Evening star., 1923-10-29
TALKS and TALES
With and About
CAPITALS GUESTS

| nosphere be noticeable during the next
few days Just attribute it to the pres
ence in town of several hundred in
| vestment bankers who have come for
the twelfth annual conventaion of their
national organization, which convenes
for three-day session at the New
Willard Hotel today.
It's rather difficult for the average
mortal to picture a banker in any
| other light than cool. self-possessed,
give-and-take type of citizen, always
Immediately garbed and seldom, If
ever. fiustered, but If those harboring
such Impressions had only been around
some Of the city's leading hotels when
| trainload after trainload of Americas
most noted financiers were deposited
in the lobbies different idea might
have been formed.
From east and west and north and
south they came, 1900 in all, laughing,
brfmful of good humor, all enthusias-
tic that their big meeting was to be
held in the heart of the nation, and all
eager to shake off the dust of travel
While headquarters had been estab-
llshed at the Willard, every local
hotef, especially those in the down
town section. housed it's quotas. and
at each house two or more members
or the local committee were on hand
| to welcome the visitors.
Little time was lost by many in
donnlng goldng togs and throughout
the afternoon long lines of taxis were
hurrying to all nearby country clubs,
where unlimited privileges awaited
the guests.
The officers of the huge organiza-
ton. which boasts a membership of
603 main offices and 2SS branch es-
tablishments throughout the United
States, have been in the city since
the middle of last week. Probably
the busiest man in the District Of
Columbia for the past four days has
been James A. Prescott of Prescott
& Snider. Kansas City, the present
mead OF the body. Mr.. Prescott and
all f1ve of the vice presidents are at
the Willard. and between executive
ana special committee meetings they
had their hands full for the last TWEEN.
ty-four hours.
And speaking Of golf. Seated at the
rear end of the registration room Rob-
ert Stead, jr., Of Harris, Forbes & Co.,
chairman Of the local golf committee,
jealousy guarded three handsome tro-
ply cups which are to be played for to-
morrow afternoon at the Congressional
Country Club.
A beautiful piece Is that donated by
John L. Edwards & Co, to go to the
| low gross score, for players with q
handicap of 18 and over, the cup to be
the permanent possession Of the win
| ner. Another artistic design Is the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany's gift, for low net score, players
with handicap under 18 eligible. the cup
becoming permanent possession of the
| winner. The third trophy on exhibi-
ton is the cup presented by Ben Joaquin
Light and Power Company. This Is for
low gross score to be played for an
! nually, the winner holding 1t one year.
There is a fourth cup. that donated
by the New Orleans group of invest
| ment bankers, but this was not on ex-
hibition, and for the simple reason that
Roger Caldwell of Caldwell & Co.,
Nashville, Tenn, who is stopping at the
Hotel Shoreham, has one leg on 1t, and
feels SO confident he will turn in the
the trophy with MIN, figuring, perhaps,
that shipping 1t down to the Willard
would only mean unnecessary messenger
charges. The first player to win the
trophy three successive years will be-
come its permanent possessor.
Fresh as daisy and feeling highly
elated over the comfort experienced on
the long trip from ST. Louis. Francis
Pastor Douglas, financial editor of the
st. Louis Globe-Democrat, who accom-
panied the st. Louis, Kansas City and
Oklahoma delegates on the Kansas City
special, told wondrous tales about the
trip east.
"You know" he said. I'VE had Old
Henry, the famous porter who moth
cred our ST Louis bunch to San Fran
cisco last year, with us, and that tells
the whole story. The Pullman Com
pany may have had porters in its long
and honorable career. but none ever to
equal Old Henry. In fact it is felt
by our western bankers that the re-
turn home cannot be made unless this
w1-0I I~1 t. a~t.
ready Kelton White of G. H. walker
Company has wired the Pullman peo-
pie to assign Old Henry to our trip to
New York and back to Missouri-a real
porter is Old Kenry!"
with head full Of bankers chatter
switch was made over to the Hotel
Washington, and the first man encoun-
president of the Palmer Bond and
Mortgage Company of Salt Lake City.
AS little had been heard from Utah
rJr quite some time Ii was most
gratifying to learn from the west
erner that conditions out there were
thriving.
wheat has been a bit OF this sea-
son." said Mr.. Palmer But judged
from reports this Is in line with other
communities. Our beat sugar crops
corn is of the best. Copper, well, you
know the copper condition, and while
silver has dropped considerably since
the passage of the Pittman act, our
banks are all in tip-top shape, money
is plentiful and our newly developed
steel industry is going along at a
great rate"
"You know continued the banker.
Utah will eventually be one Of the
great steel and iron states OF the
Union. We have wonderful unde-
veloped resources, which have been
held back on account of transporta-
tion and capital, but now things are
booming. The Columbia Steel Com
fornia and Utah money, the first unit
Of its big blast furnaces at Provo. q
few miles rom Salt Lake City. at an
approximate cost of s15,000,000 and
this will give a great impetus to
business.
"Poiitics2 All. that's another ques-
ton. Well. I will say the repub-
licans are much pleased with Presi-
dent Coolidge. and, as you know.
American states in the Union, very
few aliens Folks in our section feel
that in the Chief Executive the coun-
try has a fine specimen of American.
No. I have not heard much about the
keeping rather quiet in our state.
bat they will start something short
ly. 1 think"
But just then a flock of golfers
grabbing up his kit. he was off for
taxi.
While the lobby OF the Hotel Shore
ham was alive with investment
bankers they were deliberately
avoided in order that word might be
had with Gen. John A. Buchanan.
noted hunter. horseman and all
round sportsman of Upperyille, Va,
who, with his son, F. J. Buchanan.
had just Registered at the house.
nicely up in Virginia" chuckled the
proprietor of beautiful Ayrshire farm
and owner of the racer Goldman
and other cracks. Folks are riding