The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
VVESTE414UNA UNION
Form 260
WESTERN UNION
PGE W. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
tECE...
No.
TEL-
AM
NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
BELVIDERE BROOKS. VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
SEND the following Telegram, subject to the terms
New York,
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
October 26,1914
JAMES FREEMAN CURTIS'
STATE STREET
'BOSTON
MASS
CAN YOU RUN OVER TONIGHT FOR CONFERENCE WITH YE TOMORROW
AT TWENTYSEVEN PINE STREET
REPLY
BENJAMIN STRONG
Charge Federal Reserve Bank
41111%h'
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKENBY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating office
/For this, one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram,
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of anyREPEATED telegram, beyom.
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its line:
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, of t
gram, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby vo-a greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paidor agreed t.
4u
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof. '
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary
reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in othet
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at hi
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram is sent t
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the telegram is filed with the Company for transmission.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
IN
NEWCOMO CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received subject to
express understanding that the Company only undertakes delivery of
the same on the day of their date subject to condition that sufficient
time remains for such transmission and delivery during regular office
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular telegrams.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning of the next
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night telegram
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be charged,
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or
less.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not perMail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
missible.
ESTE41,x UNION
if
Form 260
WESTERN UNION
W. E. ATKINS. VICE-PRESIDENT
TEL
_
.1..ti*:,irW
AM
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
ER'S No.
WV
D the following Telegram, subject to the terms
m back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
October 299
1914.
74L6i,...4"j. F. Curtis,
Boston, ilass.
Mr. Jay and I are greatly distresoed by your telagram. If your decision
is final of course w, cannot hope to dhance it On the other hand the
sugcsstion has be
n received so cordially by all
directors and the future
seems to me to oon'ain so many at'rebtive possibilities that I still hope
you may be willing to reconsider your decision. If you feel willing to
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO T E FOLLOWING 'L
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating office fo.
For this, one-half the unrepeatecl telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEC
PAID FOR AS SUCII, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, 1.
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines;
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, o'
gram, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby VZ..i
a greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paidor agreed to be
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such of.
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent'
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of...its transmitting offices; and if a telegram
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after
gram is filed with the Company for transmission.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received subject to
express understanding that the Company only undertakes delivery of
the same on the day of their date subject to condition that sufficient
time remains for such transmission and delivery during regular office
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular telegrams.
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next e'nsuing
NIGHT LETTERS
business day.
DAY LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning of the next
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night telegram
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates,
as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be charged
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
less. Must be written in plain English. Code language 'not perto the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
missible. Mail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Allif ESE
T
klISENA
UNION
Form 260
WESTERN UNION
CO.
V. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
No.
TEL
WNW
-
AM
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
LRECEIVER'S
SEND the following Telegram, snbject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
2
October 29, 1914.
disclose the reasons for your decision possibly we can assist in ahanging it.
Benjamin Strong, Jr.
.
'
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWIN
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating o
For this, one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEG.
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, be
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of anyREPEATED telegram, beyonflt
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its
s;
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-deliver;gram, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby Nurn
a greater value is stated in ,writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or agreed to be paid bast
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary to
reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in other
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at his
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram is sem
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company, will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the tv,.
gram is filed with the Company for transmission.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANN
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
-
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS.
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
nitial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received subject tc
express understanding that the Company only undertakes delivery oi
the same on the day of their date subject to condition that sufficieni
time remains for such transmission and delivery during regular offic(
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular telegrams
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning of the next
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night telegram
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be charged
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or
less.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not per.
Mail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
missible.
W ESTE
UNION
0.4cif
TE L I AM
p.
Form 260
WESTERN UNION
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
New York, October 30,1914.
SEND the following Telegram, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
jAVES F
53 M'ANE STREET
BO5TON rASS
rR STRONG AND I SHOULD BE GLAD TO SE YOU HERE TEN ()CLOCK
liONDAY TORNINC TO JISCUSS FURTHER *WHETHER TVERE IS NOT SOME
BASIS ON WHICH WE CAN GET TOGETHER
PLEASE WIRE WHETHER THIS WILL BE CONVENIENT
PIERRE JAY
CHARGE
Fedaral Reserve Bank.
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT To THE FOLLOWIN
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating
For this, one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegra.
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyw
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its 111
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, of t
gram, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby valued,
a greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or agreed to be paid
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessai_
reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in oth
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram is sent t,
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the telegram is filed with the Company for transmission.
11
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMO CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received subject to
express understanding that the Company only undertakes delivery of
the same on the day of their date subject to condition that sufficient
time remains for such transmission and delivery during regular ,Jfice
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular telegrams.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning of the next
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night telegram
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be charged
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or
less. Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible. Mail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
October 30,1914.
James
r. Curtis, 3Sq,
57' Chestnut
Beston, VAes,
Dr r. Curtis,
sent you the following telegram to
your °Price this nIorninz, after reading your
r,,,pitly not
r. Lron, rfich
letter
roaaed you Lire;
Mrong and I should /AO glad to
see you here Len oclocit Yonday
Lornine to discuss further whether
thei-e is not some tmais on which
we can g-t together Please vire
,v1vi,th6r this will be convenient"
I aia,
Roping to have the pleasure of seeing you,
Sinoxrely ycurs,
WESTEasm UNION
Form 260
WESTERN UNION
E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
No.
TEL
AM
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
he following Telegram, subject to the terms
ck hereof, which are hereby agreed to
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
NEW.YORK
OCTOBER 31,1914
JAYES F CURTIS
53 CHESTNUT STREET
BOSTON 'ASS
REGRET EXTREYELY INCONVENIENCING YOU BUT TIVE VERY SHORT
AND THINK VATTER COULD BE DISCUSSED 'FAR BETTER AT
CONFERENCE THAN BY TELEPHONE
PIERRE JAY
Charge '?ederal Reserve Bank
ir
- 1111111.1111111111
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWIN.
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating of&
For this, one-half the unrepeated telegram tate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TE.
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegran
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of anyREPEATED telegram, beyc
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delive
gram, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby
a greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum per 'or agreed to
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when
reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his age,
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegrt
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days a
gram is filed with the Company for transmission.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH C,
INCORPORATED
NEINCOMO CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission\ of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received
express understanding that the Company only undertakes
the same on the day of their date subject to condition tilt
time remains for such transmission and delivery during re
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard nig
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of suc
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional
less. Must be written in plain English. Code langua4
missible. Mail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
November 4, 1914.
James F. Curtis, Esq.,
--- 55 -State [5trect,
Boeton, Mass.
Dear Xr. Curtis,
Enclosed find confirmetionof telegram whidh it has
afferJed Mr. Jay an me the utmost gratification to send to you today.
Th19 letter is to convey to you a few worls of apprecia-
tion, that you have been wining to make a considerable sacrifice in
tic to enter into
your personal affairs In order to accept our invitayoon
tale new Tertnership. I am hopeful, in fact confident of the outcome,
and look forva,A eagerly to seeing you here with us. If it is possible
fof' you to name over this week there is quite an accumulation of
matertal araitine; you, besides that, there are nany matters in vtIch
your counsel and advice would be of great value to us, as we co along,
in connection with the business of the bank.
We both realize that the aucrifice is not only yorTr,
but Ex's. Curtis as well, and I hope you will convey to her our ex-
pressions of appreciation which are very hearty aadsincere*
,th cordial regards,
Sincerely yours,
5*.
Eric-
NEW YORK BOOKING OFFICE
THE RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL
46T.` STREET AND MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK
4
uuft,
fflIIHIIH
(-06_
uauft
attrilf IrJt fax
ROOMS FOR THE HOMESTEAD HOTEL
c.....aagano
411-0*
_
'
r
999999p.4.19[f
MAY ALSO BE RESERVED AT
9,
THE RITZ-CARLTON, PHILADELPHIA
THE RITZ-CARLTON,
MONTREAL
BATH HOUSE IS UNDER THE
H. ALBERT
RESIDENT MANAGER
DIRECTION OF
EP? FRANK HOPKINS, MEDICAL DIRECTOR
OPEN ALL THE YEAR
42/, 31st March, 1915.
J. F. Curtis,
06/o. Federal Reserve Bank,
2, Cedar Street,
New York City.
Mr.
Dear Mr. Curtis:
Thank you for your letter of the 29th and telegram of
to-day.
I understand from your telegram that McDougall wants
to send immediate notice that the collection system may be inaugurated at once, this leaving to each bank the decision as to the
date when actual clearing will commence.
I see no objection to
this whatever, as I telegraphed to you to-day, copy of my wire
enclosed.
I was out all the afternoon, so did not get your wire
until too late to answer by day message.
If, on receipt of this letter, the members of the Board
and you and Mr. jay feel it will be desirable to send the circulars
out at once, please do not awalt my return, as I see no reason for
delaying matters tow that all concur.
The changes suggested by
the Federal Reserve Board strike me as being pretty good, although
I think they should approve the plan affirmatively rather than
31st March, 1915.
Mr. J. F. Curtis, #2.
authorize it in the language which Delano uses in his letter.
About the Controller's report,
I
suggest that Mt. jay
might send him a telegram enquiring if it would be satisfactory
for 41m*to send a competent clerk and stenographer to his office
to take notes from the examinations of member banks of our district not covered by those examiner$reports which will be in Mr.
Stareks hands.
I-have also urged that Mt. Delano be notified
that we believe that the settlement fund will shortly become an
important factor in the whole clearance arrangement and the
details in our opinion should be worked out at once.
As I recaIL
Mr. McKay and Mr. Hendricks would prepare the time schedule to be
used on checks drawn on reserve banks.
All of our members should
be advised of that schedule and before any notice is actually sent
Pit
out to the member banks, the plan and detail together with the
time schedule should be submitted to the clearing house Committee
at New York for their action.
They will undoubtedly approve the
scheme, but, as a matter of courtesy, should be given opportunity
to examine it.
It also seems to me desirable that
6040-
xr
Aiken and
Ifo-rocez
Rhodes agree to make some arrangement etbeN4 receiving cnecks on
Philadelphia and Boston on some basis which will give our member
banks some offset.
I am not quite clear how this can be worked
out, unless we also receive checks drawn on the Federal Reserve
Banks of Boston an,' Philadelphia for immediate credit at par.
I hope the above answers the enquiries contained in your
letter and telegram.
Do not hesitate to go ahead with the plan
Mr. J. F. Curtis, #3.
31st March, 1915.
if you all agree that that is the thing to do.
The first part of this week I had little inclination
for any work and have allowed all of my mall to accumulate so
it will only beat me home by a day or two.
I am really getting
in a lot of exercise and fresh air and it has done me a lot of
good.
With best regards to all the boys at the office.
Very truly yours,
ALING DAFT.
AO;
ORAL IIIIINVE nANK
April 17,
1915.
My dnar Curtima
Thanks for your note of the 16th.
I am glad the weather is giving you a show, also,
that you had opeortunity to visit around a bit with our 7.ashington friends.
I am enclosing a spare copy
of Lir.
John G. Johnsonts
opinion in regard to National banks exercising the functions of
trustee, etc.
Our meeting really developed nothing but various expressions of views,
I think the
concensus was that state institu-
tions should be afforded no particular facility or privilege not
accorded to National banks.
There seemed to be no
objection in the minds of a _number of those present
very strong
to the privi-
lege of withdrawal; on the other hand, they almost WIthout exception, thought that
the
examinations should be by the Comptroller's staff
or the staff of the Federal Reserve Borrd.
It was arranged
that each
of those in attendance would write us a letter on specific points to be
sug ested by us, and Mir. Jey and I have sent
points we d-sire expressions of views.
It
a letter
will
indicating on -what
be interesting to read
the replies.
Nothing new yet on
the
clearance matter, as .iggin was
ill yesterday, and he is not willing to cive unqualified approval to
the plan.
kat
zu.
elt
44a,
447
AZ
'11.
-2To
April 17, 1915.
J. F, Curtis, Esq.
Have you bean able to discOver whether Mr. Brandeis
was retained by the Department of Juotice or by the Comptroller?
That question seems to be looming up here as the latest ground for
criticism..
The "Rigg's disease", as I recall it, has the effect
of making the eyes protrude.
It certainly hns hqd that effect in
this case.
Please give Mt. Curtis my best regards, and the sane
to your good self.
Sincerely yours,
dr
J. F. GUrtiS, ESQ.,
Zietropolitan Club,
Washington, D. C.
BS Jr/VCM-1
Aug. 11, 1915.
My dear Counselor:
-\
Please accept this as a belated but nevertheless very hearty ex-
at4
pression of my appreciation of your hospitality, and will you not also pay
my respects to your mother and sisters and tell them I enjoyed my brief
visit with them very much indeed?
There was not a great deal of news at the office until yesterday,
which developed a number of interesting matters.
Federal Reserve Board on
The proposed action by the
the French transaction - in other words,
the ruling
as to revolving credits - did not come forward, but Harding turned up here
the
day before yesterday having been summoned by Secretary McAdoo to a meeting at
New York.
The Secretary was very insistent about the necessity for an immedi-
ate ruling and, as
the
result of a brief meeting I had with him and with
the
Harding Monday noon, a special meeting of
ed to be held at this office yesterday.
with the exception of McAdoo and Delano.
Federal Reserve Board was call-
They were all here,including Willis,
It took all day to have action but,
finally, the enclosed letter was agreed upon and is to be finally signed and
sent to me at once from
ashington.
I shall be glad to have your observations;
in fact, I missed your counsel in this matter very Etch
me to draft
the letter, which I did without the
as Mr. Harding wanted
benefit of your skill in the
use of Language.
I am sorry to say that two members of the Board were-eternly and
positively opposed to this action and one of them undertook to introduce every
objection that could be raised, technical and otherwise.
Finally the letter
;0.
James F. Curtis, Esq.
8/11/15.
from ' ashington and
was delivered to me in this form in advance of final advice
I was authorized to read it to Mr. Brown, which I have done.
I
advised Mr.
eligibility and I
have ver-
bally notified the Board that, having now disposed of the question of
the right
Brown that this does not dispose of the question of
of a member bank to accept renewal drafts, I
hitch
was proposing
to take a fresh
and go to the mat with them on the question of eligibility.
to have
We have got
the question settled and Governor Hamlin is disnosed to call a special
meeting of the Board'to be held in ' a hington when Secretary McAdoo returns'
and have the matter out.
I don't want to
bring matters
to this
crisis, however,
until we are more fully prepared. e should have a careful and conservative
brief covering the law on this point and I think we should make sure that Mr.
Cotton entertains the same view that we do on this subject of eligibility.
Lest you may think me very
careless in money matters, I write noN to
11:0-4
remind you that I owe you some money,
which will
advise -le of the amount.
I hope you
have a bully holiday.
Very sincerely,
James F. Curtis, Esq.,
0/6 Mrs. G. S. Curtis,
Manchester, Mass.
BSJr/PE
:Inc.
be promptly paid whenever you
November 15th, 1915.
Dear Ur. Curtis:
I hope that you will
be able to take
dinner at my apartment, 903 Park Lvenue at 7:30
on Monday next, the ;Lth inst., as I am Anxious
to have opoortunity for informally discussing
some of the work of the bank at an early date.
Hoping that it will
be possible for
you to be there, I beg to remain,
Very truly yours,
;Tames P. Curtis,
hesorvo
York City.
BS Jr/VCM 4
The above letter sent to all of the Lifectors of
the Bank, except Messrs. Peabody, Treman and Locke to whom
telePTams were sent.
Ritz
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS
,
L on don,
MI,OTEL-PICC,WW".
February 12th, 1916
My dear Counsellor:
Here we are comfortably established
in the Ritz after a fair and uneventful
There was a good deal of delay in
voyage.
getting off the vessel, as is usual and
necessary, but we finally reached London at.
two o'clock this morning.
So far nothing has transpired worth
writing about but I shall write you and Er.
Jay fully in the course of a few days. In
the mean time please convey my kindest regards
,
r
to Mrs. Curtiss and tell her that I propose
to inflict her with a letter at the first
opportunity.
My best regards to all at the office.
Sincerely yours,
Paris, France--Hotel Ritz
February 28th, 1916.
Dear Mr. Curtis:
Thank you for yours of February 11th and the enclosure
which accompanied it. The proposed amendment strikes me favorably.
I really did not feel that as a condition of exercise of proposed/powers
it should be necessary for a National Bank to make application t6 the
Federal Reserve Board and receive its assent unless the application
refers to the establishment of branches. A National Bank does not
apply to the Comptroller, or to the Federal Reserve Board for
permission to invest its money in one of the various ways in which it
Is authorized by law to make investments, and this is simply another
kind of investment in addition to those already authorized.
I have just completed reading a copy of the Board's
annual report sent me by Er. Jay. It struck me as being rather
colorless, harmless, and just a trifle boastful. Thatpportion relating
to foreign credits was particularly weak and it seemed to me that the
Board would have done
better to have left out all
reference to the
On the other hand, the Board has done very much better work
than is brought out in the text of this report. In other words. I do
not think they have put their best foot forward--nor could it be
expected with seven different minds working on the outcome. Notice
the ambiguity in the language of the amendment recommended in regard
matter.
estate loans. It is impossible to say whether the limitation
they propose shall be increased if the percentage of time deposits
allowed is greater than the percentage of capital allowed.
I have seen a good deal of Captains Logan, Symington
and some of the other fellows from the Embassy. I have also see considerable of Paris and spent a lot of time with the bankers here. Shall
not write particulars until on my way home.
I am sorry to say that I
reached Paris without your sister's address and without means of getting
it until I happened to meet Yr. Sturgis the day before yesterday and he
gave it to me. I am loaded up with engagements for the rest of the
week and expect to leave here early Saturday morning. Therefore, fear
that T shall be obliged to leave without carrying out the plan of
having a little party while we are all here. My travelling companion,
Yr. Harris, left me Saturday but Symington arrived from London that
night and has taken his room so we are keeping house together.
Garrison's resignation seems to have been quite a bombsheil over here, and I should certainly regard him as a great loss to
My best to all at the office,
the administration.
to real
Sincerely yours,
March 14th, 1916.
My dear Judge:
Your very nice letter of February 28th has just
reached me, and I was very glad to get the review of politics
at home.
Senator Root's speech has been reprinted and
circulated in pamphlet form over here and, of course, as you
will realize, has made a great impression. There seems to be
some uncertainty, however, as to whether it will have the
effect off strengthening his hand in dealing with Germany, or
on the other hand, of convincing him that the country is
behind him in his nresent course in dealing with Germany --in other words, it may not effect a continuance of correspondence and an indefinite postponement of any more aggressive
course.
I am not particularly enthusiastic over the
appointment of the Secretary of Jar as announced in the papers
The man ap.pointed is only slightly known to me,
over here.
and I never had a very high opinion of his ability. I understand that Secretary Garrison is to help him in the department
for a while, now that we are undertaking a punitive expedition
into Mexico.
Have written Mr. Jay, today, in regard to various
matters but omitted to say in my letter to him that if I stay
longer (say until April first) I honed Hamlin would be willing
to defer action in the clearing matter until my return, as I
have made some investigation as to how checks are handled both
here and in France, and would like to explain their system a
Lit before we undertake the delrelopment of our own. It is hard
to give an account of how time is occupied here--possibly it
can be expressed by saying that the best understanding one can
get of the situation here is to live in the atmosphere and
absorb it--that I am doing every day and every night.
Please give my best regards to Mrs. Curtis and let
me say again, if you fellows are not honest with me about cabling
my return, its your on fault if you have to do more than your
share of the work.
With best regards,
Sincerely yours,
J. f. Curtis, Esq.,
62 Cedar Street,
New York City.
Misc-37
Office Correspondence
Date
June 27, 1916.
Subject:_rersonal-- Matter 8 .
