a resident of Pittsburgh. has como back
4 in his latter years, to his old home. and
now resides at Wayne.
/ NTIIEN United States Senator Phil.
/ w andcr G. Knox was Pennsylvania s
/ candidate for the presidency twelve
years ago James Francis Burke. ccle-
bratcd as an eloquent and persuasive
orator. congressman from the Thirty
first district. Pittsburgh. was his cam
paign manager.
Jimmy" Burkc's was another iu-
stance of a stcnographcr rising to
heights of political prominence from a
! very modest beginning. 1t was per-
sistcnce, suavity aud Il genuinely win
ming personality that. carried James
Francis Burke, stcnographcr. up to a
seat in Congress and the prefix of Hon
orablc to his name.
Before he was twenty Burke had pre-
dilections toward a newspaper career.
, | was city editor of a Pittsburgh news :
paper and correspondent for tho New
York Sun during that period, and more
than once Jimmy" Burke handled spe-
cials for me on $3.50 basis.
With the clever adaptability of his
Irish ancestry. after he was admitted to
tue bar he RAPIDLY gained prominence as
campaign speaker. lie rose to front
rank. and il was an easy transition for
him from platform orator to the con
grcSsional rostrum.
lie put himself through Ann Arbnr
Law School without penny of aid from
outside sources.
CENATOR BOIES PENROSE cx.
~ poets to receive his discharge from
the supervision of attending physicians
this week.
lie tells me he is rapidly rCgainiug
his strength that his organic condition
is up to par and nothing but the phySi =
cal cunui consequent upon long contnc
ment and scdulous devotion to the strict
orders Of the medical men prevents hi,
public appearance as Of old. The latter
is only matter now of days at most.
IF your physical condition is to b,
judged by your political activity. YOU re
in pretty healthy condition" I re.
marked.
What do you mcan?" he inquired
with shadowy smile. "Tm keeping
very Quiet and obcying my physicians
orders
"Possibly. But that statement O
yours about Senator Knox doesn't sug
gcst political or mental rcposc."
"Why, il was only commonplace,
observation made in the course of con,
, verSation TO the reporters" he replied
with the shadowy smile a triflc NOR,
pronounced. But accompanying it wa
, gesture of the hand that indicated tina
conversation on that particular subjcc
, was at an end.
Tn THE midst of the present turmO
l. and cbuIlitiou over the transit situa
ton. +. Clinton Rhoads, perhaps tn
most persistent critic Of traction ma
nipuIation and mutation. directs atten
ton to what he terms the ''adaptabilit
of bOokkcPpcrs to meet any situation
in the following. Referring to Il state
lmcut in the transit cOmpany's annua
report, prior to the last one, he quotes
THE 1910 strike expense, amountin
TO S943.34G.5G (incurred by the formc
management has now been Cntircl
paid of. 4 credit Of l$0240.07 was de
!, rived from the sale of strike material Il