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JANUARY 1, 1909
The Commoner.
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CQURR81SIT ATOPICS
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A PITTSBURG millionaire recently paid a
New York "art dealer" $9,500 for a paint
ing upon which had been forged the name of
the Dutch master, Israels. Ordinarily the man
who poses as an art connoisseur is loath to ad
mit that he has been duped, hence the dealer in
bogus paintings is usually safe from punish
ment. But in this caso the victim had no such
compunctions and the dealer was forced to dis
gorge. The transaction, however, served to
bring again to public notice the vast extent of
this form of fraud. In this particular case tho
"art dealer" paid a struggling painter $30 to
paint the picture, then sold it to the Pittsburg
man for nearly $10,000. This is a profit that is
apt to tempt men who have no compunctions of
conscience. A well known art critic in New
York declares that the industry is a thriving
one, and that it is greater in America than else
where. But he says many bogus "masterpieces"
are imported from Europe every year and palmed
off on unsuspecting victims.
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N ASSOCIATED Press dispatch from Phila
delphia, December 23, follows: "W. J.
Bryan -was asked today concerning his attitude
toward another nomination for tho presidency.
He replied: "All I can say about 1912 is that
I hope it will never be necessary for me to run
for office again. I prefer to do my work as a
private citizen. "When asked whether I would
refuse: in advance ever being a candidate again
I have said that I would not promise anybody
not to be a candidate for any office. I will add
one other thing, and that is that I am still in
politics and expect to be for about twenty years,
and .1 shall make it convenient to be present
, whenever a' man or group of men attempt to
, rep.ubjicanize the democratic party. Six million
-.- ; five hundred thousand -voters of thd democracy
endorsed the platform adopted at Denver. I am
satisfied that a great majority of those who voted
the ticket honestly believed in the platform and
I shall co-operate ,with them rather than with
those who would attempt to conciliate the spe
cial interests that, have defeated the democratic
.party and how dominate the country through
,.tno republican party. I have -no regrets over
v, , jtho: r.ecent campaign; everything was done that r
,', we could seq.,at the time should .be done. Of -course,
some things have appeared in a new light
since, but we did all that appeared to us right
to do at the time. I have no regrets about
my course in regard to Colonel Guffey. He con-
spired to defeat the will of tho democratic party
in Pennsylvania, after it had been expressed at
the primaries and I believe in the right of the
people to rule. Any man who deliberately vio
lates that proposition can not be a leader in
any party that deserves to be called the demo
cratic party. We polled 114, 0Q0 more votes in
this state this year than we did four years ago,
when Colonel Guffey represented the Pennsyl
vania democracy on the national ticket and I
think we can get along withput him."
OJ. BONSALL of Rochester, Pa., writing
to the Chicago Public, reveals some fig
ures concerning the banking industry that are
well worthy of careful study. Mr. Bonsall
starts out by making the flat declaration that
no daily newspaper in the land would dare in
form its readers of the statistical facts he sets
forth and which he takes from tho official treas
ury reports. He says: "Take an abridged copy
of the Annual Report of the Comptroller of the
Currency, 1907, and turn, first to pages 42 and
43. Here you find official record of the statisti
cal fact that the ledgers of the 23,937 banks of
the United States show 'individual deposits' to
the amount 6f $13,654,535,348. Next turn to
page 49. There we find the total amount of all
kinds of money held by the 19,746 reporting
banks to be: $1,113,742,316. Add to this the
probable amount of money held by the 4,191
non-reporting banks, based upon comparison
' as to 'deposits;1 'viz: $45,000,000, and we have
' $1,158, 742, 31'6 of money in the. vaults of the
Baid 23,937 banks. But there "is included in
1 this table, -$48-,225,00G of 'gold -treasury certifi
cates to order' find 'clearing liouse certificates'
to the amount of $79,318;000, none of- which .
ZUn, beI1V0', bQ available for the payment
of ordinary checks on individual deposits. Dc-
9?Cog ,thcse items' thore would remain in tho
rf, 937 banks, tho sum of $1,031,199,316 of
available cash with which to meet and satisfy
deposits to the amount of $13,654,535,348, prac
tically all subject to sight check. So, if all
depositors were to check in full, and tho money
divided pro rata, they would each get about 7 V.
cents on the dollar. Next, wo turn to page 31
and find that the loans of the 19,746 reporting
im ln -i907 aSSregated $10,763,900,000,
while the indicated amount of loans of the 4,191
S"reportIng banks would bo, say $560,100,
000; making the aggregate loans of the 23,937
banks of tho country tho enormous sum of $11,
324,000,000. Next, wo turn to page 31 and find
that tho paid up capital or investment of tho
19,746 banks is $1,690,800,000. Adding the
indicated capital of tho 4,191 non-reporting
banks, say $55,000,000, we have, as the aggre
gate capital of tho 23,937 banks tho sum of
$1,745,800,000. Now, under tho extraordinary
privileges granted the banking fraternity by
congress and the various legislatures, whereby
tho banks are permitted to loan, reloan and re-re-loan
the same money over and over again, as
it is deposited, redeposited and re-redeposited,
over and over again, they are actually drawing
interest at an average rate of at least 6 per
cent per annum on $9,578,200,000 more than,
their total capital; or in other words, their total
Investment. This would equal 38 per cent
per annum on their actual investment."
npHE NEW YORK Evening Post is inclined to
X' sarcasm in discussing President Roose
velt's last annual message to congress. Turn
ing to Milton' it finds and prints this quotation
'as its comment on the mesage:
"For who would lose,
Though full of pain, this Intellectual being,
Those thoughts that wander through eternity
t
Then," ho ting a British comment or two, it says:
"The difference between American and British
journalists was never mdrB ' clearly illustrated
than by the" London Daily Graphic's characteriz
ation of President Roosevelt's message
as a 'beautiful dream To the fraternity
on this side of tho water its length
alone makes it a terrible nightmare, to
say nothing of its contents. Since the British
have admittedly no sense of humor, we can see
in the Graphic's comment only an Idealism purer
than our own. We must, however, still claim
superiority fpr our American editors along cer
tain lines. There is the Standard, for instance,
which has only just discovered that Mr, Roose
velt makes use of copybook maxims with lavish
prodigality, and the Daily Mail, which is but
now aware, seven years after the fact, that Mr.