Mr. Curtis
From
FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK OF NEW YORK
irStrrrn-g,
I am delivering to you a tin box which should be
locked up in the vault, and wit, it, a key rhici, I went to
leave in your custody.
The contents of this box consist partly of jewelry,
partly of papers which I want to preserve and partly of some
worthless stock certificates.
Also, the following, in con-
nection with which I am going ts ask you to give me a little
assistance:
Envelope marked No. 1 contains war currency
forming the beginning of my collection of emergency currency
issues, additions to which I will send you from time to time
and ask you to put them in the envelope.
Bankers Trust Company certificate of deposits
No. D 2105 and Palisades Trust and Guaranty savings book No.5869.
These I am assigning for transfer to Li's. Strong.
When :rs.
Ac
Laren has secured a new certificate of deposit in place of the
Bankers certificate and when I have signed a check covering the
balance in the ealisades Trust account, will you be good enough
to send these to the Astor Trust Company with instructions that
they are to be placed with Mrs. Strong's securities!
2 pass books of the Seaman's Savings Bank and
2 of the Palisades Trust and Guaranty Co., which can be handed
to 'rs. McLaren to be lodged with the Bankers Trust Company with
securities which they hold for my account.
fice Correspondence
FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK OF NEW YORK
DateTune 27, 1916.
Subject:
To
Parsonal_Mattprs.
Mr. Strong.
From
A bundle of stock certificates which are more
or less
moribund but which I want
with a
Bankerm Trust Company
ceipt for
same, which
deliver to the
Ihrs. McLaren t
suitable list, taking their re-
should be put in
the tin box.
Four certificates of stock in various clubs of
These, 1 am arranging to dit:pose of and
which I ar a member.
for
that purpose have executed all
of them in blank.
From time
to time I may write you about delivering these as they are sold.
In
addition to these certificates,
there are
tificates of stock in the Greenwich Country Club and a
some cercertificate
of stock in a club called "The Links", which are still to be delivered, and which
can be added to
this bundle vhenever
Another life insurance
hand you, which flould
the
the
the others.
various insurance policies which
contained
insurance register
have made a note in
I failed to
be dealt with in the tame way tv;
A bundle of
described'in
policy which
received.
insurance register of
are
in the tin box.
1
what disposition
to make of each of theme policies, except the fire insurance.
As
to this, I would like to have $15,000 covering furniture at
903 Park Avenue
transferred
to cover
furniture, silverware and
all other household effects, clothing, etc., in whatever warehouse
my housekeeper, Miss A. C. Andrews
practically the contents of the
may store them.
apartment at 903
This includes
Park Avenue.
iiffice Correspondence
To
FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK OF NEW YORK
Date
Mr. Curtis
____Mr.
From
.
Subject:
J1
27. 1916-
Personal Matter
Strong.
3
All the other policies listed on
page 7, which are
still in force should be transferred to .ra. Strong except
$10,000 of the t21,000 covered by the Westchester Fire policy
which, I believe, covers furniture at
Greenwich, part
has been moved and is now held in the
apartment in New York. In
of
which
other words, I would like to have from 120,000 to t25,000 of
insurance on my things that are in torage and all of the balance
should be transferreC to Mrs. Strong e.nd made to cover the prop-
erty in the Greenwich cottage.
OF
In case this cannot be worked
out promptly and easily, do not hesitate to write me about it
When the insurance is
ani, if necessary, send the policies.
all straightened out, my insurance register should be written
up and Mrs. EcLaren knows how to do that.
When my will is executed, can I trouble you to lodge
that with the Bankers Trust Company to be held with my securities?
BS Jr/VCM
Estes Park, Colo., July 20, 1916.
Mr. James C. Curtis,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Nassau & Pine Sts,,
Dew York City.
Dear Judge:
(1
You undoubtedly have understood whylIour
letters
of July 6th & 13th were not answered more promptly.
I
have had more correspondence that I was al44 to handle
and am now catching up very gradual_17T-ilaiing organized
a little office up here, which is a-g-Teat-ek
or't).
I judge by the newspap iit you wo
he ci ar,
but if so, it was only by ack.
am unable to de ermine
whether you won it in geed\ rder
t1J. reports reach me as
to the way in Which the enl
Iransit Department is working.
In the matter of_smoke
am limitted to one cigar
after each meal; I/ean__thalso 1\ ast about an hour.
Cigarettes and aloohol/Vdo
no
)08,,
particle.
/
,
4
I am tre
duously qn-hused at what you say about
Brother Starek.
e whole/ istory of the past two years'
work is 9.1a
ed b
at
liar (potation, which I cannot
quote
v2tely, 11ut s-rbughly to the effect that "The
Mills 6- the Gods grind slowly, but exceedingly fine".
As I rto Trema
the 3% bond matter is now safely fixed
up so
is a case of closing the
door a
r the /1 se has departed.
AcDougal held us up
lone onb
jahka us miss the market.
r as I oi gather, but it
Thank you for the ::linutes of the Governor's Conference.
Judging from the statement published in the
Sunday papers, which I have just received, we took some
of Fisher's City notes no doubt after he had made the
rate satisfactory. With forty millions invested at 2i%
we will come pretty close to earning a substantial dividend, but I hope we don't pay it yet.
I hope nothing serious has developed in regard to
the baby. Any illness now naturally gives one a chill
on account of the epidemic. Don't forget that the wisest
precaution is absolute cleanliness.
If I were you I would
bathe, disinfect and change my clothes every day before
coming in contact with the children after returning from
business.
2.
I had a bully visit with P. J. in Denver.
He ar-
rived with a Harem; I think there were eight ladies in the
party but he did not bring them up to see me. I am delighted that he is away safely and for a long rest.
Thank you for attending to various tag ends and
details left for your kind attention. The Fire Insurance
is not important particularly as my housekeAper,
Andrews, is laid up in the hospital after 44 operation for
appendicitus and none of my things have yetlgone to storage.
I am confident the next month or so will bOrbusy times for
you and hate to impose on you, partiolllarli,iduring the hot
Charley Dorton wrote me all-cwaL-1101v Emery; iG is
weather.
,,Tod news for him and for his friands.
I am particuwill help him over his partica
larly anxious to hear how :214, n g t along a ' how the
Transit business moves. h"aotIp,Jof the Olean Bank will
ago agreed, bu I hate
be fruitless, as you and INh
r
some
ragged legal opinions.
to see it made the opportun
r
to
dashington
and dope someCan't you spare a day-to--
et.0 e Board to submit it to the
thing out with Ellipttexpression of his views?
fic
Attorney General f6r an u
would nee,' no more than tat as an action at law, designed to restrain th plan, wy d at once force the Attorney
I am writing Treman
General tonAvo An opiniope ormally.
rega,rdipCveetious-matbera and won't enlarge on this
here. (//
he trip t did use me up a good deal. I was in
bed mck of the,t n days spent in Denver and a part of the
time f
nrett'bad. In order that you may get an accuof local opinion qbout my condition, I quote
rate im6sas
"You are now in unfrom Dr. :,ewall's letter just received:
stable biological equilibrium and a mistake in
method
could easily turn your internal affairs into a panic. With
the use of extraordinarj common sense and a child like joy
In what is, I am confident that your present environment
will see a gradual return to robust health, with mental
letter is pretty
conservative,
Hi_ whole
reservatigns."
based upon a new batch of X-ray pictures and pathological
examinations, with the result that I am tremenduously re-
stricted in taking any exercise.
I do not walk more than
300 or 400 yards a day.
About your invitation of Ally 13th, it gives me great
pleasure indeed to accept election as a charter member of the
"; the last word in the title Is so blotted
"New York
In your letter that I did not date quote it. It is a shame
that I cannot take active part in your dinners and deliberations at the outset, particularly as the company looks very
good to me. seriously, I feel very much honored that you
fellows should have taken me into the crowd when I am a
misanthropic, exiled invalid, but I consider it another incontive to get well and to get back home where I belong.
The last part of your letter of July 6th gave me more
pleasure thaa I can express, not being myself very good
at expressioas of that character. Looking back over the
last two years, I realize that a very warm4riendship has
strengthened into a definite abiding affecion, and I am
frank to sty that I miss you very much inde d. A letter
now and thna will help a lot and I am cowit.ng on hearing
from you al regularly as the spirit voJTU..
Peso give my love to La.s, and m
to yoursOf.
//'
aithf
y yours,
ery best
Estes Park, Colo., July 26, 1916.
Mr. J. F. Curtis,
Federal Reserve Bank,
liew York City, i. Y.
My dear Counselor:
I am just in receipt of the office
Oimorandum of
July 20th which gives me a splendid idea Of' what is happening
you and Mr.
at the office. The impression I get from atfar
from being
Hendricks say about the collection matter ii
unsatisfactory. 1:r. Leyford needa:36-have is comb cut,
but I ai inclined to think that the prOtbz- 4.s more bluff
encoura 7 thing is
than anything else. To me the,
the moderate float which Mr/,énd44ks repor at 000,TDO
e amount payable through
which, of course, is exelut
Janzel makes a full rethe Bow York Clearing HouSe
lined to think that they
port on his department.
should have additional-41p tn the Discount Department so
that they will ha>ecrae-ri-, °ken,
comes along in to/fall
for any extra work that
ôi in rest rates are higher.
ceived shows commissions
he 6 months, which would justify
a
our strenttaning\kaI_Dep rtment. Would you mind telling
nt just
The stat
earned of over
000 fo,
Mr. Higolns that la.m_go ng to take a few days to go through
the cirtular on the analysis of depositors accounts, and
will W ite him O)out it probably inside of a week.
1
ferr ;/to Mr. bailer's comments on the government
you think it would do to inquire of :JcAdoo
or Dalburli-litst what the policy will probably be in regard
to the amount of our balance. It sometimes is a good thing
to know just what we can count on.
These weekly reports, connected with the statement,
are just exactly what I wanted and I hope it is not proving
account,
too much bother to have them -prepared.
There are some new items in our statement that
don't quite understand and would appreciate a line from Jefferson about them. On the side of desources they are the
following, as of July 20th: Uncollected iteMs, 0_1,630,672.79.
Deferred Debits, y13,360,662.70. Transit Account, ' 49,309.59.
On the Liabilities side: Uncollected Deposits, 0_1,630,672.79.
I am simply curious to see how the bookkeeping covering the new
method of handling collections is being worked out.
2.
I am doing
long
and believe
practically nothing except loafing all day
I an getting accustomed to it.
There is no news from here whatever.
Please give ml best to all at the o ice.
Sincerely yours
Estes Park, Colo., July 28, 1916.
IP. J. P. Curtis,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Dew York City, 11. Y.
My dear Judge:
have not written you for come days,
a matter of fact, there is mighty little news).
principally devoted to loafing, with about ani
to mail every morning. While I am not able'tp
exercise at all worth speaking of, I have.,-nejo
hill to the village twice, which indiaiItes-f4
The weather here continues delightfA and I
much pleased with the place as,erior.
It seems necessary to\oub
IOU
E
d, as
time is
our devoted
get any
iated the
progress.
ust as
with a little
commission, which I insist sha,
onestly performed.
I brought with me some aigrs, çvhich
I am permitted to
smoe three a day. ;J
for me by the Stearn
Company, 3i5 Wall St,r t; th are\ rona Cabinet selections,
crop of 1913, and 4,4. Stearn 11 'hndoubtedly recall the
order. Could I tr9ible you oJ stop in at his place, see if
he has some of the me toba o, or something substantially
the same,/a0a-ask h Nizo_garip( 250 of them to me, with the
bill. Wmiett tel
furtheri ders to him direct. they are all right I will send
ust oo1eted sketching out
a Memorandum for
the Rose
BoarA, on the subject of appointing the Bank of
England Oitr_porxebpondent, and am sending it tomorrow to
Treman, with a few comments. The memorandum is divided
into two parts; the first relating to the law and the second to business considerations. After reading it over I
felt a bit ashamed of it, for it is not in the shape it
should be to send ti Washington. Won't you give it the
benefit of your thoughtful study, both as to form and substance, and please don't hesitate to make any changes that
occur to you. I have one copy here and if
will send me
a cops' of whatever is sent to Washington, I you
will
very
grateful. 'Then it goes to 4ashington I think thebesuggestion
Should be made that in case it is necessary to submit it to
the State Department, we would like the privilege of submitting any additional data, arguments or information required to make the whole subject perfectly clear.
-
Please give my warmest regards to your good wife
and the same to yourself and the boys at the
office.
Faithfully yours,
Estes Park, Colo., July 29, 1916.
4.
James F. Curtis,
c,-Pederal Reserve Bank,
flew York City, V. Y.
Dear Judge:
Yours of the 24th, enclosing assignments of
insurance policy, has just come. I will 14it up a Votary
and return these assignments as 80011 as they are executed,
and I am exceedingly grateful to you for ];ci king after
this and other matters for me.
I supposelnj brother explained to you the oontents of theeepzeitag4 of emergency
currency that I sent by him. There WITI- other similar
packages- come along in due cour-aaehich I
turn over
to your custody.
About answering lett rs,
io no burden at all.
I am not only feeling bette;
It is a treat to hear
from you fellows, and_j rarekT put in more than an hour
in the morning talci
of\ c rrospondence. A great
deal can be aoco
she
e are no interruptions.
I am glad( o learn ir your letter that Laura and
the babies are a :danchesye
The further away from the
epidemic.
'ow'oN140y afer. To tell you the truth,
I was wO
ed a bk-k. out/the baby when I hoard of the
',
illnees, and your letter is very
and h
such ma
reassuring.
o ton and i are corresponding occasionally
one of/those fellows who is most thoughtful about
Charlie
jp/that.
I am glad the officers mottings are going regularly.
to be done at the bank I have managed to duck it I ran
away when the new office was being built and now I have run
away when the collection matter is starting; sometimes it is
the best way to get things done.
Has it occurred to you that every time there is a mean job
You have sized up the French credit matter with your
customary acumen and I heartily agree with what you say about
the inadvisability of attempting to sell about 100,000,000
francs of exchange in Bow Yokr to liquidate the old account.
.
I think the government bond transaction is all right.
Uncle Joe will get a great shock to his trading instiodts
and I fear the scotch quartette in Chicago will feel a bit
subdued for awhile. You doubness realize that in this government bond account, as well as in almost every other transaction,
with our eleven partners that we have gotten the worst of it.
2.
It is casting bread on the waters however and, personally,
I am satisfied to continue to make sacrifices for the sake
of the ultimate gain.
am glad that you had a chance to talk with Arch.
Dr. Sewall, who is a man of very wide experience, was not
as obtimistio as the Eew York people, but I think he agrees
entirely with their prognosis; his diagnoe was certainly
much more conservative then theirs.
About check collections. Hamlin wri es me that the
of some
banks down in Mississippi are going-tarivAL
r\oup of banks
ahat a joke to have that peltksuit
order that
make an appeal to the United Staket courts
y and ex ortion.
they may be protected in the
one little ountry bank
If they were foxy, they weal' get
a
to bring the action.
that charged a very modest
the
odium
that is al./O1asand
Mississippi will be liable\t
outhern
fraternity,
Who charge
ready enjoyed by some of the'
all the way from lQ,--t'-aQp p cent interest.
'
/
friends in London6
1 hear occasionally\rom
They seem very oplimistic about the progress of the war.
kind.
y-
Judging from herS, possibli)too optimistic, but certainly
those Jolln-14411s'Ovye
mad,e'it blunder in publishing a list
of eighty,---sicond,Nprireet tenth rate concerns in their
old bl,a9/k list. Iteiis a good bit like advertising a
corn.
Ole/ will
ccomplish nothing by it, except to create
a fee3,
to hear of the casualty in your own
aol.p
family checlel-n-but glad that it was not a nearer re-
lationship,
.nc1
it really is
This
season
the
valley
has been unmost extraordinary.
usually dry, but never a day passes that little thunder
storms and sometimes big ones don't form up in the mountains,
This helps keep
seems to be continually raining.
where
By about
and
keeps
the
streams
filled.
us cool down here
lower
levels
are
snow
storms
August 20th these rains on the
little
snow
falls
from
up dm tne peaks and from then on n
They say
time to time right through the fall and winter.
the only draw-back to the winter climate in Estes iark is
occasional high, cold wind. The snow fall in the Eark is
not heavy and does not stay On the ground very long.
-Zou ask about the climate nor()
it
About the Hughes alliance, I have no idea what
If it means work, sfeech making, etc.,
membership involves.
If it means simply exposing your-,
i think I would duck it.
self to the criticism that you have publicly announced your
toaitor
allegiance to dughes, nothithstanding that
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
to
the
beneh,
I
don't
believe
it
iwil
make
and
differeadf.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
he is a
3.
A few days ago I.met a Class C. director, who is
Deputy Governor also of one of the Reserve Banks, and had
quite a talk with him about the Federal ::eserve System.
The conversation disclosed that he was a most active democratic politician, had attended the Democratic Convention
as a delegate for the past sixteen years, and had practically
no banking experience; in fact was an insurance man, I really
cannot understand how appointments of that character can be
made with a straight face and a clean conscience. I suppose
if Hughes is aleoted, we may have the plea re of welcoming
George ierkins, or some such non-politioal ppointee. This
-
is a world full of freaks, but the real qu tion is whether
you and I are the freaks, or the other fel ws.
1 enjoy your letters immensi17-am& )e you can
scrape out time enough to writyiTo egularL. Best regards
to you all and give my love7 ou 3ood wif ion you write
her.
ery sincerely,
Estes Park, Colo., July 31, 1916.
Mr.
J. F. Curtis,
Federal deserve _Dank,
New York City, N. Y.
Dear Judge:
Enclosed are the orL-rinal fart-
cancellations of the two
policies, executed and a
hope you will find in/gb
This afternoon
fishing
tackle.
I0.1A,can
t,hi, e I
for some day
the river be
here,
come out in
0 count
good fly rod; ith you,
of grey hackl p1air
h yo
rod, hg
'ize
a
,
m
life in
dcred, and
licate
ance
ich I
nvesting in some
,erstand what that means,
Toing
,ny chance you should
to start fishing in
for our vacation, bring a
pair of waders,: and a supply
oachman and royal olachman
10 & 12. You will need a
6 ft. loaders, with one tail
y and one drop fly. By September most of the
out of here and they say fishing
rists wi
then atrbe
"tp best.
/
_ore is also a golf course here of sorts,
but Orl-Bibly you would prefer mountain climbing,
without the endumbrance of goll'clubs; it is all
mountains.
.Yours very
sincerely,
Estes lark, Colo., August 2, 1916.
Mr.
3. P. Curtis,
New York City.
14-J dear Judge:
sold
itself. I have
The enclosed letter explains
and
I am
Weston for 000.00,
the Triton Club stock to Mr. draw the drafA, attach the
L!oing,to ask you if you will
Co.,
44kers Trust
it in thethOproceeds
certificate to it and deposit
when
,lith request to advise o of credit of
collected.
I I
is endorsed in
m(f2IFITtdx
certificate
in
The stock
r. Weston's
blank, but should be jated and_w tnessia.:.culd make
er, as
name should not be filled i not raid..
trouble in ease the draft w
and am
h last evening,
received yours 0
time
to the
ing necessary however,
glad to learn that you are
ft
is
not,
ock.
Dational Ba
I
to help you myself,
lab
a one man job an0
benefit
th
for
his
own
n,
strongly raceme 4
d,
as I am afraid he is working
and for my own tpace of m
too hard.
set-backs that you refer to,
expo
them, as I
much opportunity fororders
e not yet
but
most
the doctor's
am &SUE nothiwr and followinghardest de of medicine I
It is the aling is not in my line.
consO entiousl-. however,
for 1.
(
have
er take.
