Chapter V Bankers Want Double Or Nothing

Well, Josiah Stamp said that so long as a nation will let private corporations create money and control credit, one is foolish not to be a banker. Too, you have heard that there is no better way to learn than by doing. So let's you and I go into the banking business. I don't mean that we shall buy stocks in some bank. We are going to be top dogs or nothing - in this our makebelieve story. There is a little story behind this, decision. We have been trying for years to get a bank on the wrong side of the river. The big uptown banks blocked us year after year because they didn't quite own the earth, and didn't want opposition, I believe it is called competition. Since the big boys control our Banking Commission, the commission sat and patiently listened to our plea for a bank charter, and would always say no. But you and I finally got the charter, and scraped up $200,000, with another $100,000 for surplus, and were soon in the banking business, and I mean the banking business in a big way. When we got our charter, we went to Washington and bought from the Reserve Bank $200,000 U.S. Bonds. Let me add that we organized a South Austin National Bank, which gave us front seat on this master stock exchange. Well that was good business for we had "invested our capital" in the best securities on earth, the promise of Uncle Sam to pay, U.S. Bonds, so it was not long until we were clipping coupons, and handing them over to Uncle Sammy, and he was handing us cash. Within a year we had collected $7,000, but that is chicken feed in our language. Well, you neophytes are wondering where we are going to get any money to lend. We have already lent our capital to Uncle Sam! Uncle Sam is the nicest old fellow you ever saw. When we got the bonds, he smiled and said, "Sonnies, just to show you how much I appreciate my enterprising