Roosevelt's greatest achievement is the discov
ery of the Depalogue. The Chronicle,, too, is far
behind the times, for it has just perceived that
Mr. Roosevelt 'balances and qualifies.' Its edi
tor thus confesses that this is the first Roose
veltian utterance he has read. For there exists
not one which does not reek with 'on the one
hand' and 'on the other;' 'from one point of
view' but 'there is another side.' Whereas
'there are bad trusts, there are also good
trusts,' good and bad laboring men, and practi
cal men who are good when they contrib
ute to the republican treasury, and bad when
they do not."
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Ssofe
r'n ,mu;ortaIIty of tho soul, and a futuro
nHn.: r,8tntGmontB bc,n Btistuinod by cortalu
iotteis and documents found among hist impore.
a S ,CJlUrclV 1ron,i!Il"S I" that connection
?nlii w8, Jo,,n Qu,ncy Ad:un8 Wfls a Unl
with nl r most of h,H 1,f0 wa connected
with the same congregation which boro on its
rolls tho name of hl father. For tho greater
Smif i hl8 ",f0V 0norftl Jack80 hft(1 no r&uu
affiliation whatever, but In tho ovoning of his
days, and mainly through the infiuonco of Mrs.
Jackaon, ho attended tho ProHhyterian church,
and after her death becamo in fact as well a
form n member. On his eatatc ho built a Pres
byterian church and spent much money in con
tributing to its support."
A CCORDING TO this same writer: "Martin
i , , Buren WftH not a member of any
church, but was a regular attendant on.tio ser
vices of tho Dutch Reformed church near his
homo in Klnderhook, N. Y. William Henry Har
rison was a communicant and for a tlmo a ves
tryman in the Episcopal church. For a' 'long
time after his death his pew in Chrlat church,
Cleveland, Ohio, boro tho ullvcr pnto Indicating
its ownership. In hla inaugural address, ho
made what he called 'a confession of faith,'
testifying to his religious boiler. Tyler, like
Harrson, was an Episcopalian, and personally
a very devout man. Polk was not a; member
of any religious denomination, though In defer
ence to Mrs. Polk, ho generally attended the
services of tho Presbyterian church. During his
last illness he was baptized by a Methndist
clergyman, a friend and neighbor, and formally
received as a member of tho Methodist church.
President Taylor was a regular attendant on the
services of the Episcopal church, and although
tho testimony is somewhat conflicting, it seems
probable that ho was a member. Millard Fill
more was a Unitarian, born and raised in a fam
ily belonging to that denomination. President
Pierce was a Trinitarian Congrcgatlonallst, and
his religion Is described as 'more of tho head
than of the heart.' Buchanan was a very accept
able member of tho Presbyterian church. Presi
dent Lincoln, although described by his biog
raphers as a man of deep religious convictions,
was not a member of any denomination, al
though he often attended tho Presbyterian
church. Andrew Johnson was not tc church
member, although during his residence In Ton
nesseo he generally attended tho Methodist
church. General Grant never connected himself
with any church; though when ho attended ser
vices at all, it was generally those of the Meth
odists. It is said that shortly boforo his death
he becamo a member. Hayes was for many
years a member of tho Methodist church. 'Gar
field was the only president who ever officiated as
a preacher and pastor. After leaving the pulpit
for the platform ho remained a member of the
Disciples of Christ. President Arthur was
prominently connected with one of the leading
Episcopal churches of New York City, Presi
dent Cleveland was a regular attendant and, in
his later years, it Is said, a member, of tho
Presbyterian church. President Harrison was
a Presbyterian and for many years an elder of
a church in Indianapolis. President McKinley
was a Methodist. President Roosevelt is a mem
ber of the Dutch Reformed church. President'
elect Taft Is a Unitarian."
THE CREEDS of the presidents seem just now
to be of public Interest. On this point a
writer in the Christian Advocate (St. Louis)
says: "Washington was an Episcopalian, and
one of his biographers says he was a communi
cant, while another declares that although ho
was a regular attendant on the services of that
church, he was no more than an adherent and
sympathizer. John Adams was a Unitarian,
having been "brought up in that faith and adher
ing to it all his life. Thomas Jefferson was kre
nPfifpdlv charged with being a t red-thinker; some
even said an atheist of thef. French school,' but ,,'v
after his death his friends and family assented ., ,,
that he was a believer in God and divine revela-
LO VE
Love Is jealous of command,
Richly clothed and fine.
Love Is just a little hand
Tightly clasped in mine.
Love's an ache, a stab, a smart,
Or a balm divine.
Love's a little tender heart,
And that heart is mine.
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Love w,alks wondrously' complete,.
. With jewels all oshine.
'.Love's -aCJ'tttle pair of feet,- . - u
. Keeping ,pace with mine, i V
. London Chronicle.
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