;A0.00, evidencingis
closinE a check for military
training
simply my belief that compulsory
require& for
If
the
amount
country.
necessary in this completed,
again
and I will
write me
the league is not
increase this subscription.
should be
of this sort
The support of an enterprise
promote
inin
order
to
possiblecontributed 400,000, it
as widely distributed Ifasone
man
terest in the work.
as having
satisfactory
in results
would not be nearly as
I
will
be glad to
At any rate,
1000 men contribute 400. others
know
if a larger
and let me
go along with you e..nd the
amount is needed.
_-
better-half that I am very much
klease tell yourpuzzles
and hope that she will favor
interested in picture
deal of interest your
me with one. I await with a good
memorandum.
comments on the Bank of England
2.
Last night I read Hughes' speech of acceptance
with a good deal of care, and was grievously disappointed
in the whole speece, with the exception of a few references
It had not the dignity that I had expected and,
furthermore, it advocated a whole lot of reforms and improveraents which are already well under way under Democratic
auspicies. Unless Hughes can improve on his first effort,
to Mexico.
it looks to me like four more years of demobracy. How did
the speech impress you.
A letter from E. P. Dutton J Compa advises me that
or Jr. Hartley
is lust possible
that Miss 12arker will understan1at this\lp ok should be added
Would you
ing to Al>war.
to various books and docume 4/re
they are sending me a book just pubIlv
Withers, called "International
Fin'iih-Te-",--
mind askinL; her to send iyo t to
done so.
I a.la ordering
Everything that Withers wr
written.
opy
,
e
if she as not already
to you and one to Treman.
J3ood, readable and beautifully
u
Estes Park, Colo., August 7, 1916.
Ex.
J. F. Curtis,
POderal Reserve Bank,
liew York City.
MY dear Judge:
YOUT three-in-one letter of August 4a. just reaches
me and your apologies are accepted.
11-. Hendricks explanation of-theTair ous accounts
.tter is clear
employed in connection with the colImatioa
.;() much detailed
and explicit. I am sorry the eyst n
bookkeeping, but realize thak/
not be h
ed.
\
upose4pü will, the usual
record of the next Govern()$' 2'ing, I would like right
well to have a look at the àëgraphic report ae soon as
it \\I would just read it over
LT. Treman is thro
collection, and then
he a 6d t
send it back
If you have., as I
gltk
iiir. Higgins can i dex it a
you will be good\ nough to
Iand
Is-1 ard%
are twbiamendments
me expttTj wha
4 ha4e2it bound as usual, if
emind him.
dment, 4arburg has not written
the
e 11L oing. You will recall that there
in-iespect to our foreign business in
'Oularly interested; one is dealing with
e and the other,
the mater of g
ceive -osits/T csi institutions which we appoint as cor-oreign countries. Of course 4arburg cannot
respon
-t6 be as enthusiastic about these particular
be expec
amendments as he will be respecting some of the others.
I a. awaiting with a good deal of interest some advice of
these two items and I am holdirk, a letter which
I have drafted to the Bark of England and the memorandum
covering the method of handling foreign business until I
.hen the bill is
hoar -that action is taken on this bill.
finally passed I will get it through the regular corporation
\Trust Company's service.
which -e are pa
authority for us to re-
the fate of
The Senate changes in the proposed branch bank arrangements strike me as being poor. It will make the big
bank in the big city all the bigger and will not give the
for extension that
little country bank the same opportunity
Is it not curious how undemocratic
the large banks will enjoy.
these democratic legislators sometimes become under the influence of domestic pressure.
It occurs to
me that ,.,1r. Hendricks might profit by
looking over the Corn Exchange Bank's Check Department, if he
has
not already done so.
2.
Thank you for ordering the cigars, which arrived
today.
I am under the impression that you will find the
balance of the Dutch currency in my tin box, but will be
glad to be advised.
My letter, giving a brief impressiotrof Hughes'
speech, crossed yours and I am too disappoiftted
upon what I said in my former letter.
to enlarge
(
About the insurance matter,,I waS-fireaT the impression that the Pacific) Autv,al-pti;icy covee both health
and accident and that by the/ rms'or the poltdy I would
cacroiliac matter I do
211
be entitled to some recover
had previously
m, as
not regard as the basis of
submitted that subject and apice my physician, Dr. _!yers,
what he thought abotit---it-,and'N did not think it was a
th I cannot form a opinion
justified claim,
2ossibly you will
then.
olicy.
without reading th0 terms
be good enow:h to /de that Sonetime, advising me what you
I will hold the papers that
discover, and in he meant'
you send.
r
/alit
fishing'yeaterday with a couple of fellows
and we itanaged to get 8 few very nice trout, but py partici-
pation as very Ii5isure1y.
am awaitAng a letter from the office about the Bank
of Fng4 mergftrandum. which I hope can be licked into shape.
I have just received a letter from Basil Miles, in-
viting me to join the 1710 H. street institution and become
part proprietor in the joys and obligations of membership.
Needless to say I am accepting, believing that one of the
necessary qualifications of membership is frtiquent and long
It is mighty good of those follows to take me in.
absence.
Best regards to you and ;Irs. Curtis, and to the
office.
lours very
sincerely,
dose
BENJAMIN STRONG
ctexvi elOi.
cuz_tt.
*-wto
iatzdt,
alikek
kLikex7
re,
,
total
n;
au"-
Wee-0--
sitaxlc
lad't Gme, ace_
t91- apece.a..-1 7n.
Kt_
tocubti ctazub. ,
&et& AtikYlt-itatak-e.
rfome_
41-arircuk_f
4Ricoc.,-4
6
bYte-p.cr,
dims:
attiho-tric
rciw.
cat,
(./4
tifetsua
4if
pAtizczt.t,
dx;
Sau-ti
/Ac
'7N-e
4J
met
re
it
( pah.`'e
awryriff
Ak-e-ei,
wect.e.4C,
ot
,
fry-
F11-
.771,e,y) c
.
7i dui etL
.44e1744-
Can-i.FruA44,a61
Coanct,et
" 1771.1"taftl7
11,e ?kJ
q
aza o-a)7
(6- CO-Pte-ter-it
ictie
atti3
.
Cto
ctivuze_e_t,ris-
ekaht-cu-ahf, Ayr*
6(5-1
0470r_tex
&Li"
tc
IOW? e -0!)
2)
04w-ftf a.-0
dia.° &get
3 !_
ePuto
Is 41
Iicifj,
6044
86a-,
()Id- !Alava Let' ikt.
6 jouLti
ellatitAo 171-e . c4642-t-4W
ah,c,LLP-rre0L-1 atti-? Lecul&-ti, G Zeit .
citocte_pt_ir-a,0
clke gaLcer---a-c0
_
(,,Quit-( 1
re--0 Lem
wtcpwriumfr- _Ado' Vazefii
cpt.Ltepresa-.
Zout- -9.449$2t 9ne12,TOuh
6011
c 4,10 - 4.). (94.Q
7
ceteristej 4070, ate-fis;-09 treot
pegetfig
)
au-4/
(2)
CLQ-
4_0k fic-,/ toy"
'&(,&C9, 6i 04.;
atagvaa
C.)
1ktil7 aract-6-71Eeri-
--,
l8org4A2-k, (Amy,
teatw_lf
fate-d
tth
triag-t-,)
6at-61-/(th0 Oiket, 01-1,W469/-ce.
/4 7,(9,St
áULa1oL01,64.0?
I,
kuriat_e tficaira
61-"__fa
/Octet: payrn &G.
Aal
7_
01.fe
olt-
/Ap
d
.
fi
ThlettiP rce-A tau;
Coich
)6tevra-v_ data as.,r- Roatat 47,0;0 ,190,i-D
talci
rs,
2
Atte Co-e-itticet-
021.0-0
auxif-R.ei
eo-fact;
aice
t43
771-1,
rdvim_ticA
44lLe4----6C
oval,
Aze-ix
6Usluasi
201_1
9ov-71s ,
OL4-ata:e.
frac-it
'Lew,
at4-4; tutwA,'
Co-ta-Lp
,
4 'A Ztv;
ecu,
ttatic VIA 6-$ tofd-Akocia,,. ce,y,
dcpu.t.e, /AA' /6-7-14 - 43- *tar afie9-1 -
01011.e4)
1(10a9iLt,;
Calteft9 &fort tki
4,C (Dead 6v at, x
ahuctil-c,
,
6A: faec-/
68--co-cott
wad; /kw
Sigu:s
cuti otte otha
4,akino9;0-
ccatstra.t.e-9
0-603>few
ficti a_ y,er.o
,2ke &Au, loca
gat.44
ealeiciA,
,o-110-1
fitt_
BENJAMIN STRCOG
041i0
IV)
(3-5 t
di)
0
Ivy kandfiricf)
eria9u.a.4
`71../9
itcur erikuI1 fickafci
ctc14 , -
tbi
.
amtat
°List-CC
fkE Iktio
Taaftv,7 lath?
cficatL,
619-Pcfri4a4vi4-
la 414; atwa celtt-t.o
'PlaA) dee
tA&Li t&L,P-itzult
Ciel7C1
(Lai- 4: /kW clugir di/rnarva, 41'efinettfr,
itclati-itus or----neet aurvativ-F.
ft
t9-
6104744:- 6,0
diati
fkk
---to-fat)620Lce-rt,,
cetariA,LF,64,,
et-it4
a,49_,exc)
(114Q/&_061-1.8efc-17:
-r
ift,(;)
incti/fA
130-a/ciA.
auldoektu_ce,
tft
extztx
4cL
-
691kattAfee
MAI
Atia.64t;
207 --/k-
091--;
6,ct
alaattA
(teutttuctek
4#7k_d-o-Gt
kt_
c;S
/IT; cti4 ettRid-cem: d),
tigt_AQ)71_arat,u4
eirctite
/42_
Co-a.o
0 7t04, -nteut,
â
`71CLO;fettcc.'(At_e
et-ra-ta-
Cti.eAtur):
Aki.,/oRkA_
6k1-42124
tow'
c1v7.
60_
72Lc_
S4-r-oicik
,
11- 5004--for&-17PustA
6chkeit
ekrir-r-t
/AV_ AVAilk,sr
c9-kkt/D-k
cto
dtkattb z0tLe fctAt
4-e-r1-2)-11-q)
rrm
bVPIA/ 74--e
ciT71
No---rrio
'
trYlotta-e-fm?
i(3,0-1714. :41160
c-rn-vy/
01-07
'tb'jtr
rnitti
4-r-r?"4
°--14"fY-e-vri2 -r/213 Yr*/1W
.tirr -)fit
-ril02,/
a-Arg :-r1)
-43/,
m--T4-°;
es) 'P41-Q-01)
?7(r/XV
-naluento
c'rfv122-0) -n71(D`P-ITa '°-13"a
3-0770).or
-rmay 71.11 (A_0-9-ime--Irb-eyw
- --ostfvp
1,Pyrri 1739
_
i---e/)?
'L,r-ry4,36-ra-r_za
-
(4--rin4
it(74--rwx/itz)
1r'!-rnairryvii
x?Tc-v-eAserallt,
carrny
a-y-eA2 s" -aa-afg)--VgTho .17041gb
Vin-01) 647r
Estes Park, Col.,
August 24th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
I have your letters of the 9th, 9th, 9th, 12th, 15th
and 19th, all unanswered, owing to the suspenai.on of operations
in the office for a couple of weeks.
Advice of the pay;wnt on the (e0iton Club tock has not
I will await word befoiei doing an thing direct
been received.
and possibly you will be good enough to inquire fe4m them if the
e'e
sale went through.
Deposit of t7.25
Thank you w
read, but which i exp
mly
am ashamed to confess t
these late years.
been n
o
the boo Weice I hely not yet
'oy very' such in a few &lye. I
it
ee'eweline
of reading for me
ee
rogram of the Boston meeting, I
After roc v g t
suj.onz for discuseion other than the
hesitated to send
t Mr. Trawl.
three
refiel MileiWies that he is
off for Russia on
Sep-
he will be terribly
possibly a year.
missed at 118 ii Street.
will eucceed him there an "papa"!
tember 9thitle-b_e:
no
Writing you about
the Dutch war currency, I have
received ail
teer one gulden eilverbon, which I enclose to be
i,nce)
This, I an sure, completes the collecplaced with the others.
tion.
About the Bank of England matter, I note the arrangement made for discussion with NcAdoo, etc., and hope this is pressed
to a prompt conclusion.
Delano is, I think, the man to deal with
in WarRurg's absence.
pro. McLaren has a letter from hiss Erikson, making
a change in the 3 page letter of the 9th, which reached me too
late to
incorporate in. the brief.
The change made refers :to
certain communications in welch the words "lawful commeroreand
"legitimate commerce" wore used by bote Secretary Bryan end
Secretary Lansing.
the ohange which JO
You may have located this reference and made
desirable, as the reference is seecific and
It is particularly deisrable if the.
can be promptly confirmed.
document goes to the State Department.
2**
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Aug. 24th, 1916.
The Travelers Insurance policy covering employer's
liability is returned with the assignment executed at the place
indicated and I will be grateful to you for doing the needful.
1 also, enclose a letter addressed to r. Thomas N. Cooke, the
agent who wrote the policy, in reply to his of the 7th, which
I return with this for your information.
I am sorry you are having so much trouble nbout the
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance
Clayton Act.
out here.
Possibly I can send you some "dope" drawn from per-
sonal experience in relation to New York instiPutione that would
be of value.
As you know, during the 10 years that I was connected with the Bankers Trust Company, I was reavIlly serving under a Board consisting of officers of most of
limportant New
1:,
York banks and it gave all of us a good view of ;he relations
York.'
existing between the bankers of New
.
Could you arrange through llarr
I
ataa*Qep track of
the omnibus bill of amendments and lvt- e know, ley'aetelegraph
if neceseary, of any ominous dev9,
t
I hamitten
Glass on the subject at Warbureyeugge ion and witi fire
some more telegrams
Governor.
I agree
ings
at him ife,
uncertain.
with you abou
The wholaathit
siderably politioaly/
I i
new Governor and Deputy
a me as a botch and con-
\
Don't you Fellows wox1y about my violating the docThor are too fz4ny watch dogs out here to make
tor's orders.
that possi31-e- d X\
says.
nding
z
adg strictly to what Dr. Sewall
Of his last examination to
It was alrfart entirely favorable.
Mr. Tre. a
agine4my pleasure on receiving those
Coaffirence and my sorrow that I could not
You Gee
grams f o
in debat
the
telejoin
opi4a/6a to ee, inclusive.
About the discontinuance of the telephene service at
my apartment, Miss Andrews, the housekeeper, has been ill and
will probably be there now arranging about storing my things.
I suggest your telephoning her and whenever she giveo the word,
file the cancellation.
Your advice to the Astor Trust Company about the pass
book was right.
Those First National Bank people need some sort of a
udreosing down", just what kind is hard to deteriLine.
Of all
the important banks in New York, they seem to be the only one
still antagonistic and I really think that Charlie Backus has
J. F. Curtis, Fsq.
Aug. 24th, 191e.
great deal to do with it. Some day we will see them at the
front door with a bundle of commercial paper for discount and
then they may have a change of heart.
ft
Don't bother any more about the accident policies.
All my accidents and illnesses seem to escepe the profitable
clase, and anyway, I am derelict in filing a claim whenever
anything happens!,
Learning that ecAdoo was coming to Denver, I have
made a tentative appointment with him for September leth.
Will you be sure and have two copies of the revieted brief of the
Bank of England matter in my hands before that 4i a, as I will
take the o eportunity to give him another punch I Also, I am
anxious to hear the report of your Conference wiit4, him.
.
II
7----eeji
.
Warburg has written me about nireieme-tiXances.
When
the Dardanelles ere opened we are eeri-ii-gio see of the greatest develcpmente ever witnessed PiAba 4reut count.
//
This covers everythin ment o )ed in your letters and
we from here, as 1 have
I cannot add anything in the waeeo
been a complete loafer for to w e past.
Would you
e---------e
e ----
sen
.
me a copy of the famous Burton
bill, together with copy of
do a little work qoitg the lin of currency legislation this
If you l'x e no spar copy, I think there is at least
'inter?
rker will be able to locate it.
one copy ipe-mereifileie, d !vas
e
your he
me post
e litAdebnal Bank Act, as 1 may
e,
Beet regards to you and the boys and many eeenke for
in my pe
with off; c
nul matters, and particularly for keeping
news.
yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Banks
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS Jr/VCM
Estes Park, Col.,
August 30th, 1916.
/
Deur Mr. Curtis:
Since writing the enclosed frtter,
Mr. Strong has received your elegraM i reply
to his of even date and
//
owing to the contents
to Mr. Warburg in thi
what puz:
rrison's wire,
action.
urs,
Secretary to Mr. Strong.
James F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Rfierve Bank,
Equitable. 'uilding,
w York" ity.
VC M
PERSONAL.
Estes Park, Col.,
August 30th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
The laot copy of the Chronicle of Aug
26th, woich
just reaches me, Givee me the comolete text
report of
of-I()
tho conferees to whom 'as referred the aidmilouao5t endment bill,
)11
and very much to my surprise and
)
14, in respect of days of grak
\
provision for the reserve banks
banks.
Of x
tion but
iCI
I am
am with
It
\
s\ papagrap
E", Section
I
lifted.
It does include the
ving the accounts of foreign
data hero to verify my redollec -
stak7,/yhis matter woe laid befooe the
Board a///
g od many differeWE-times, and so completely and explic-.
I
th
prepared
You and1 first
tter/An Washington last April; later you will find
no mist,opi should have been possible.
)itly
in the files of the bank at lest one letter which I wrote to the
Board, and possibly more than that
including letiers to Warburg
on this subject. 1 recall that the °hones which we proposed
simply inserted the words "exclusive of days of grace" in both
Sections 13 and 14, end that stbseeuently Warburg reported to me
that they were going still further than we had proposed by the additor of the amednment now approved by the conference.
Two or thre,, weeks ago
I telegraphed both Governor Ham-
lin and to you about this omission when the Senate bill wee reported as having passed.
To
James F. Curtis, Fog.
Aug. 30th, 1916.
Now there is a curious thing about this omission
you
will find that in every place where a change wes recommended for
Section 13, it hr.. s been made and, furthermore, Section 14, as
above stated, is amended to cover
one feature of
our foreign bus-
iness, but not to cover the days of grace, which applies solely
to the English bills.
here has been
I cannot bring myself to believe
I
that1
any deliberate omission here and yet it is so im ortant that we
i
should know and be satisfied of the goW44Liihjo
everybody in
terested in these matters, that I ,arrsdiposed
Ageest to you
to make some private inquiriet(
ugh Delan fee to just
what has beeh done in regard
four little
While diet
I have just received an
e onclo i g c.e irmation of a
envelope from Loon
sent by Harrison t'
ed by t1i4
and et
words,
arburg,
telegram
lining the amendments as
report-
n erence\yp_st!94 (the telegram is dated Aug. 24th.)
her things, that the Conference failed to in-
ng among
/
Section 14.
corpor
"days
puzzle.
i-thooughly disappointed and think we should do
to ascertain who is responsible for the failure of this
something
grace" in
The whole thing is a
very important amendment.
I had a
letter from Mrs.
but will not be able to do
anything
Curtis
yeeterday about the boy,
for awhile, as I have been laid
up for the last few days and unable to get
about.
I have quite an accumuiation of mail from the office and
will try to answer it later in the week.
Sincerely yours,
laciet F. Curtis, Esq.,
ee-
eserve Bank,
:ity.
9est
regards to you all.
Estes Palk, Col.,
September let, 1916.
My dear Mr. Curtis:
Your letter of the 2.th has been rea 1 with great in
Just a7, noon as I hear from the youn man, I will Bee
wall will doubtwhnt can be done here in regard to
'erest.
