The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-06-10
RIVALRIES
GET INTO POLITICS
Two Formidable Banking Groups in Elizabeth
City Expected to Groom Future
Council Candidates

EllZdDelll lily DdllhS WHICH, Ids
Iexisted for years was aggravat-
ed again this week when the
new CITY administration faced
the biennial question of which
lof the three banks in the city
should act as fiscal agent for
the CITY for the next two
wears.
In Il secret ballot four votes were
east for the First 4 Citizens Ma
tional Bank and four fer the Saw
ingS Bank \ Trust Co. Mayor
Flora requested Il second vote.
There waS no change in the result.
And then ne said in his own blunt
way:
Banks are supposed To he above
pettineSS and To set an example for
! the rest of lis i'm matters of business
ethics and common etiquette. The
! banks can't seem tO agree among
/ themselves and this board seems To
! he hopelesSly divided: l shall there
| fore exercise my prerogative and
break the tie in favor of the Saw
| ingS Bank \ Trust Co.
The Carolina Banking x Trust Co.
! was not seeking the account and did
not figure in the balloting.
The uncompromiSing attitude of
/ the friends of two banks on the
| City Council put me i'll an emhar-
RAISING position. l am Stockhold-
| er in both banks: larger stock
! holder in the First 4 Citizens
National Bank. | am Il director in
the Savings Bank. but my family
| interests are largely i'll the First
& Citizens National. With me it
was toss up as To which bank got
the account. | guess | should have
thrown it to the First & Citizens
National and then have tendered my
resignation as a director in the
Savings Bank
No comment upon the action Ot
! the Mayor and Council comes from
the officers Of the First 4 Citizens
| National this week, but from vari-
Gus members of the board of direc-
! TORS comes an ominOuS rumbling Of
discomfort with political situation
which seems to have created the
Savings Bank & Trust Co. as the
sole depository of city moneys. The
Savings Bank & Trust Co. has kept
/ the city'S account for the past four
vearS. and has il sewed up for an
other two years.
The account hSed TO rotate
among the banks of the city and
there was no quarrel. But when
Hon. Z. III. Williams. president of
tbe Savings Bank & Trust Co. went
to the General Assembly he chang
cd the law. He explained that there
WIS n Negro bank in town ut the
time and if the law requiring the
rotation of the account WASH
changed the city might find its ac-
count in Il Negro bank. The eN-
nIouation worked. The citys ac-
count hasn't been moved since.
Now what is the Significance oil
all this 10 the citizens Of Elizabeth
CITY: This newspaper foreseeS III II
an active participation in munich
nal politics by two major financial
nroups i'm Elizabeth City two years
hence. There is lot OF human
material OH the directorates or boIll
hanks and. if human nature doeSh
change i'm Elizabeth City Ill TWO
veors. 1929 will see both banks haho-
pickiuy and backing their reSpec-
five candidates for Mayor anu
COuncilmen.
But this is not IL prospect FOR an!
one TO lose sleep over. 1t VIII lheah'
if ANYTHING. the entry of responsible
tvpes of business men i'll municipal
nnlitics and the citizens will have IL
far better choice of candidates than
they would have if the grooming OF
candidates were left to our ward
politicians.
We shall see what we shall see
LET no one think that there Is no
rivalry between local banking
groups and let no one think that
that rivalry wasn't aggravated by
this weeks Council action.
The new city council made short
work Of the matter of filling ap'
pOintive offices and naming COM
mittees for the next two years. The
officers appointed are:
, City Manager-Miles W. Ferebee'
City Auditor--John III. Snowden'
City Tax Collector-George II.
Wood.
, Chief of POlice-LeOn X. Holmes
. Street Commissioned. W.
Anderson.
Sanitary Inspector-W. ]. Sim
mons.
. City Health Officer-Dr. Zenas
2 Fearing.
. City Attorney. Boush Leigh.