11e anywa
less keep him in Denver for a liAi
here you with so many telegrams
I am sorry to have
\
reports of the proceedings
about the amendments, but the
to indicate the adoption of
in Congress in ever /telitiftre4\f
/./
\/
\,,
ection 14. It is apparently all
the amendment to P
A1e0 n regard to the submission of this
straighteneA4pt
/matter(494he State Dep*ment, I just have your wire stating you
1],
)agraph
have a icipated njiie to which it replies.
ous to
It would be danger-
thaA ter dealt with in the usual official and rou-
tine way, without
opportunity to
submit a statement of some sort,
I am sorry that Lire. McAdoo's illness
keeps the secretary away. He would be of great value in the dis-
verbal or in writing.
cussion in Washington
yfitic telegram advising of the Board's unanimous consent
with conditions, leaves the matter in such shape now that we can
acted, provided, of
go ahead as soon as the State Department has
course, the Reserve Board does not
get
cold feet at the last minute.
lept. 1, 1916.
Curtis, Esq.
I have read the copy of the memorandum as finally sub
which !!r. fireman sent me and, of course, that is all right
the Reserve Board, but it was the argument on neutrality which
to be submitted to the State Department
to which I really gave
most thought, and it is a little odd that the Secretary
have it changed, as the memorandum was
originally, end
asked to
prepared at his request
subsequently in response
's insistence
to Warb
that the matter be reduced to writing, and
cove4ed this
whole ground.
,
Your suggestion about Kains reminds p4 Ithat 1
mentioned that matter to him once
or wice analheve
Akes the c
Opposed to leaving California w
Besides that, as 1
people.
a separate
organization 111.New
.
//Teine
,-- c
.
jokingly
distinctly
ate and
the
roman, the idea of having
for the reserve banks strikes
, ---
me as all wrong.
I would like to se
\
not in an ill nden
rouaded to come
to New York,
there s Deputy Governor of our bank, but
t n which would just do harm to the
/
whole syle en, 1 am sure. 1 do not think this as to Keine, who
\
is Ft Et foL
good.
a man aore-oould get, but as to any man, no matter how
to work out a scheme which will suit eveybody
gp
W
without having all the
eleven reserve banks opening branches or
agencies in New York, which is ultimately what it would amount to.
So much for now; I will write you later if anything of
interest turns up
your letters.
out here and look forward with keen pleasure to
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
New York 'City.
Estes Park, Col.,
Spetember 5th, Ali.
, Aoki
D ar Judge:
The weekly
report of August 31dt has
jdAst come and I
1
'am much interested inypur contribution.
I
You icziow
how keen I
am to hear what disposal is mete of our applioa
ion for the
--l
appointment of the Bank of England. Am also e to get the
final copy of the amendments
ral Reser
Act, which
Mr. Glass writes me passed bdt
s of Congress last
1
teTd
Monday.
Mr. Tr
in New York
eman Aoubtleri
iuyve de'pided that they cannot take membership in
\
servy..eteR4 account of the provisions of the
the lede
ClaytoOot which prohibits
in
that the Trust companies
told
private bankers
\\,
moreOkthan one iltstitution that is a
from
being
member of the
This wodUi ditOdiify so many of the important
directors
system.
directors of the
New York trust companies that I am certain they will not make
necessary sacrifice.
boys make up
pare
the
A
suggestion
copy of the
which I find is not
2nd.
the
to meet
this difficulty:
Clayton Act as recently amended,
in my files,
A list of the jew York
comianies, giving the names
state banks and trust
of all of their directors, indicat-
ing which of those directors cause
have some of
following information for me, and I will pre-
something as a
let.
Could I trouble you to
the
the
disqualification. There
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Sept. 5, 1915.
are a good many publications which give these lists, so it
will not have to be type-written, but opposite each name of
a director who is a private banker, have added the name of his
firm.
I have had some correspondence with the Board on this
subject and they would like to see a suggestion for an amendment to the Act. If you can send me this, together with a
copy of the Burton bill, which I recently wrotilifor, I will
have about all the material needed.
I
Would you also mind forwardinga4aaae4 osed letter
It io about somazp-er-snal
to Mr. Tremanl
I am sorry you and M
mai:tile
y are having so Ifiuch trouble
<
ThiØ9ftant thing is to get the
noard to deal liberallt-Wthi nterpretalion, so ae to
avid thenecessi for at-e::;/013nts \ the Clayton Act of a radover the old Clayton Act.
ical character.
#e on Thursday and have written
1Gamjgoing
your to ng man to imeet me there; then I will see what can be
done a
job.)
// Will also talk with Dr. Sewall about it.
;;411t
r-egards,
Faithfully yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
Estes Park, Col.,
September 6th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Yours of the 2nd is received and with it
various enclosures, including therai/f4
of N\
last Covernors Conference but the B ton Bill tile
National Bank Act and stenoConference were not enc
Irer's report_gt
/
he
resume will
d, and
come presently.
ee, I am sorry to
In going
sea that so many t
Some of them shö
oroü
Lave passed without action.
/
\
d rehave been acted upon vig
and fin
at- the meeting.
separately about the Bank of
Eng1ani rajjdir-writing
Matter.
Faithfully yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New lork City.
BS/VCM
Estes Park, Col.,
September 6th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Of course, one of the penalties of having a mussy
desk, is now and then to overlook things, but I am glad to
say that the incident dealt with in the lettii-Mg4 sent me
has been closed. There is nothing to d /about th \atter
for the pictures could not be recovered, so please /give
this no concern.
In one of your let re Just rceived, you refer to
Wilson's attitude and
ude of 9ôflgroes in the railroad strike. i agree wi wheate-day that it is one of
the worst political ai4ndea we have ever seen. Wilson
may geirelome labor otes tit he is going to lose an awful
NA,
.._e ,
lot of bu6ese_votes Itsri result of his action. On the
other hand,4-iTTERhis speech of acceptance put Hughes dis!
tinctly in 4e shade.
H
It
IAlear
you are going on a cruise.
drowned and have a good rett.
Faithfully yours,
.J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
Don't get
CONFIDENTIAL.
Estes Park, Col.,
September 6th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Yours of the
31st reporting the
resu1,1 of your
trip
to lashi'ngton has been read with keen interesti I realize
fully the difficulties under which Mr. Warbur$ ! is laboring
k
and he hRs rritten me himself, explAining xiit\Nok place and
I
he differs
wherein
from the,
I
ws e pressed in
r memoran-
dum.
On the w'nole.0.___I-..think 4 e separate memorandum which
you prepared for a ding ori\t c q\4Vion of neutrality is an
1
1
improvement on tiO(original,),ithough
two poi01 we e no
I
am sorry that
one
or
nat memorandum which it seemed
_-
unnecetOary to
sublit
'
was r
ly made
/
made tteur-gUr
in the original.
g Warburg himself.
The principal one
Nit objection
.
:nglish acceptors by
asing bills drawn on
American exporters and sending them to America for
and holding them there as investments.
what we would
be doirg as
That, in
the only,
acceptance
effect. is
to a considerable volume of the bills.
This argument ...could have been elaborated and
made that
could be
reason for buying
an explanation
the bills abroad
instead
of in this market Would be to avoid necessary and destructive
competition with our own members.
have a
chance to argue
this whole
I would like right well to
question with the people in
the State Department, and I hope if hesitation develops, that
To
J. F. Curtis, sq.
Sept. 6th, 1916.
you will be able to get over to Washington and talk it over
with Lansing and Polk.
The sedond proviso strikes me as it did you, as being quite unnecessary. If the principle ic approved by the
State Department, there is no question whatever of the desir'
ability of starting now instead of after the war. If the
State Department gives its assent, I am sure thaVthe Board
will appreve immediate operations.
I
Tell Mr. Jay 1 appreciate his ,ceia-azierttlous attitude
in regard to the Bankers Trust Com
stitutions.
if he cares to cd
on these matters after the eve
ta oyof his
ties me
an to days of grac
CommiT
th
the
4eimorandum
ixtendment of Section 14
as roil /overlooked by the Conference
and only
4-to the Committee's report
ly by te courtest f the clerk of the
nized
milar
11 be glad to send him
e value.
comments on them whi
Warburg
nd othe
.11
Q itw,Iin oversight.
Committee who recog-
Warburg apparently caught
it in time to. get. it in.
I hope you have a good
rest
4ith best regards,
Faithfully yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
Bs/vcm
final-
on your cruise.
etes Park, 'solo.,
September 9th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
was in Denver this week and had a talk with John
Laroecy, also, with Dr. Sewall. Laracy ie comfort4bly situated
if
at the Adams Home, where he tells me the accomodOons are sat-
isfactory and the food good.
Sowalleimyst4a
}1,, would be
teeing a considerable risk in underte4i- any hea i4(,\ w\ork, such
as woul, be neceseery if he came, Este 'ark. MOO> of the
!inter work consists of haulin
od
oal and, of couree,
under Sinter condition,,keernt.c.L ere etie severe.
Or. Sewall
recommends that hr.) de( °thing
one
possibly two months,
depending, of course upon his crgreos, and at the end of that
time he co
work IL
_, not involve muce physical exer-
else.
fin
decided that we will epond the Sinter in
--_e
Denver and leAxepeeeef to be there ecgain before moving down the mid-
dle of Uctober, co I will have opportunity to seeak to friends of
mine there end see if I can get him something to do. I have taken
a house in Denver and with it a complete outfit of servants, which
ie pert of the bargain, co it will not be possible for me to give
him any steady employment, but I feel pretty certain of being able
to get him something. Dr. Sewall says that he should be in Colorado a year, the apex of his right lung being involved' and the upper
part of his left 114ng being slightly affected, but it is a very
slight case and the Doctor thinks he can pull him through in very
good shape.
Sincerely yours,
Ystep Park, Colo.,
Ceptomber 15t1, 1916.
dear Judge:
Thanks for your personal latter of the 11th which was
a ral "clean-up."
The 1.ationa1 Bank Act as amended, etc, compiled hy the
Comptroller, and the Burton Bill have both reached we, also, the
stenographic minutes, but I have not yettlaceived the Clayton Act
with the Korn wasndment, which I presume will follow, together
With tne data in cJnanoction with private banlier directors.
I am awaiting with keen interest come word from Lir. Jay
about the Bank of England matter.
In the meantime, I huvo received a most interesting letter from Pallain, Governor of the
Hank of France, indicating thiAt withir certain liwitations the
Bank of France would adopt n pion somewhat
of England plan.
to the flank
Df coarse, the Frenchman is sovniciou and
lottor suggests various limitations veich will
hive to ha dealt with. I.RM enclosing copy of a translation,
timid Rnd hi
togother
t' original, w:lioh should be held in -LA. confiden-
tial file!' of the bank, and I am '7oing to sok if you will be
good enough to make, or have made, as accureta a translation as
possible to be nont right back to me, al 1 do not dare to reply
to it on the basin or the translation made bore. Some care will
be necessary in putting into U. S. language, the banking idiom
To
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Sept. 15, 1916.
which Panain employs in his letter, particularly regarding bills,
reimbursement, etc. I would like to have this ac soon as possible, ao he is undiubtedly awaiting a reply, end et the same time,
I think it would be a good plan for the officers of the bank, together with Mr. Woodward and any others who might be available, to
give this careful consideration and let me know your viewse liith
this in hand, 1 will draft a letter and send it to the bank for
consideration beforeit is finally wiled. So much for foreign
business.
About the statement issued by the Comptroller ( which,
by the way, 1 had read and extracted certoAn dry amusement from),
I am sure your decision is right in not having a hand in exposing his ridiculous antics. Whenever excuse or temptation arises
for taking a crack at him, I think of oUr second Conference of
'ehe direct route in these matters is the beet, and
Governors.
think it would ceetainly pay to eleborate your inquiry and send
it over to c;arburg. You can bet a little red apple, he will find
a chance to use it. I zometimee wonder whet will happen to the
dear American farmer if the day ever comes when he is no longer
fed on predigested food.
I have not done any work for the last few days, as I have
had a visitor frorl the :acist, an old friend, Profeosor Crampton,
who has been here discussing some matters of mutual interest, and
have loafed since lest Tuesday. Tell Pierre jay that I am oxpectin nL him to take a day off a write me it good long letter.
My best to you all. With warmest regards,
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Eeq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BENJAMIN STRONG
Estee Park, Colorado.
September 20th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Thanks for your note of the 13th enclosing the full report of the Poston Conference, which I have read with much
interest.
I have read the stenographic record on certain subjects
but let me suggest for consideration by Hendricks and others who
took part in the discussion of the plan of
giving immediate credit
for checks on Federal reserve banks that the whole Conference seems
to have been astray as to one feature of
that
matter.
r.Forgan'e letter stated that drafts of that character
would be drawn by member banks against excees baAances carried with
Federal reserve banks.
I do not believe it would work
The rese vs balances of member banks
the books of the
drawn against
that way'.
are now calculated really from
reserve banks, consequently, unpresented checks
the reserve accounts would not be deducted
from the
reserves until paid and the member banks will very readily acquire
the habit of floating these checks, making allowance for the period
of time that they will be outstanding
and making corresponding re-
ductions in their reserve bahnce as shown by their books.
I am not in favor of experimenting with this matter until
the whole collewLon system is in smooth working order, but I think
Yr. 'organ's theory is wrong and that it would be proven so in ac-
tual practice.
Sincerely yours,
J.
Y.ea9grtise-4444*,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
SS/VC!-!
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Estes Park, Colo.,
September 21st, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Yours of the 15th is just received and I am going to Denver
probably on Sunday next to meet Warburg ard will make
quiries about possible work for Laracy.
Dr.
some more in
For the present, I think
ewal1 is positive that he is much better if resting and building
up a bit.
You must have
had a bully time on the cruise, assuming of
I understand that in bad weath-
course, that you are a good sbilor.
the
er and at high speed a destroyer is.most devilish and uncomfortable
Ang known.
Congratulations on your golf record.
i
expect to see Vanderlip around the first of the month and
from him and 'Verburg
ter.
together cr,.n get a good lifie
on the Clayton mat-
I knew that Wiggin would not be satisfied, but had holes that
most of the other bankers would, considering that the amendment to
the Clayton Act wnich helped most of them out of their difficulty,
was put through under the sponsorship of the Federal Reserve
sank of
New York and the Board, and that the riling is on the whole a fairly
liberal one, and I do not think the New York bankers have much to
kick about.
The trouble with some of those fellows is that they do
not know how to distinguish between angood friend and a bad enemy.
To
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Sept. 21, 1916.
sincerely hope thrt
the English arrangement.
nsing and his pals do not balk,.at
The whole Washington situation makes me
sick, however,-probably as sick as it does you.
By mistake, s letter was sent you yesterday which failed
to enclose those cancelled life insurance policies.
be executed before a notary and I will
They have to
send them on in a day or two.
Thank you very mich for your attention to the matter.
Kopp Laura and the youngsters up iu rassachueetts as long
as possible. I mistrust this epidemic.
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable iuilding,
New York City.
Estes Park, Colo.,
September 23rd, 1916.
Dear Judge:
As you have doubtless observed
pondence with
from some
recent corres-
Mr. Treman, the move to procure admission of some
of the New York trust companies to membership in the Federal Re-
serve System failed on
clause of section
account of the provisions of the second
8, of the Clayton Act and, unfortunately, the
Kern amendment failed to provide for an exception in the case of
private
bankers, as wss
done in the case of
other directors of
national banks.
It occurs to me that an
amendment to the Clayton Act,
suitably framed, can be made something of an inducement to the
trust companies and state banks to take
Act is badly framed and confusing in its
membership.
The whole
provision about direc-
torships, but in order to avoid the charge that any radical amendment is
being
attempted, suggest
something in
the following lan-
guage to come at the end of this clause or, possibly, at the end
of the Kern amendment where, however, it would need some slight
change of
verbiasei you may
be able to suggest some improvement
in this language, which is as follows:
"Provided, further that nothing in this Section
shall prohibit a private banker who is a director in
a banking association organized under the laws of the
United States and a member of the Federal Reserve System from also being a director of not more than one
-2-
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
To
-,ept. 23, 1916.
other banking association or trust company which
iv organized under the laws of any state and both
of which are located in ony city or incorporated
town or village of more than 200,000 inhabitants,
as shown by the last preceding decennial census of
the United Stetes, ig such state bank, banking as-
sociation or trust company is alvo a member of the
Federal Reserve System and is not in substantial
competition with such member bank, and if the con-
sent of the
Federal Reserve Board has been procured, either in connection with the application
for admission of such state bank, banking association or trust company to membership in the Federal
Reserve System or before the person applying for such
onsent has been elected as a director o: such stste
bank, banking association or trust company."
The suggestion of
old bogey about the private
with which they
rities.
this
amendment is sure to raise the
bankers influencing
institutions
are connected in the purchase and sale of secu-
It, therefore, occurs to me that we still further
strengthen the application by incorporating in the Act a provision similar to Section 31 of the Burton Bill.
The only diffi-
culty I now see in regard to the second suggestion is the question of jurisdiction in enforcing such provision if it appears
in the Clayton Act ra4her than in the National Bank Act, for the
Federal Reserve Act.
I am inclined-to think that the
only logical proceedure
would be to have this clause made a part of the National Bank Act,
as its enforcement would depend upon the exercise of the visatorial
powers of the Comptroller of the Currency.
is altogether contrary
On the other hand, this
to the policy we have 411
that further expansion of
the powers of the
tacitly
Comptroller are unwise,
in fact, that all of his powers should be exercised by or
direction of
the
Federal Reserve Board.
accepted
under the
TO
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Sept. 23, 1916.
If you can dope out something on this for me and aerie
it with that list of private bankers who are directors in state
banks as well as national banks, I would like to prepare a lite.
tie argument to submit to the Board and get this program all
laid out for action At the next session of Congress. At present, the provisions of the Clayton Act are an absolute bar to
certaOly
will not relinquish valuable connections with private banking
firms in order to enjoy possible advantagec of membership about
membership by the New York trust companies, and they
which they gill have many doubts.
Section 13 of the Burton Bill is general in applica-
tion and applies to all national banks and I do not mind saying
that I believe it is much more liable to arouse opposition among
bankers in the country than among the big banks in New
York
City.
I think the graft of this character among the smaller banks is a
far more prolific source of profit to the officers and directors
of the country banks than it ever has or will be to the officers
and directors of the big city banks.
Very truky yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Iquitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
Estes Park, Colo.,
October 11th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Jo not seem to have acknowledged yours or September
27th from 1,t,anchester and thank you very much for all the news.
The subject of greenbacks and silver certificates, aa
well ae the retirement of bank notes, ia going t- be the next
thing on the program.
I have managed to get Warburg well etirred
up on the subject and during the past week have filled Venderlip
with a lot of "dope" which will probably result in his sending
GettUge Roberts out here later on. leeantime, I am getting some
stuff ready for publication after the election, It would be unwise to put it out before election for various reasons.
he weekly report of October 5th gives a lot of inter-
esting office news, but r comfort about those private barkers.
I will be glad to get your reply to my letter with the rough suge
gestion for amending the elatton Act, also, that list of private
bankers who are acting es directors, etc.
The memoranda
in regard to the fiscal agency to rich
referred, are principally those mentioned in your dictation in the
weekly report, including some eugeestions I eent to Delano in the
form of memorenda or letters.
The Committee should be reminded
to investigate the whole subject or redemptions which must be care-
fully studied if any plan is developed which contemplates our takin
-2
To
J. F. Curtis, leg.
Get. 11, 1916.
won't you thank the other officers
who contributed to the memoranda and tell them I enjoyed all the
over Subtreasury functions.
news they sent?
I will try to write tr. Jefferson shortly about his
plan of having the auditors organized and hold regular meetings.
have written
Jay expreseing what views I have about
the matter of dividends. -Poughly, I should eay that the Collection
Department whould produce at least 05,000 a year, of which possibly
t25,000 is eutually reduction of regular expenses of the bank prior
to the inauguration of the syetem, ae we now get back a lot of salaries and overhead which we formerly paid out of earnings. With
that addition to our eernings and with the eeneral growth oi our
buzinees, I guess we could afford to pey a dividend up to July let,
1915.
talked with Dr. Sewall lest week about Laracy.
doctor says that aracy hae not strictly observed orders about
eught
r sting and about other details of his treatment.
cold which took the form of laryngitis or oomething of that sort,
and Dr. Sewall said, it went through one of his lungs like :wildfire
It ie absolutely ieeosaible for him
and ut him back seriously
to undertake work of any kind just now and he must bempiressed with
the urgency of obeying orders.
Pleese give my warmest- regards to Mrs. Curtis and the
Don't forget the pressure on the State
seme to your good zu-.1f.
Department and the Board in the matter of our foreign arrangemeets.
Everything has etopped pending that decision.
Faithfully yours,
,
11
4
The
J. Y. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal R88:1"Ve Bank,
Denver, Colorado,
October leth, 1916.
My dear Judge:
Your handwritten letter of the 12th from Glen Cove has
just reached me and I am delighted to get all the news.
Your diecouragement io no greeter than mine although
the enumeration of reasons would have to be varied a bit. I am
sorry your holiday is ever, sorry you have a cold, sorry you feel
the pressure of wasted time at the bank and sorry about all the
other difficulties enumerated.
Every time I read a new sneech of Hughes I get thoroughly
discouraged myself.
His campaign may be popular and directed to
the average voter but it is thoroughly undignified and does not
appeal to lee a particle. I do not believe he is pro-German and
do believe he is honest and I still have some hopes that he eill
be,elecefed.
Elliott's letter in the Atlantic Monthly wan a poor
thing and 1 am sorry you did not reply to it.
Poor Clearlie Sabin has had a dose of publicity which I
cannot believe he relishes. Charlie is honest and while he and
some of his associates may have taken a poor time and employed a
poor method to take the pulic into their confidence, I have no
doubt that there was some substantial foundation for what he incautiously handed the newspapers.
To
Oct. 18, 1916.
Possibly the time
The Kuhn - Loeb episode is amusing.
J. F. Curtis, TO:sq.
is arrived when some of our fellow citizens who have had a leg on
each side of the fence have found it desirable to swing one of them
over so as to have them in harmony. An you nay, the whole thing is
very entertaining. In some ways to me it is exceedingly depressing.
About the foreign business, I really think it would be a
good hlaa fOr you to have an informal talk with the State Department
people if it car, be arranged without discourtesy to the Board, and to
do so as promptly as poosible. I would suggest that you deal with
it through Harding and Delano as they form the Committee.
1 do not
think wo can afford to force the State Department by direct pressure
as they may make eome formal ruling which it will be difficult later
to have aet aside. One thing to aecomplish by pressure is to educate them to a real vision of what the plan contemplates. That will
take time and 1 hope that you and the others will see thot they get
all the material possible on the eu' ject.
I have not road the little hook you sent me but am expect..
ing to do so in the near future.
The fact is I had a lot of reading
matter cent me and have been going throughit by degrees. Have be
roodinis over Eartley Withers' books again preparatory to writing some
"dope" myself, also voile books on the war and some Shakspeare.
your advice about the Piping Rock bills explains the one
for which I cont you a check. I will pay them promptly when they
come in.
In the meantime if there is anything I can do about your
membership let me know.
Best regards to you all.
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
BS/VCM
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4100 Montview Boulevard.
Denver, Colorado,
°Otober 18th, 1916.
Dear Mr. eurtis:
Yours of the lath, slightly delayed by forwarding, has
just reached me.
The inquiry by Mr. Rovensky is exceedingly interesting.
I believe that the bill to which he refer') can br. dealt with under
the regulations of the Board as a bill based upon the export of a
commodity from one foreign country to anoteer foreign country or on
the other hand can be construed as eligible under
he new section
of the Federal Reserve Act, authorizing member banks to accept and
Federal reserve banks to purchase bills drawn for the purpose of
making exchange.
On the first theory, the export seems to be so indefinitely delayed that the bill must be accepted in principle as a
finance bill. On the second theory, the bill is being drawn for
the purpose of borrowing money to carry
merchandise and not to move
it and it seems to me the bill would naturally fall into that category an being authorized by the new section of the Act.
One question is whether two years is a reasonable time
for renewels under exisittng conditions. Personally 1 see no objection to authorizing the business even though renewals for two
years are made on account of the peculiar conditions which ncw ex-
ist.
In normal times I think the practice wouLd be bad.
The
To
J. Y. Curtis, Esq,
Oct. 18, 1916.
period is too long and the bills of a character which should not
be allowed to got into our portfolios in too large a volume.
These are not questions which can be dealt with by fixed rule. Our
banking system should be sufficiently flexible to meet war conditions as well as peace conditions and I am very ottongly of the
opinion that if our banks are to get a foothold in foreign markets
they must deal very broadly with all of these colestions, oo my conclusion is that we should urge the buoineoe and endeavor to get a
ruling by the Bo rd. The procedent will prove to be an important
one.
You have doubtleos read the accounts of the organization
of a great foreign trade bank in London. That bank will have a cap-
ital of 10,000,000 sterling and will receive a large subsidy from
the British Government and will be authorixed to extend longer credits than those generally extended by the London joint stock banks
and accepting houses.
They will not only extend long merchandise
credits in cooperation with the London, Colonial and foreign banks
and in foreign countries generally, but will to some extent eszt:elmd
furnish capital for enterprises.
Ve must let our new customers in
foroign countries know that we can meet competition of that kind.
Won't you lot no know how thio turns out drier it has been submitted
to the Board!
Sincerely yours,
qu
J. F. Curtis, -sq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
now York City.
BS/VCII
Denver, Colorado,
October 23rd, 1916.
My dear Judge:
1 have yours of the 17th.
This whole Clayton Act matter is b
some day and I am sorry thnt it seems to have
so badly et the bank.
If I 0
-/-A)
teing
U to make trouble
d things up
to help, please let
me know.
I note that you dep0 ::-
.15 to my credit at the
Trust Company.
I would n
mind Gig
bit unless there i
ome obje
would save M
rema
.g those stock certificates a
on to sending them out here. It
tertii' some jobe
t the importation of gold, unfortunately, it eoes
us no go
take
the gold unless we have something to pay
n place of it. My euggeotion is that we
out other
only take in the gold when we have an accumulation of silver
certificates and United gtates notes, or when we are able to pay
for it by issuing Federal reeerve notes.
If we buy the gold immediately on arrival without Assay
Office returns guaranteed we run the risk of losimg, so I suggest
that any gold which we take direct should be purchased subject to
adjustment when the Assay Office returns are eventually made.
2
To
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Oct. 23, 1916.
I am reassurinz Jay in a separate letter about Denver
hospitality whion I propose to escape by rudeness if necessary.
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BSPUM
ee
Denver, Colorado,
October 25th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
The weekly report just received con
pected contribution from you, indicat*
buried
I
ins the meet unex-
a p ose that you have
r. Clayton and have time for a littlaily
corres-
pondence.
I agree to the vied m
e
N
1Nior
at t I
sank ae our correspondent int'e
statute, but really
t tg
e,:uld be done.
,
al manner provided by the
had been done during my
eine received.
gold wa
absence in -urope w
tins the Nederlandscee
o
If not,
it
a time, do n t forget that if we put gold
e
in our ree7we-
ccount as a deposit liability,
c
/
we lose aen ce little fee welch they are peying us now for care-1
rying gol
foreign b
In som
I
Ways, however, I would like to see t. is
'nelea-et/ ted even in thee small way and ii might be
desirable to
write them
and indicat
that the statute had now
been amended, pointing out what we can do for lhem and asking
them if they would care to open ouch an
eccount.
I wrote Cr. Jay yesterday about purchases of gold, but
omitted to reDer to one thing which is
transactions.
Just as soon as
ble to make immediate payment for
the
rather4musing
about these
governnEnt findo it impossi-
gold tendered
at the essay Of-
fice, it will direct the gold to us so long as we are willing to
To
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Oct. 25, 1916.
eive immediate credit. This is exactly the situation in LonThe mint gives depositors of geld the actual sovereigns
don.
d. but makes
when coin is ,7anted, at the rate of 77 s.
them wait ten or twelve dsys. The Bank of England is required
by te statute
make immediate payment at the rate of 77s. 9d.
per ounce or gold born. Gonsequently, th 'lank of Englflnd
gets -,11 the gold. Ne should do the same th . It would automatically give us the control of '41-go1d mjortations.
to
Alfred Aiken writes me that he is urgi4lifn early .conference of Governor and wants o kno f I will sugg t topics
be to take the lost pro..
an w I
to you. I thought the bes
gram and select every topic on
e nlen
These will give the c f
cc:salty for disposi
only other sugiiesti
letter I maiylfri
mette
final action war not
taken.
do and indicate the ne-
that appear on the
program. The
thPt 1 a make are those contained in a
Yr1
before yeserday
1c1 I would like
particulr ly the necessity for a permanent organimote uniformity of methods, etc.
zation to s udy and
Jay will be interested in the enclosed copy
I am also enclosing
of a tolegrnr just received from Thrburg.
copy of my letter sent in reply.
I am really delighted with the progress in the Transit
to emphasi
Department.
The figeres make an imposing show.
We must now
means of bringing in all the state banks in our district
to a par remittance basis and then our part of the work will be
find
3J. F. Curtis, Esq.
done.
The rest is just avF!chinry and organization.
Best regards to all at the office.
Siticerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, 12sq.,
Secretary, Yederal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BSPCM
Form 1207
CLASS OF SERVICE DESIRED
Fast Day Message
WESTERN UNION
iessage
TEL
Night Letter
Patrons should mark an X opposite the class 0 service desired:
OTHERWISE THE TELEGRAM
WILL BE TRANSMITTED AS A
nAY MESSAGE.
I
WitilV
T
Check
AM
Time Filed
NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT
Send the following telegram, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
To
UNION
E
40/
Da- Letter
Ni.t
'VVESTE
Receiver's No.
Denvor,
27,
191_
191.11.
-,
Car
TP1P7r,,,
Stop.-Every detail originnl Brown contra
es
tiLl Wil Lit
13-MWrde-
y nu, ijUJ. stop. Copies 0
.6LmIIL ,cweer1
witn-n
DER'S ADDRESS
OR ANSWER
us11W,1
anJ ac.eptor arsCl a
ot,-6wc-,on holds:
incti daya. Ctop.Thcre is no prunibi Liun
againat acaopi SENDER'S TEL, oy.n
PHONE NUMBER
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE F.,LOWING TERMS,
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating office for comparison. ka s- this.
If the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEGRAM AND PAID FOR AS
sideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, beyon
_ amount
:d for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond fifty times the in received
iding the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines; nor for errors in cipher or obscure
'as.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, of this telegram, whether
by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby valued, unless a greatervalue is stated
hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or agreed to be pail based on such value equal to one-tenth of
r cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary 4,- reach its
ttion.
Teleffams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in other cities or
Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at hisexpense, endeavor to
et for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram is sent to such office
of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose ns the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the telegram is
ith the Company for transmission,
Special terms governing the transmission of messages under the classes of messages enumerated below shall apply to messages in each of such respective classes in addition to all
?going terms.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
' DAY MESSAGES
ull-rate expedited service.
IT MESSAGES
epted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the night
elivered not earlier than the morning of the ensuing business day.
LETTERS
leferred day service at rates lower than the standard day Inesrates as follows: One and one-half times the standard Night
r rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of
itial rate for each additional 10 words or less.
SPECIAL TERMS APPLYING TO DAY LETTERS:
further consideration of the reduced rate far this special "Day
." service, the following special terms in addition to those enu-
Letter shall be delivered on the day of its date absolutely and at all
events; but that the Company's obligation in this respect is subject
to the condition that there shall remain sufficient time for the transmission and delivery of such Day Letter on the day of its date during
regular office hours, subject to the priority of the transmission of regular telegrams under the conditions named above.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. for delivery on the morning of the ensuimE;
business day, at rate § still lower than standard night message rates, as
follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be charged for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard day rate for 10
words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or less.
ed above are hereby agreed to:
Day Letters may be forwarded by the Telegraph Company as a
ed service and the transmission and delivery of such Day Letters
all
subordinate to the priority of transmission and
Ty ofrespects'
regular telegrams.
Day Letters shall be written in plain English. Code language
permissible.
This Day Letter may be delivered by the Telegraph Company
Thoning the same to the addressee, and such delivery shall be a
ite discharge of the obligation of the Telegraph Company to
This Day Letter is received subject to the express understandd agreement that the Company does not undertake that a Day
SPECIAL TERMS APPLYING TO NIGHT LETTERS:
In fur:Cher consideration of the reduced rate for this special "Night
Letter" service, the following special terms in addition to those
..
enumerated above are hereby agreed to:
Night Letters may at the option of the Telegraph Company
be mailed at destination to the addressees, and the Company shall
be deemed to have discharged its obligation in such cases- with respect
to delivery by mailing such Night Letters at destination, postage
prepaid.
Night Letters shall be written in plain English. Code language
is not permissible.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foreoing.
Form 1207
.',OF.SERVICE DESIRED
Dav Letter
UNION
WESTERN UNION
lessage
Ni;
I
TI
Fast Day Message
Receiver's No.
Night Letter
Patrons should mark an X opposite the class of service desired;
OTHERWISE THE TELEGRAM
WILL BE TRANSMITTED AS A
TEL
wv.wiziw
Cheek
AM
Time Filed
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
FA', DAY MESSAGE.
Send the following telegram, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
To
191_
1
-except
,,ec4
fifty t
Ther11 ;,F7;
rohibit by re4p1mtion fmnk, yins own tiaceptcnce
unwerrant,,1 4TA ,rfn,-pn(!p. with rig}14, nf insiiilatinn in - ntact it
ruled.
-ton.
,re
renewal with guarantee of discount was
r. stop.
really point
wo,,Lil be
of contention in Brown
credit and the
principal wee accepted
;i1;,rd in Hamlin's letter above mentioned. Stop.
'Aree renewals with
guarantee of discount have been approved, why not five? Stop. Imiortant
out
Fhould not cbrcudo argumnt with,4revieving -11 correondence
randa in
and nrIrno-
riles or t is subject.
Beni. Strong.
4
SENDER'S ADDRESg'
FOR ANSWER
ntvie
Boulevard.
SENDER'S TELEPHONE NUMBER
York 13013
IN sage&
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating office for comparison. For
the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEGRAM AND PAID FOR AS SUC
sideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, beyon,'
e amount
si for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond fifty times the
a received
iding the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines; nor for errors in cipher or obscure
ms.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, of this telegram, whether
by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby valued, unless a greatervalue is stated in
g hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or agreed to be pai-i based on such value equal to one-tenth of
T cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary to reach its
ition.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in other cities or
Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at hisexpense, endeavor to
et for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram is sent to such office
o of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose r.s the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the telegram is
ith the Company for transmission.
Special terms governing the transmission of messages under the classes of messages enumerated below shall apply to messages in each of such respective classes in addition to all
'going terms.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
AY MESSAGES
till-rate expedited service.
iT MESSAGES
!epted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the night
elivered not earlier than the morning of the ensuing business day.
LETTERS
leferred day service at rates lower than the standard day mesrates as follows: One and one-half times the standard Night
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of
itial rate for each additional 10 words or less.
SPECIAL TERMS APPLYING TO DAY LETTERS:
further consideration of the reduced rate for this special "Day
" service, the following special terms in addition to those enu-
Letter shall be delivered on the day of its date absolutely and at all
events; but that the Company's obligation in this respect is subject
to the condition that there shall remain sufficient time for the transmission and delivery of such Day Letter on the day of its date during
regular office hours, subject to the priority of the transmission of regular telegrams under the conditions named above.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to 2.00 AM, for delivery on the morning of the ensuing
business day, at rates still lower than standard night message rates, as
follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be charged for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard day rate for 10
words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or less.
K1 above are hereby agreed to:
,SPECIAL TERMS APPLYING TO NIGHT LETTERS:
Day Letters may be forwarded by the Telegraph Company as a
xl service and the transmission and delivery of such Day Letters
all respects, subordinate to the priority of transmission and
In further consideration of the reduced rate for this special "Night
Letter" service, the following special terms in addition to those
Day Letters shall be written in plain English.
Night Letters may at the option of the Telegraph Company
be mailed at destination to the addressees, and the Company shall
y of regular telegrams.
)ermissible.
Code language
['his Day Letter may be delivered by the Telegraph Company
phoning the same to the addressee, and such delivery shall be a
te discharge of the obligation of the Telegraph Company to
Phis Day Letter is received subject to the express understandagreement that the Company does not undertake that a Day
enumerated above are hereby agreed to:
be deemed to have discharged its obligation in such cases with respect
to delivery by mailing such Night Letters at destination, postage
prepaid.
Night Letters shall be written in plain English. Code language
is not permissible.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
Denver, Colorado*
October 27th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
lours of the 23rd, enclosing :re. M aren'e policy and
mine, is just received. I am very grateful f r this evidence of
esteem from the bank. The policy in returned
h this o that
it can be put with the others in the tin box.
delivered
Mrs. Moliaree,e.
Your advice that Mr R v nek
proposed acceptance
credit running for two years h e
proved by the Reserve
Board mekee me laugh.
size, this is a gnat comm
pared
with
9o-the-basis
el.
certainly is the came.
for the boner
iv-Germ
is the cese
e\\
f7
the french
the basis of principle, this
The sto #ge of hides in the Argentine
7/
aommCr e after the war, as I understand
this credit, is a very long way from a traneaction
in which an
evelopme
\
ested and is \Sk
f American business
or commerce is inter-
on//way from creating selfeliquidating paper.
Incidentally, I have been told that warehouse
laws in
the Argentine aee no good and that, with a few exceptions,at Buenos
raises the
most predatory and vicious rats on the face of the earth. The leathAyres, their warehouses are worse
end that Argentine
er may he eaten up before two years elapse.
Very truly yours,
3. F. Curtis, Req.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Denver,
Colorado,
October 27th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Various telegrams have cone from Mr
y about the
French credit and the attitude of the Federal\ eeerve Board,
and this morning I received yours of the 26th'114 hich I have
replied in two telegrams as per
n
confirmations.
mail/i4ngs 1 g letter from Warburg
/7
expressing his view which is ten lyy that these long tithe fiy involve guarantee of
-ERA. who
nance credits are unso
high r te we may impose at the Fed
diecount, no matter
era/ Reserve Bank, t cannot s ibly be effective in shifitng
This morning's
I
f this character to
the burden of,dircouAi
banking
tutions.
foreign
I won't send you a copy of his letter
tiees hea d the whole argument directly from him.
There is s Sthinei it, if I ma.y say so., but not very much.
The importance to this country of negotiating credits of all
you d
Y1as
characters abroad just now cannot be exaggerated and 1 think
Warburg is inclined to advance arguments in opposition which
would apply in times of peace but are minor considerations in
such times as the present.
You are also familiar with my views about tnis matter
and I won t elaborate on them
here.
One serious blunder was
-2To
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Oct. 27, 1916.
made, however, and concerning
that I am writing Mr. Treman.
The bankers who negotiated the credit had no business to put
those two paragraphs in their
out
that
confidential circular
the drafts were eligible
arrange for their sale to Yederil
and that state
reserve banks.
pointing
banks could
It was
quite contrary to the spirit of all our disc
ions with Brown,
Kent and Sonbright's people.
had secured ap...
proval,
Furthermore,
given rather reluctantly,
a n under credits
of 9r-at
,
providing for three renewals; no such approval
given for
drafts
drawn under age.
ver
becn
roviding for five re..
newals, and this alone was a
ydeparture from the terms
of the earlier
a prudent
credits to neces
inquiry before assumin )0.asin4t uIf I
banker making
were in New York
N\
I would like to disci
ine Kent\a bit about being so premature
and taking so much f
granted./
advice from
thing
I await with interest some
Ili: situation before
ut
furt
regards
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Secretary, Federal Reserve
Equitable Building,
New York City.
Bank,
sending any-
IrWIS1117
TEL
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
;EORGE W. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
FILED
RECEIVER'S No.
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
I CHECK
ITIME
SEND the following Telegram, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
TO
Denver, Colo.,
274
19L__
1
ADDRESS
Digitized SENDER'S
for
FRASER
FOR
ANSWER
%;arc
.
.ederal Reserve noqrd, Washington, ,
arras tc1e6ram jerAie writs me fully Lttitu ,e
r,garding French credit and reseons for cr,r)oedti
Elnj'iron.
SENDER'S TELEPHONE NUMBER
L;n1
ALL TELE RAMS
BY
HIS COMP
T TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
ARE SU
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should o er it REPEATED, th i, telegra-med back to the originating office for comparison.
or this, one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face. TIGS IS AN TJNREPEATED TELEGRA
ND
AID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
I. The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, beyond the
mount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond fifty times
he suns received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines; nor for
env' in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, of this telexam, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS at which amount this telegram is hereby valued. unlea,
, greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or agreed to be paid be.,tr2:
in such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary to
'each its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in other
3ities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at his
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram iasent to
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the tele
gram is filed with the Company for transmission.
-
7. No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
INCORPORA/ ED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initfal rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate to the
priority of transmission and &livery of regular telegrams. Must
be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters re.7i subject to
express understanding that the Company only Ln ertakes delivery
.
of the same on the day of their date subject to condition that
sufficient time remains for such transm 'ssion and delivery during.
regular office hours, subject to priority ofthe transmissiofi of redular
telegrams.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning of the next
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night telegram
rates, as follows: The st a ndord day rate for 10 words stf be charged
for the transmission of 50 words,or less, anctone-filth of such standard
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each addit;onal 10 words or
less. Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible. Mail delivery, postage prepaidpermissible:
Denver, Colorado,
October :Arth, 1916.
.'ERSONAL.
My deaf Judge:
wp,s interrupted in dictating my rp y to yours of
.1rd and really did not finish it.
I
T.aa
Of courhe, nothing crfr. bedo4;w-nor
that know ne Frank Polk
partment until after election, but
nofficial and informal
siness in a peroonal way
as you do, it might bepossible
That with him explaining the pr po
,nd
ater ongrt.
pri:Tarc his rind for it
a trip lc Lkshington
myi/iat tti
sea
I would almost risk
to put up a strong
rangement vetoed.
fight rether than risk
y last letter in conclusion
iiht 1 want
was thiat your/cpArciate
/
becauee he i
he State De-
for
he Presidency is a lame duck; first,
IA/
cond, because he does nothing but quack.
lame and
This morning \read a t tement
Wnien he enve out at Ogdensburg,
entitled "My k;osrieption of the Presidency" in which he erlys he
--- `'
would undertake to
maintain peace "by a firm and courteous insist-
ence on the rightsof our
he means te emphasise
of a remark
Ciii20/12 at home and abroad."
thecour1eous".
I suppose
I mm reminded a little bit
reported to have been made by the English Foreign Office
in commenting on
rnstorff's activities here,to th.) effect that
the English Government needed no propaganda in America as long as
To
J. F. Curtis, Esq.
Beetorff was allowed to talk.
long as Hughes is allowed to talk.
Oct. 30, 1916.
Wilson needs no campaign as
1
m beginning to think
that it will be a miracle if he is elected.
We are having gorgeous weather here.
I wish cir-
cumstances were such that we could put in 36 holes every day.
Instead of that, I am starting today to take Fonch lessons.
Sincerely yours.,
J. T. Curtin, seq.,
Federal aeserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
November 1st, 1916.
Dear
1
.
Curtis:
Yours of the 23th reporting in deta on the French
credit J4atter bar just reaehed me. I am vc sorry my original telegrcm wac garbled in transmissior. 1, struck me from
the inquiriee you sent that neither you n:r Ja e ld have
read over the previous mcmorande a
respondence in detail
before going to Washirgton,
hat
n ained answers to a num-
ber of the questions asked.
Two things st
that Kent and his a s
two paragranhe in tie
the Board
whole matter.
One is
d hestily in putting those
1 circuler, end the other that
as and inadvisedly in sending out
the tele;
they did to the Reserve Agents. Between the two,
the whole i 7 diva e tly has been botched.
gumente, as you repeat them, might he all
__
well enough in normal times and besiees that .his argument that
bills should be drawn in such a way that they can be driven home
when money rates advance here won't
ed to the money market which is
Secauee the drawing of
hold water.eolief is afford-
under pressure to some extent
finance bills becomes unprofitable end
floating capital moves to
the market where high rates prevail and is invested there in
is defer:ed, but principally because
To
J. F. Curtis, 'sq.
Nov. 1, 1936.
bills thus reducing interest rates.
If we have a bried dis-
count market and the bankers of the worle ere willire,i; to trust
us to pay our debts in Eold, relief from high rates will be afforded to our market by having foreign banker send their money
hereto invest in just such bills as these Freneh bills.
Kent is right in seying that what e are ecing o-day
to finance our present tree is noe.mal under r sent conditions
nonce it must
because the trade ie ebnormel end the
l thine ha eccmc normel.
be abnormal. In other words, abro
I am sure you ere mist
tying that the guarantee
cre4tt74as
6L discount feature of the B
tior of my correspondence
the Board and think a careful ex
with Warburg and all t
never discussed with
pendence with the Board,
1
etc., wilL disclose ht this w e all covered end understood.
You will, I think,
the credit
that t
iscussion of this feature of
in Ntieate_cetrious phrase in Hamlin's
letter
in which tie Board rulvel that section 5200 of the revise l stat1
utes would o y apiyJi4i
meet them a
tur
case the drawers of the bills failed to
and the
commercial credit become in fact
a debt of the drawer tc the acceptor.
Do not hesitate to look
through my personal files if you think it worth while to see what
I. wrote Warburg on the eubject and what he
ker will know where to find
wrote
me.
Miss Par-
the letters.
I. agree with Warburg that the practice which has devel-
oped in this country by
which
acceptors hold their own bills is
To
J. F, Gurtiu, Esq.
a bad one in normal times.
all of these bills.
101/. 1, 1916.
I would like to bee then, market
vA.; effort tc have thut done
in both the Brown and aonbright credits. As to the Board's
having no knowledge of the guarantee cf discount, i cannot
swallow that for a minute. That agreement was in thbir hands
and we have every reason to believe from the orrespondence
2,11-. Warburg
that it was vary carefully studied, at least
and probably by the others.
sorry the
i'hank you very much fur y
letter.
affair proved a fiasoo.
We made
Again iat me sugge
let
rgan, in bars if that can
to retain the gold purchased
fro
-
Off i e churgaa.
be done without incur
it of value to have
aould make every effort
' bars lar on.
:et rogue \'40 all o
you.
very
y youro,
3. Y. Curtis, as
,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equjtable Building,
New York City.
Yie
wi.11 find
NovemLer let, 1916.
Dear Judge:
The list of p ate bner:!hi ch-/
you sent to does not state the names of air
/I
firms, which would be necessary in moking
statement for WrtehIngton.
I know them
all except the thirteen
list.
':ould you mind an
to adJ the names
11
sen6 them to me
ncerely y
KS
F.
rt:,.e, w
...
AkJ.
Fe d er\3.
_ez, Benk ,
EquitARanding,
New York City.
Bspcm
e attached
of the boys
ye firms and
November 8th; 191(%
Dear Judge:
lours of November 3rd regarding my letter to Pallain
has been read very carefully and I
suggestions are very much
find, as always, that your
to the point.
The chan6ea have all
been mede and i am now returning the original letter which I
have signed, together with two spare copies.
can understand how you misunderstood the suggestion
consideration of this subject by my associates in 'eashington. The letter was a little deceptive in that respect.
about
have never eubmitted the matter tth
Washington, either formally
or informally, nor would I do so except through the benk.
What
I intended to say and should have said, was that no specific
transaction was possible until a general
and we had
ruling had been made
the neceeeery authority to do busirees.
On the other
hand, it is unnecessary and really undesirable tc expose the workings of our complicated machinery to our prospective foreign correspondents and I really should
not have
Pallain the impression in my letter that
been guilty of giving
every time we wanted to
buy some bills we would have to get permission tth turn around. I
think your suggestions very much improve the letter and I am
grateful to you for giving it careful thought.
2
Jo
Mr. Curtis.
Nov. 8, 1916.
As having some bearing en this matter, I am occupying
part of three afternoons a week out here tp_king French lessons
and maybe some day, with +he assistance of my eleven year old
daughter who speaks French quite well, I may be able to order a
meal, if not nego+iate a banking connection, in French.
'Incerely yours,
Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BCPCM
November Gth, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Thanks for yours of the 30th.
I am glad to get the last news abou
tho French
deta.Lis wnich have also come to me from Warbu g
credit
he important
thing is really that public discussion/with inevltable critieism
and possibly abuse, has been avoid
Thank you for advising
I have read Mr. har
the letter to Cokayne.
1g'sgØéesa and do not get the
same impression that you do about ouk foreign arrangements.
vcr, r at 1444t
iiarding is strongly du
/
him Of concluding the arrangerets
Mr.
wasp when I last saw
promptly and I hope we can
take it up right afte'\ lectio .
i to sea that more of the United States 3s
had
are
being sold
The Sys e:- holds too many and we will be glad to
have the c
later
I
This-iae ,v
heavy mail day so I will add no more now.
Best regards to you all.
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Fsq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BSPCM
16
November 14th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Thank you very much for yours of he 10th which seems
to straighten out all the insurance matter and I will ask
en i arrives.
Mrs. TcLaren to write up the reg
uld hardly
the only question arising
My experiences with accident insuranc
Justify continuing such p
as to Mr. Coe would be
that I have treated Mr.
intention of doing.
policies run of
t might b
rest for the m ent.
Sincerely yo
J.
Cu
re ral Reserve Ba
Es
table Buildin
N
York City.
cies and 1 really feel
le shabbily which I had no
sing to let the accident
ell to let the matter
November 14th, 1916.
Dear Mr. Cann:
am grateful to you for the in o caution sent
with yours of the 10th concerning which I
ask a couple of questions:
e--
in
stand
bullion, $135,000,000.
held in th
this
was
t I want is the toin th
n and bulli
applies to
,e
interpret to
that
d States, or simply
the holdings of t
The
in
d gold coin and
tie Chronicle January 11
tal suppiy of
first
tatement publi
question, you say the Treasur
the total stock
nt still to
2
not the Tr
United States.
second
I
questien which
Bury holdings,
(includ-
ificates), but the total
sto
in the country.
Don't both
Ban
about the silver holdings of the
of England.
ou keep
well and busy end happy and
send my best regards.
Faithfully yours,
H. V. Cann, Esq.,
lederal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/Veli
November 14th, 1916.
Dear Ir. Curtis
This is in reply to the Weekly Rs.rt of November 9th.
I will be glad to read the Commit
e report of the dis-
cussion of finance bills.
address I
The course propesed respecting Mr. Th
think is wise.
I find. Kenz
s repor n various acceptance decularly his account of his
velopments most interesti
visit wiih Mr. Dar
only get the Board to deal
ter, we may beat out
in a broad way
those
London b
s in the long
gument can be
t wil
in rate
have
strongly emp
it.
n and I do not think the arsized that
it is the difference
er will find its level and if We
e cheapest money market in the world, we are
going to do
the business so far)s our banking machinery permits.
sub
t of accepta
am
On this
credits, I am for a wide open market.
vor of dealing with the government bond mat-
ter as suggested by Warburg and we can now afford to buy more 2s
and go on selling and converting resulting long 3e.
On the oth-
er hand, it wou1,1 be unfortunate to have another scramble such
as occurred a year ago.
Why can't the regular Uraii.O.pd States
Bond Committee handle this for all the banks?
To
Nov. 14, 1916.
Ur. Curtis.
These are all the points in the Weekly Report which
seem to require any comment.
about
Thank you for yours orthe 10th
I will hold it until I get yeurlurther s
and realize
amendment
that the one I son
gestion about an
ou was very
rough.
That National Bank of Commerce hi
credit strikes me
stretch when one
hat it is extend-
as a pretty long
ing credit
for
two years to finance the commer
months
ench
credit
importers,
every dol-
purchase of American prod-
lar of Which will be app
ucts which we
f two foreign
ders that the Board balks
countries, and when one fur
at an 18
the Clayton Act.
are sal
andsome prices,
there is
S amusing, to
feminine "consis
a
say the
least.
ose bonds to Chicago is straightare sometimes a little too smart.
I am
ened out.
Thos
Best regards
6
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
.anks for your
cerely yours,
letters.
November 22nd, 1916.
Dear Ur. Curtis:
otter of the 17th.
Thank you very muce for your 1
was glad to hear just what had been doing
Is it not strange that th
other r
matters as -Leese 7Inited States bo a transaetio
-able to apprehend the spirit
conducted!
It is all righ
ia a criminal and heinous
tread on
erve banks in such
eem entirely un-
these oeerati
s should be
tread on our toes, but it
happen inadvertently to
p to straighten out the govern-
theirs.
character enough to ignore
eent bond business
the Uomptroller'
tatter
;arburg
hold this nersonal view, I think
nwithstan
out a
eference to L
op a
fferential bet
have
r.
others may not fully coincide
to-day which pose
with.
addressed to
.
Warburg we can afford to gradually develn
commercial and financial bills which
renewal pp
right about the investment allotments.
have now reeched the point where dividend liability should be takead
en into consideration,
consequently, net earnings should be the
fiiiies on one side and expellees, plus dividende, on the other
sidett
-
-2Nov. 22, 1916.
Jr. Curtis.
To
Those humorous remarks of yours sometimes make trouble.
They remind me of the old fashioned quinine pills which we used
licorice and sugar - it
to take covered with
was fatal to chew
them.
You hage never finally written me
misunderstanding of
bout that curious
aarantee of dis-
the Board's in regard to
count in the Brown and Bonbright cc
now that it was
its
made clear to the Board and I would like to see
in our office
written evidence of that fact
ar. Trem
of these delegations of :p
day about the aCvisability
I wrote
ers going to Nashington.
There are both advantages and d
We want all the coopera-
take to have suc
d hut we do not want to create
tion possible wi
nagement of the Reerve Bank is
the impress
a Board 250
way.
,That you wr te me qbout
would
ike to get at
and Yr.
vantages, but on the whole, I
ntages and it is a mis-
think the disadvan
vested
eman ough
Starek is
most intereRting.
facts of the matter.
Jay
o have it constantly in rind that at the
representations should at once be made to the
?lashington in regard to the appointment of a successor.
our district,
a matter of greatest importance to the bank and
5.
You and
I
ion of any change in the office of examiner in
very first
in
,e scrap of
Board
It is
nothing should be
allowed to stand in the way of exerting every influence to get a
a
man like
. iDeabody.
3
To
Nov. 22, 1916.
Mr. Curtiss
About the Sposutia Island Rod & Gun Club share, would
you mind calling up !Ir. Corey, telling him that I had an inquiry
from n friend of one of the members of the club the other day,
and wrote him that I would sell the stock for t,5,000 but I gave
him no option. I suggest your telling UJ- 'orey that if he wants
it, it would be het for him to telegraph m out here at once as
of course, I would prsfer to sell i to him ther th,tfl a stranger.
What you say about the snrier party
the Colonel
ign was
simply confirms my convic*ion
Republican c
wretchedly managed and it
epuhlican party, if it is
going to continue in exi
ome new blood behind their
-candidate.
al's letter to NI'. 7reman
reply fully to y
on, of the Gre
night.
write y
stop (
had ±i
Lyonnais, is expected here tong meeting with him and will
also urge him to
evolope.
the hank to v'-sit with you if he has not already done so.
All answer y.ur letter on the Clayton Act after I have
to study it
heartily for all the news.
Sincerely yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
UNION
\
Forna260
WESTERN UNION
INTEL
RGE W. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
ITIME FILED
'E VER'S NB;
AM
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
1-11
D the following Telegram, subject to the terms
.n back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
iioserva 3aak,
Equitable duilding,
now iork Cit
Accc*- rpj'.5 Jr e
november 30t.a, 1915.
eLA
Certificsto in my box is endorsed. top.
lease d(!illi;:r and aave proceedr poid to my credit at 2an'xers
rust Com.aai.
nenj. Strong.
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERM
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it RUEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the osiginating office for onir
For thi one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEC
PAW FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram,
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of .iny REPEATED telegram, beyond fifi
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines;
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery, of t
gram, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby va uee
is greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or
to be pa
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when nec,
reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Companyis take in %twits dr 5,1)00 population or less, and within one mile of such office
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent a.
expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days aftergram is Sled with the Company for transmission.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH CC IV!
No employee of the Company is authorised to vary the foregoing.
IN
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received sI
express understanding that the Company only undertakes d,
the same on the day of their date subject to condition that
time remains for such transmission and delivery during rq
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
NIGHT LETTERS
DAY LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning (
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard nigl
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of gut
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional
less.
Must be written in plain English. Code langua
Mail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible
missible.
Decel,ber 4th, 1916.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Dear Judge:
With greal fortitude and selfrestra
suppressing any expression of my innermost t
1 have been
t,
ghts on this
pronouncement of the ieeerve Board.'
o
cause of your letter of the 29th which I
so now be-
'as mig
71ad to
get.
g to the
.1hank you very much
matter and for the news abou
f
Spesutia
t'.ontclair,
which is
really cheering.
Now about t
of
t down in the boom
my heart I thi
ndefceeible, illogical and
unsound proceeding
tine.
y have been taken at this
It
thet it waR inspired perily
exhibit so often whcn courage is ceded, and parts by a dee:ire to have a hand in matters
with w h they have r ly no concern; by the latter, meaning
by timi
ofi the kind
*hat inv
re do w
Unfortura
ankers
their money.
1y, opportunity was me.de for them to ti±ke
just this course by Davieron's visit to Washington when he
quite poseibly made some requests which they considered to be
unreasonable.
Ilhese
linketing parties to Washington
good just now and I should have thouget tat
would have learned
it long ago.
do no
Davisson and others
No matter how honest may be
o "-r. Curtis.
Dec. 4, 1916.
their intentions, it always seems to arouse distrust to have
a Wall Etreet man go to Washington askine, for anything.
fear you and I will never live to see the day when this antagoniem will b.s overcome.
At any rate, I can be thankful that I was spared the
humiliation and embarrassment of trying to a .ver quections
from friends whd wished an explanati n of t i extraordinary
,nouncement.
'Then you have time, p
Dnally telling me all the
I hope your '!:,?.shin
the turkey certainly was and 1
joyed it and the th
J. F.
Feder
Equl
Ne
Reserve Bank,
ble Buiiding,
ork City.
down and wri
Lae per-
like to know,
g is a great success;
tell you how much I enhad me in mind.
December 6th, 1916.
Dear Mr. Curtis:
As you made the major contribution t. the Yeekly Report
of Decembcr 1st, I am writing to thank you and
all the information
which it
e o+here
for
contain
Mr. Warburg's action in telephoning you ses me as
rather unusual and
fect of the Board's
indicating p
me concern over the ef-
statemen
uying bills, i, is very dif-
About the bank's poll
ficult for me to arriv
on or
ono
nces are that the
without being right
present call money
atea, reported
will not last and
One difficult
cumulati
matter
to 10 %,
of rates, it would seem to be
course so far as I can
the pro
sterday as from 6
k is qble to go right through
ma
the period
make any suggestion
of too large
judge from here.
hich would be experienced is in the acline of any
one name and
there the
on must be handled with the utmost skill
of
The best
end delicacy.
way to meet it, of ccurse, is to
get en-
dorsements and where bills come in with one or more endersers of
good standing, it seems to me our lines can be correspondingly
increased.
On
the other hand, if
the lines
get too
large
with-
out endorsements, it would be just as well to take the matter
up personally with the interested parties,
somewhat as suggested
-2-
To
Dec. 6, 1916.
Mr. Curtis.
by Jim Brown.
If we raise our rates, it should not be the reg-
ular discount rates for member banks, which ought to be a very
steady rate, but rather the rate for open market purchases of
bills, and I would certainly hesitate to cha ge that materially
until our portfolio got considerably larger.
loaded ourselves, undoubtedly sore of the ot e
that are shot of investments would
If we get over-
reserve banks
e increased
proportions temporarily.
Whenever the pronouncun
land matter, won't you asce
State Department took and 1
The turkey wa
Please give my war
J. F.
Fede
Equ
New
BS/VCM
rtis, Esq..
Reser-ye Blink,
ble Buildingm
ork City.
made in the B
k of Eng-
.
f any, position the
all the particulars!
e and greatly enjoyed.
ther contributors.
UNION
YES
4.' 00'. 0
44
''
b,
.
Sin a
-.."'
AI
TTER
NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT
:GE W. E ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
EIVE PS No.
1
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRE
CHECK
1
ID the following Night Letter, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
December 7, 1916.
J. F. Curtis,
Federal Reserve Bank,
New York City.
Jay simply telegraphed State Department decision favorable
without particulars. Stop.
Will prepare necessary letters
and suggestions about procaedure when details received.
Stop.
Meantime suggest advisability Treman discussing mat-
ter at Governors Conference along lilies in my recent letters.
Benj. Strong.
Charge Paid,
Benj. Strong,
4100 Vontview Boulevard,
Teleokone York 1308.
Decenber 7th,
Dear Judge:
111W-
I am sending e che k for
nay last ronth's charge st the Piping
useure.theA it origi
sr appetite.
Since
i.0urti
Federal R
Esq.,
rye Bank,
quitable uilding,
Ne
CM
ork
8
0 to
ith yoUr third
Decembei 7th, 1916.
My dear Judge:
It was very good of you to write we
the
o fully about
ruling of the Federal Reserve Boa d mentiu d in my 1e4-
ter of October 18th
to Mr. Treman.
esses me
'.:he matter
somewhat as follows
old in the hands of
The present method
the reserve agents and notes
g against it undoubt-
edly was based upon recommendatio
accountants of the
or. recommendetions
Board in the first
No doubt the account-
of Gounuel as to
according 4o
ants arrived at t
ing
methods,
his opir
n
not co
ect anyway.
. ency
this
lie the Federal
Federal
+ions of
tion to redcem
a practical
include the
plan of accounting which the
As an accounting matter, the plan is
in support o
sired to adopt
rect obi
reserve notes are di-
Government, t}
primary obliga-
ie notes still rests upon the-Teserve banks as
matter,
notwithstanding
that their books do not
notes as a direct liability.
or inaccuracy arises in regard to the
gold- is se i aside
The same ircorsist-
gold itself.
in the custody of the reserve
it would be impossible for
mitted to Elliott, who gave
ch it
Board
accounting
the bank to convey
:dine
agents,
absolute title to
-2
To
Dec. 7, 1916.
Mr. Curtis.
the reserve agents without any right of recovering ownership
of the gold so long
the notes.
somewhat analogous to the
It is
ehant.who draws a draft on his
The banker
nker.
esent
accounting method is
show their liability on
wrong because res
As an asset the gold they
ding
from rese:
As to the le
ia really con
entirely
at all of t
the transae-
et it with an asset in
t the dl.aft.
the shape of cash p
banks m
ant,
would show a liability
for the amount of the draft and
can rec
The in
bank in
tion, if he kept his books
notes outs+
e, entitled
He is, of c
upies the position o
I am con
son the drawer
for aome r
to a return of the fund held by
argum
deposits money
banker to enable him to meet the dr f.
accepts the draft, but at maturity
of the draft himself pays it off,
who
case of a mer-
hanker in favor of a creditor
and either at the same time, or subseeuentl
with his
obligated on
as the reserve banks remain
s when they redeem their notes.
aspect of the mater, I think your
In order that the reserve
usive.
echarge
from their books any record
- outstanding, and gold held against them,
it would have b,en
reserve banks might
statute to state that
"extinguish" their liability on these
necessary for .;.he
notes by depositing gold with the reeerve agents instead of
stating as it does that
that operation.
they may "reduce"
their liability by
-3'r0
Mr. Curtis.
Dec. 7, 1916.
On the whole, I am rather sorry that the Board pursued the policy which has now proven to be unouccessfu/ of
asking Congress to amend
deal
the
statute without trying first to
with it by different accounting methods Ind possibly
is unwise to attempt to chenge after
Beard's recommendation.
May it not be wort
to submit this correspondence
Board for their
Congres
bile, however,
consideration!
is the doubt
whether we could count the
ifferent bookkeeping
method were adopted.
ficelly pledged to redeem
odd be ,=ccomplished
specific notes, it
by any change.
r to
reserve agents as part
of our general reserve even
now what you think about
particular p
is
ast night an
The
snowfal
ahead
t from here.
is every
us.
Many thanks f
your letter.
thfully yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal i-.eserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
has refused th-te.,
the Reserve
or a s
The one point that tr
this
,
We had a little
aT,pearance of cold weather
December 8th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Just a word about the program for t
In general, I think
item 6 which are really
there are a lot
detail and
time and could
up the Governors'
Conference:
headings under
flowed to take
be disposed
a
meetings
of transit men, auditors, etc
I am greatly impr
lishing uniform rules
the
governin
collection depart
not followed in th'
ter on and I shou
be covered by agre
e necessity of estab-
ixing of cost of handling
uniform practice is
ism i bound to develop lah time that this matter
banks or by a ruling of the
Reserve B
Item (h) to me is a red flag.
o open
to be,
incline
the d
to recommend.
of any cla
be studied in
It is far too soon
as wide as some of the
Governors seem
The matter of immediate availibility
should mot be dealt with alone, but should
connection with the whole subject of domestic ex-
change.
A Committee of Governors should
with the matter of
be appointed to deal
numbers on checks, taking it
the American Bankers Association.
district
up through
-2
To
Mr. Curtis.
Dec. 8, 1916.
Item 6 (n) suggested by Mr. Miller is a very dangerous
It seems to me that on no account should the reserve banks
one.
deal with the matter on a charity basis.
There is no
necessity
for enlarging the argument.
item (s) should be dealt with by
nding committee
to which committee all reports of suggested ch
made whenever queEtions arise about
ges should be
is committee
could come to the Governors Conferences with defin
suggest-
Otherwise, much time is
ions.
item 4, which 1 pre
o the
special committee
of 25, I would like to see d
if possible, by a joint
committee of the
and the Federal
Federal
Banks, bringing the
bee
44411%
direct,
Reserve
contact
with
the whole system.
Item 9 i
Reserve Agent
tify
j
i
t has been referred to the
otion
by both
Item 12,
forget t
tion is
fficiently important to jus-
but
nizations.
I h ve already telegraphed you about.
Don't
t if the matt
assumes such importance that such ac-
fied, I
d not hesitate to pull out of here af-
j
ter the holidays and make a hurried trip to Europe, say with
Aiken, or some of the other Governors as collaborater to wind
up the arrangements over there, and I do not believe the doctor
would object very seriously.
Item 20.
urging caution
this matter.
1 have written
in any method or general propaganda employed in
I greatly fear that no permanent good can be ac-
complished by directing a stream of
la". Treman from time to time
gold
certificates to the
-3To
Mr. Curtis.
Dec. 8, 1916.
reserve banks until the character of our note issue is changed.
The gold simply goes in and out of the reservebanks without any
trap in which to retain it and with only expense to the System.
What could be done, however, and without excit ng much comment
would be to agitate the question of having me
proportion of their reserves with the r
thereby creating a trap, so to sneak
larger
banks keep a
erve banks,
ations of gold
and just the minute that propoganda developebresul
caused any considerable accumul
liver certifi ates and
United States notes, that su
made about sorting this
money soas to keep down the a
the form of silver and 1
This is a
cept to wish you f
deep regret that
J. F. Cu
1718 H. S
Washington,
BS/VCM
on of excess reserve in
t the program exs and again to express my
December 11th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
The certificate books have arri
will ttvrt signing them tome in blank,
good-plan for me to sign
should be so
if so, how many do
signed!
Faithfull
J. F. Cur
4 Esq.,
Federal R erve Bank,
ble
'lding,
1ew York C
rm,
Form 1201
SERVICE
SYMBOL
lessage
_
ter
Night Message
WESTE
ce
47PAEN
Blue
UNION
WESTERN UNION
Nite
Night Letter
NL
If none of these three symbols
appears after the check number of
words) this is a dcmessage. Otherwise its charar - is indicated by the
g after the check.
symbol at,
TEL
AM
N EWCOM B CARLTON, PRESIDENT
GEORGE W. E. ATKINS. VICE-PRESIDENT
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
RECEIVED AT
CLASS OF SERVICE
SYMBOL
Day Message
Day Letter
Blue
Night Message
N ite
Night Letter
NL
If none of these three symbols
appears after the check number of
words) this isa day message. Otherwise its character is indicated by the
symbol appearing after the check.
December 11, 1916.
J. F. Curtis,
bhoreham Note],
Washington, D.C.
It is a grerA disap intment to be unable to attend your conference
Denver offers m!ny
Which I hope will be most successful. '-top.
attractions for the nrxt meeting hich I could certairly,ettend
Please giv the boys
if held here or not too far away. Stop.
my best wither for a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.
401.
Benj. Strong.
Charge Paid
Benj. Strong,
4100 Montvie, Boulevard.
Telenhone York 1308.
WESTE
UNION
TTER
NIGH
CHECK
TIME FILED
RECEIVER'S No.
BELVIDERE BROOKS. VICE-PRESIDENT
NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT
EORGE W FATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
END
the following Night Letter, subject to the terms
on hack hereof, which are hereby agreed to
FormV2284
DAY LETTER.
Dec. 12, 1916.
J. F. Curtis,
Shoreham Hotel,
Washington, D. C.
Agree wisdom discussing foreign matter confidentially with governors
alone. Stop.
Personally am opposed concluding arrangements abroad
without final sanction Res'eriu
ridicule and humiliation to
Board. Stop. It would expose us to
conclude all details
and then have
Board withhold final authority.
Benj. Strong.
Charge
raid,
Benj. Strong,
4100
, ontview Boulevard.
ALL NIGHT LETTERS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
The Western r-nion Telegraph Company will receive not la t, than midnight NIGHT LETTERS, to be transmitted only for delivery on the morning
telegram rates, as follows: The standard day rates for ten words shall be charged for t
, day, at rates still lower than its standar,
L,.. pest ensuing I,
te for ten words shall be charged for each additional ten words or less.
is or less, and one-fifth of such standard
transmission of Ii:
" '..r it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating off' .ITcomparisr
-take,
.lays.
the-'
.1
night
h.
To gm,:
LETTI
,therwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED
letter r:,
tul
7 his, om
ite
/icier of the night letter and this Company as follows:
aeTer
,ration
PAID
1.
abl
T]
ne amount r
!ifty
t
.,,ion or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED
ansmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED
r d,
Inv.
21:
ti
11
1:011 cm
any case for delays arising f7 ,T,1 unavoidable interruption in the
or
ion or delivery, or for the non-.:
'deli a-Mount this night let:
.oa, and an additional sum paid or a:
mistakes or delay in the tr:
sum of FIFTY
-ed to the Compa
koti
.inl
- 01rnpany whei
on.'- of
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE.
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
usiness day.
-
DAY LETTERS
-
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day _Letters received
express understanding that the Company only undertal
the same on the day of their date subject to conditions
time remains for such transmission and delivery during
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regul,.
NIGHT I7TTE RS
Accer
ensn'
pro:'
1"11
to m;
for delivery on the morning of
'Ilan standard n
to for 10 won,.
,e prenaid, per.
December 13th, 1916.
Dear Judge:
Thank you for your confidential lett
of the 8th
ond advice of the credit of f-6.20.
SO mu
I am mighty glad that.Mr.
mproved,
similar reporte coming to me als
As requested, I
telEgram to the
hay
ham Hotel about foreign arrn
am replying to the major
vrt
ich I hope is clear, and
of
letter to 1:r. Tremanin or-
der to give finally
what we should nowto
Shore-
best judgeme_t as to
in regardto
reig
correspondents.
he
will show you the
there is a good chance that
en
No. 3 of
to d
must b
cy and a
ur explanati
h the action
very carefully
r a littl
ne announcement had a good deal
the Reeerve Board.
nsidered now in
Proposals for peace
our own matters of poli-
tudy I am going to send some suggestions
on the subjec
thank you very much for your letter.
of the ' ashirgton conference with interest.
Faithfully yours,
J. F. Curtis, Esq.,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Equitable Building,
New York City.
BS/VCM
I await report
2.
To - Mr. Curtis.
December 20, 1916.
This letter is quite confidential and 1 guess you had beeter destroy it.
The combination which caused the trouble was on one side
Davidson's aggressiveness and certain characte
ics of his which
might be described as a little high-handed, buck
'up against the
timidity of various members of the Boar., which i
particularly
liable to be exhibited by those of Hebrew blood.
the fat was in the fire.
Also cc
matters with me in ad-
at times been good enough to
n this case, 1 belt,ve
vance of the event and had t
ncing Jack and Harry that the
could have avoided the episode by
his episode with the
mistake.
trip to Washington
record of the Ariz].
french loan, o
it makes me cry to
hink about it.
also -vo Ha
read, b,
he newspaper
you had written
of
,.ve written Ur.
England
ter and a
just where
position where I
speech
ich you have full
information;
full, which I have not yet
impressed me badly, possibly because
e about Warburg's telephone.
eman a long letter about the Bank of
what similar letter to :,arburg and stand now
of ore - absolutely opposed to putting myself in a
will be subjected to ridicule and possibly serious
criticism, if arrangements were concluded and then consent withheld.
The Bank of France matter will be harder to arrange at both ends, but
I could do it if I were able to go to Paris with
It was just as well
freedom to negotiate.
to take the governors into full confidence
0
3.
To - Mr. Curtis.
December 20, 1916.
in the matter and I hope they were not frightened by the apparent
comprehensive character of the arrangement.
About Seay's proposal, it is exceedingly
ficult for me to
form opinions worth anything or this complicat
without being at home in the thick of it.
ollection matter
I ha
s report and will
study it carefully before writing in
meat unless we have means of cont
then should not be conducted
neerous expertthe developme
.
d even
More on this subject
later.
I continue t'
Play
a little golf
11117 signed all t
I Will finish sho
good repo
om the doctor; he says I can
ther is propitious.
exc nt the 150 blanks, Which
ess unless you advise to the
contrary.
Bee
oards old
t thanks for your letter.
Yours faithfully,
44 ft
Curtis, 1!,sq.,
Podeftl Reserve Bank,
New York City.
Denver, Colorado,
December 24, 1916,
Dear Judge:
My beat thanks for your hand picked let
opening sentence, stating that you were sendi
ment, lod me to suppose that I was
of
the
of the 18th.
The
a gas4 bill for payfor mc; proportion
expenses of the conference.
Enclosed are two more spe
notes, Whic
should go in
'.0Tench Chambe
f Commerce
with the others collected by
Mr. Peixeotto.
About the English arrangeae
will be glad to see the matter
really concluded
in mind that our
I have never had any
ransactions wit
thee nominal at
the Bank of Englaad would be more
realize what a' mistake it would be
any such
ding with tee
epder
handicap as even an informal
hat the busineLs to be done would be nominal
in , .unt. It is 14 . measure an emergency plan and would
;
rgency if we
want
.ump our
thought
never work in
we : handicapped' by such an neeerstanding.
I don't
into the London market in unlimited amounts any
more than
in Washington does, but certainly I don't want to feel
that the New York bank cannot be trusted to use some discretion in such a
matter.
Those three lines about your new aboaeaxe too meagre; tell me all
about the apartment, hoe large it is, etc., etc.
ceertments reself some day and 1 like congenial
I may be lookin; for
neighbor.
2.
To - Mr. Curtis.
December 24, 1916.
The most interesting thing in your letter is the last 11 ragraph
suggesting the possibility of your coming out here.
too, it
dould
be delightful i
every way;
u must come alone, it
will still be delightful and try not to disap
The Starek episode makes me la
.
int me.
How
1 do I recall that
day when we had a nice, frank, friendly, little
that was coming down the road
it may have gone over him.
suggestions
Of the t&Agjap for C
think everyone is die'
If Laura could come
about a steam roller
apparently es
his vision -
ctors, named in your postscript,
reason of directorships, with the
possible excentio
We all go
cleaning up mai
Laura se
clos
tely
once more -t
orrow to spend a week and I am
for the present.
hopping and other matters, and in
..ke that visit.
Faithfully yours,
J. F. Curti
Federal Reserve Bank,
New York City.
I am writing
_or
AWESTE UNION
DAY- TER
Form 2580
WESTERNUNION
W. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
.VER.S No
TIME FILED
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
1
COPY.
the following Day Letter, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
Estes Park, Colo., Dec. 28, 1916.
ND
J. F. Curtis,
Federal Reserve Bank, New York.
Greatly relieved by your day letter.
If you see no
objection wish you would cable my regrets to Cunliffe and say we hope
to proceed with arrangements by mail.
Benj. Strong, Jr.
ALL DAY LETTERS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE FOLL.
The Western Union Telegraph Company will receive DAY LETTERS, to be transmitted at rates lower than its standard te
one and one-half times the standard night letter rate shall be charged for the transmission of fifty (50) words or less, and one-filth of the in.
words shall be charged for each additional ten (10) words or less.
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a day letter should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed back to the originating of1,..
For this, one-half the unrepcated day letter rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED
AND PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the day letter and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED day letter,
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED day letter, be
times the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; ner in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of 4
nor for errors in obscure day letters.
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delay in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery
letter, whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this day letter is hem
unless a greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the day letter is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sur
"1 or ag,
paid based on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this day letter over the lines of any other Comptwy when necee
to reach its destination.
Day Letters will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such
other cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his ages
at his expense, endeavor to contract for him for such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning day letters until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices, and if a day letter
to such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the
letter is filed with the Company for transmission.
In further consideration of the reduced rate for this special "DAY LETTER" service, the following special terms are hereby agreed to:
DAY LETTERS may be forwarded by the Telegraph Company as a deferred service and the transmission and delivery of such DAY LETTERS
in all respects, subordinate to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
DAY LETTERS shall be written in plain English. Code language is not permissible.
This DAY LETTER may be delivered by the Telegraph Company by telephoning the same to the addressee, and such delivery shall be a corm
discharge of the obligation of the Telegraph Company to deliver.
This DAY LETTER is received subject to the express understanding and agreement that the Company does not undertake that a DAY LETT
shall be delivered on the day of its date absolutely and at all events; but that the Company's obligation in this respect is subject tothe condition that there
remain sufficient time for the transmission and delivery of such day letter on the day of its date during regular office hours, subject to the priority of the tram,
sion of regular telegrams under the conditions named above.
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPA
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate to the
priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams. Must
be written in plain English Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received subject
express understanding that the Company only undertakes delil
of the same on the day of their date subject to condition 11
sufficient time remains for such transmission and delivery duni
regular office hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regu
telegrams.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on the morning of the
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night teleg
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shall be chat
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such start(
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional 10 worc
less. Must be written in plain English. Code language not
missible. Mail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
COPY
N.ephone Message 8:15 P.M. to B.Strolag,Jr, Room 630-32 from J.S.Curtis, Washington,D.C.
[On envelope, stamped Nov. 17, 1913 The Plaza, 8:20 P.M. 8:22 P.M. Tubes]
1011 will probably be introduced on Thursday.
Vanderlip has been fully advised by
I am leaving tomorrow afternoon unless you wire me to contrary at the
Metropolitan Club.
Alephone.
PAGEI
hS 5%277.J.77,N
NOT I:4 ROOM
TELEPHONE
paiGE
1700
'tvet04"--
TELEPHONE-MESSAGE
J
19/
MI'
TELEPHONE
MESSAGE
TIrret:A.
TIME
M/k'
,
Room
Pa-0
'Y
PLEASE BRING THIS NOTICE TO THE TELEPHONE
)1'
CALL
PLEASE BRING THIS NOTICE f0 THE 7ELEPHONE TOTO
SPEAK TO
TO CALL
TO SPEAR TO
MESSAGE FROM
N
ROoM.
MESSAGE FROM
,
i
\.
,,
7
,
(-e_,(--r,Te
e-
TEL No.
it
"
Form 168
Nir ESTEkASENA
WESTERN UNION
TEL
11.M.
;24 fif
THEO. N. VAIL, PRESIDENT
ALWAYS
RECEIVED AT the WESTERN UNION BUILDING, 195 Broadway, N. (OPEN
Q31 8 W 2 8
WASHINGTON. DC 17
W BENGAMIN'
snoup
BANKERS. TRUST- CO. NET. YORK
SENATOR W HAS. NOT. DECIDED: HOW HE:. WANTS. TO. HANDLE. T. VATTER:. WILL
KNOW TONIGHT HE: ADVISES: AGAINST CARRY ING: IT. TO. THE.' PRESIDENT
WILL. ADVISE. YOU: AGATN: LATER
.J F. CURTIS.
1
.
'
r
111, M ES FREEMAN aURTIS
TELEPHONE MAIN 4235
COUNSELLOR -AT- LAW
53 STATE STREET
ROOM 905
NOV Z 6 1913
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
-).41
Nov. '.ber 25, 1913.
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
Bankers Trust Company,
16 Wall Street,
New York, N. Y.
My dear Mr. Strong:-I have your very kind letter of
November 24th, which I appreciate very much.
I suppose that Mr. Bailey has already
reported to you that we incorporated most of the m4gested
changes which you sent us in Washington in a redraft of
the bill, and also one or two other changes which see-qed
So far as I can
tolimprove the language and grammar.
gather from the reports in the newspapers of the events
in Washington, nothing seems to have come of our efforts.
While there I spoke confidentially to
of Commerce
one of the men in charge of the new Camber
of the United States regarding the plan of having another
this new bill.
poll taken of the members with respect to
countrywide
As you may remember, the Chamber conducted a
poll in connection with the Glass
Owen bill, with the
result that it was overwhelningly endorsed.
I think a
in the future for
similar endorsement might be obtained
However, I
the ne7 bill if it was properly engineered.
to the fact that
did nothing further in this matter owing
Benja,nin Strong, Jr., Esq., --2--
Senator Weeks wanted to handle the bill in a somewhat
different way.
The Secretary of that Chamber of Commerce
is now in Boston recovering from an operation for
appendicitis, and I can easily get in touch with him
alm4-as he is quite a friend of mine, if you should care
to have any action along these lines.
As a matter of personal curiosity, I should
like to hear what, if anything, has happened to the bill
so far, if you have been advised.
Many thanks for your kind invitation for
luncheon, which I shall accept with pleasure on my next
visit to New York.
Yours very sincerely,
1EC.FJvED AT
The Po
TELEGRAM
DELIVERY No.
elegraph-Cable Company (Incorporated)transmits and delivers this message subject to the terms and contlitinns printed on the back of this blank.
el-540
[DESIGN PATENT N
Z 32 :It
D629J
E.3
BOSTON MASS OCT 26-14
BENJAMIN STROMG JR
BANKERS TRUST CO 16 WALL .3T NEWYORK
WILL COM E TO ,NEWYORK WITH PLEASURE TOMORROW MORNING
JAMES F CURTI S
gr
POSTAL TELEGRAPH-CABLE COMPANY-a-THE COMMERCIAL CABLE COMPANY
[1, 2 AND 161
THE GREATEST TELEGRAPH AND CABLE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD.
EXTENDS OVER TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY AROUND THE EARTH.
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH-CABLE COMPANY (INCORPORATED)
TRANSMITS AND DELIVERS THE WITHIN TELEGRAM SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sunder of a telegram should order it REPEATED; that is, telegraphed back to the originating office for comparison.
For this, one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEGRAM AND
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows
I. The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, beyond the amount
received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond fifty times the sum
received f sending the same, UNLESS SPECIALLY VALUED; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines; NOR
FOR ERRORS IN CIPHER OR OBSCURE TELEGRAMS,
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery of this telegram,
whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond fifty times the REPEATED telegram rate, at which amount this telegram, if sent as a
REPEATED telegram, is hereby valued, unless a greater value is stated in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an
additional sum paid or agreed to be paid based on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines ot any other Company when necessary
to reach its destination.
Messages will be delivered free within the established free delivery limits of the terminal office. For delivery at a greater distance a special charge will be made
to cover the cost of such delivery.
No responsibility regarding messages attaches to this Company until the same are presented and accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if any message is
sent to such office by one of this Company's messengers, he acts as the agent of the sender for the purpose of delivering the message and any notice or instructions
regarding it to the Company's agent in its said office.
The Company shall not be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any ccse where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the
telegram is filed with the Company for transmission.
The above terms and conditions shall be binding upon the receiver as well as the sender of this telegram.
NO EMPLOYEE OF THIS COMPANY IS AUTHORIZED TO VARY THE FOREGOING.
CHARLES C. ADAMS, VICE-PRES:DENT.
CLARENCE H. MACKAY, PRESIDENT.
EDWARD REYNOLDS, VICE-PREST AND GENERAL MANAGER.
CHARLES P. BRUCH, VICE-PRESIDENT.
POSTAL TELEGRAPH
RECEIVED AT
CO MERCIAL CABLES
CLARENCE 11. MACKAY, PRESIDENT.
TELEGRAM
DELIVERY No.
The Po tal Telegraph.Cable Company (lncorporated)transmits and delivers this message subject to the terms and conditions printed an the hack of this blank.
."7477-1.0
/ 355 B 8
[DESIGN PATENT No. 40529]
EOSTON MS OCT29=14
BENJAMIN STRONG J R
2-7 PINE ST NEWYORK
REGRET' I ,CANNOT ACCEPT YOUR OFFER AM WRITING
J
OCT2
1914
F CURTIS
POSTAL TELEGRAPH-CABLE COMPANY-Nig-THE COMMERCIAL CABLE COMPANY
AND tel
THE GREATEST TELEGRAPH AND CABLE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD.
EXTENDS OVER TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY AROUND THE EARTH.
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH-CABLE COMPANY (INCORPORATED)
TRANSMITS AND DELIVERS THE WITHIN TELEGRAM SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED that is, telegraphed back to the originating office for comparison
For this, one-half the unrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED TELEGRAM AND
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company as follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, beyond the amount
received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond fifty times the sum
received hr sending t,e same, UNLESS SPECIALLY VALUED: nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its lines NOR
FOR ERRORS IN CIPHER OR OBSCURE TELEGRAMS
In any event the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery of this telegram,
whether caused by the negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond fifty times the REPEATED telegram rate, at which amount this telegram, if Sent as a
REPEATED telegram, is hereby valued, unless a greater value is staed in writing hereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an
additional sum paid or agreed to be paid based on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary
to reach its destination
Messages will be delivered free within the established free delivery limits of the terminal office. For delivery at a greater distance a special charge will be made
to cover the cost of such delivery
No responsibility regarding messages attaches to this Compauy until the same are presented and accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if any message is
sent to such office by one of this Company's messengers, he acts as the agent of the sender for the purpose of delivering the message and any notice or instructions
regardiag it to the Company's agent in its said office.
The Company shall not be liable tor damages or statutory Penalties in any Case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the
telegram is filed with the Company for transmission.
The above terms and conditions shall be binding upon the receiver as well as the sender of this telegram.
NO EMPLOYEE OF THIS COMPANY IS AUTHORIZED TO VARY THE FOREGOING.
CHARLES C. ADAMS, VICE-PRESIDENT.
CLARENCE H. MACKAY, PRESIDENT.
EDWARD REYNOLDS, VICE-PREST. AND GENERAL MANAGER
CHARLES P. BRUCH. VIGE-PRESIDENT.
C".....g4100452m
53 CHESTNUT STREET
Ii
7(0/a( (rr- 7C:ri
J^-C/i7z
a/iAX/1--,k_
C(jejL
re2(eA
ArL---C ,
dze_
tcov,
11,A.
alca
71L,_
7'0
c%4A)--v---lz
/L%
w-c<_6(
c)e
Af774
a
fe4
4_ -4 8-zL.
)eu/.,,J(
fr7P,,,--74/ .1
z_7
ie-A-
Zce,
Arr_e-c
4,-acc(
4-716-1
77-y
1(,(7
ec.tyy-
44-e
e,....44
ikt
szaz117-
fc,-,
A
j-
gt70.4
4r4t-i
et-ze,4
Li
e,
C
CiL24-7,,,_,64
-7t
ze,/e,d,--/6( 74,
4
e"
1E652B 23 CNT PUNCT SF
TD BOSTON MASS 30
RECEIVED
AT
195 B'WAY
NEW YORK
PIERRE JAY ESO-
1552
27 PINE ST NEW YORK
WILL COME IF YOU DESIRE MONDAY THOUGH INCONVENIENT'FOR ME.
C
RECEIVED
AT
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO DISCUSS MATTER BY TELEPHONE OR
LETTER?
195 B'WAY
NEW YORK
'ECEIVED
Digitized3'for
FRASER
WAY
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
YORK
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
JAMES F CURTIS.
Correspondence
FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK OF NEW YORK
Date SPptc.mhpr 17, 1915.
Subject:
Mr. Strong
..rom
Mr. Curtis
CONFIDENTIAL
Governor McDougal dropped in to-day and gave me an account of
events yesterday afternoon in .:7ashington which he thought would interest
you.
He and Governor Fancier attended a meeting of the Board at which
McAdoo presided.
The secretary asked him for his Views on commodity
rates, to which McDougal replied that he was opposed to establishing such
rates, certainly at the present time, as, in the first nlace, he was not
satisfied that commodity 7Dwper was entitled to any preference as a preferred
at
risk, and in the second place, he thought the ratesAdiscounted at his bank
and elsewhere throughout the country were certainly as low as they ought
to go.
The same question was asked of Governor Fancher, with much the
sane reply, which did not seem to meet the approval of those present.
They were also asked about their earnings, to which Yr. McDougal
replied that they were doing what seemed best under the circumstances, although the showing was not very favorable.
The Secretary then asked him
what he thought of assessing the member banks to ma' e up the dop".114.t, to
:which he replied that he hoped no such plan would be given consideration
by the Board as he felt it would be a great mistake.
He also argued that
many commercial banks run behind immediately after organization and that
there should not be any criticism on this score.
The sane question was
asked of Governor Fancher who replied to the same effect, and afterwards
the secretary asked Fancher whether he thought there -:Tas any use of a re-
serve bank in Cleveland anyway.
they both left the meeting feeling some-
what discouraged and with an apprehension that the Board might try to force
the establishment of comLiodity rates by all the banks and Otherwise attempt
to run the banks from 1ashington.
4.1z-ttaa,11
O.- Yr. Harding asked McDougal how he felt about taking more active
,
FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK OF NEW YORK
Correspondence
afteSertember 17, 1915.
Mr. Strong
Subject:
Mr. Curtis
COITFIDENTIAL
- 2-
part in open market operations, by which they explainedthey meant purchase of trade paper from brokers, etc.
He replied that he was opposed
to it at the present tine as he felt that in the existing state of the
money market they ought not to attempt to compete with their member banks.
He stated that some of their member banks had already comnlained that
rates were so low they could hardly make a living.
The#5-)cretary and
Comptroller immediately wanted to know what banks and Er. McDougal said
that he would prefer not to give their names.
Then pressed, he stated
thitone he had in mind was in Peoria, whereupon the Comptroller sent
for all the reports from the Peoria banks, which showed that the interest
rates being charged varied from 5
to 7%.
Mr, McDougal said that he
2444%
thought that was an extremely good showing in view of the 4*00,,,mo4 rates
that had been spoken of in the Comptroller's office and the secretary
agreed that the Peoria banks were all right.
Mr. McDougal also asked
the Comptroller and the Secretary not to make use of such statistics
without making allowance-for the fact that most of the high rates were
on very small loans and did not fairly represent the loan attitude of the
bank.
He also said that the same thing was true
of the statistics
which the Comptroller had obtained with respect to exchange charges.
He stated that a large part of the apparent profit derived from am- ex-
change was in many instances entirely eaten up by the expenses of
operating the exchange or transit departments which had not been charged
in making the AseiAom1a44aa/a.
The secretary and the Comptroller also
admitted that this was probably sound.
J-Fokm
ifs-4
Jr
limckWeA._
AC1-1
4.u_ AC
a,
:1/47,
Az.-.4rt
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
February 28, 1916.
My dear Governor:
Your letter of February 12th is just received, and I am delighted to get some real news from you.
Mrs. Curtis also received
your letter to her this morning, and was delighted to learn that her
outfit had proved of some service, although fortunately not the service for which the rubber neckpiece was originally created.
Over here there is not much news in the banking world, but
a great deal in the political.
Senator Root's speech at the Repub-
lican State Convention here was a very caustic arraignment of the
President's whole foreign policy and will prove, I believe, to be the
basis of the Republican campaign.
It was a great speech and I hope
you have had an opportunity of seeing a copy of it, as I assume you
have.
Last week ,a good many members of Congress, especially in
the House, were overcome by a sudden panicky feeling that we might
really be forced into a war with Germany if the latter insisted upon
killing
Americans upon merchant vessels armed for defense, and if the
President insisted upon saying that that was not quite the right thing
to do.
As a result there was an effort to stampede him away from that
position and to concede that the Germans were quite right in all they
proposed to undertake.
This stampede apparently assumed fairly large
proportions, so much so that various bills were introduced, some to
provide for a resolution warning Americans from sailing on merchant
RAL RESERVE SANK OF NEW YORK
Hon. Benj. Strong, Jr.
.2.
shins armed in any way;
2/28/16.
others requiring the State Department to de-
cline to issue passports to Americans who proposed to sail upon any
such vessels, and others directing the President not to attempt to protect any wicked American citizens who might put the administration in
such an embarrassing situation.
Several conferences were held by Senator Stone, Speaker Clark
and Representative Flood, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of
the House, with the President, and finally the latter settled the excitement for the present by writing an open letter to Senator Stone in
which he declined to take any such course and stated that it was a universally recognized right of merchant vessels to be armed for defense,
and that Americnrs had a perfect right to travel on such vessels, and
that it would be most dishonorable to give up any such rights.
Presum-
ably you have seen the text of this letter complete in the London and
Paris papers.
The really serious part of the situation is that while both
Stone and Flood rallied to the cry of "support the President" they are
each at heart members of the White Feather Brigade and would really prefer to see such legislation go through.
T:ost of the Republicans an-
nounced that they would stand by the President, although Yondell and some
of the others seemed to be in favor of surrendering to the demands of the
Germans.
The situation is, of course, a good deal further complicated by
the Lansing note to the Allies, suggesting that merchant vessels be not
armed and containing the phrase that"this proposal seems so reasonable to
the Government of the United States that it is seriously considering in-
structing its officers accordingly." This memorandum seems to be a pretty
serious blunder, as the Germans will probably feel that they can now go
ahead with a light heart and point to the fact in case of any unfortunate
,/
-SERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Hon. Benj. Strong, Jr.
2/28/16.
ts
already committed to the es-
results that our Secretary of State
sential reasonableness of their programme.
The President has not yet named any Secretary of War, and
everybody is in the dark as to his plans.
The names of Whitlock,
Goethals, Frank Polk, Andrew Peters, Lane and Houston have all been
mentioned, but none of them except Goethals or Whitlock would be received with much enthusiasm.
Henry Ford has become disqualified by
reason of the large advertising campaign he has begun by means of
newspaper broadsides against preparedness.
In local affairs there is not much going on except the
Thompson Investigating Committee, which as you probably know, just
missed putting the subpoena on your friend Jack Morgan as he started
for the Rotterdam, and which is developing the fact that Mr. Shonts
has had his fingers in the till of the Interborough most of the time.
Mr. Louis Brandeis is being tried before a Senate Committee
as to whether he is fit or unfit to be a judge of the Supreme Court.
Counsel have been appointed, Mr. Austin Fox representing the prosecution and Geo. W. Anderson, now U. S. Attorney at Boston, representing
the defendant, and the number of counts in the indictment against him
increases daily.
I'expect that after
a
somewhat bitter wrangle the
result will be a very new, beautiful, and daintily applied coat of
whitewash and the consequent acceptance of the seat by Mr. Brandeis
to the joy of Messrs. Gompers et al and the groans of the "interests."
Over in Massachusetts, Gus Gardner, Grafton Cushing, Chas.
Bird and Robt. Washburn have announced they propose to run as delegates at large in favor of Roosevelt.
The Old Guard, consisting of
Crane, Lodge, Weeks and McCall announce their candidacies for delegates at large, unpledged.
Some think that the first four are not
really very much for Roosevelt, but are trying to sidetrack incipi
4AL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
ent booms
in
4
Hon. Bend.
favor of Weeks or McCall.
Strong, Jr.
2/28/16.
This would not surprise me
very much, and if true would be a good thing.
In New York, Barnes, Wadsworth, Root and Whitman are still
backing and filling, as to what they would like to do.
From the a-
mount of action coming from him you would imagine that Barnes considers himself still alive.
This is all I can think of at the present time, except that
we are picking up a few acceptances and quite a number of New York
City warrants.
The committee to arrange for the allotment of investments
met here last Wednesday, when I was unfortunately in Boston, but I understand they are going to send out for more data from the other banks
with a view to making the allotment on a basis of the relation between
expense and dividend requirements on the one side, and rediscounts and
the local investment field on the other.
I believe this will probably
strike everybody except McDougal as a fair basis.
I hope this passes the censor, but
I do not see why it should
not as there is nothing but American politics in it.
Yours as ever,
Honorable Benj. Strong, Jr.,
c/o Morgan, Grenfell & Co.,
22 Old Broad Street,
London, England.
JFC/CE
MEYORANDUM
ON RECEIPT OF GOLD FOR COINAGE
AT U. S. MITTS OR TEE NE7 YORK ASSAY OFFICE.
R. S. Section 3506 provides that the superintendent of each mint shall
receive all bullion brought to the mint for assay or coinage *
*
* and from the
report of the assayer on the weight of the bullion he shall compute the value of
each deposit, and also the amount of the charges or deductions, if any, of all
which he shall give a detailed memorandum to the depositor;
and he shall also
give at the same tine, under his hand, a certificate of the net amount of the deposit to be paid in coins or bars of the same species of bullion as that deposited *
*
*
*
R. S. Section 3511 provides that the gold coins of the United States
shall be a one dollar piece, which at the standard weight of 25.8 grains shall be
the unit of value;
a half eagle or
05.
a quarter eagle or two and a half dollar piece;
piece;
a
03 piece;
an eagle or =10. piece and a double eagle or 020.
piece, and the standard weight of the gold dollar shall be 25.8 grains;
quarter eagle 64 1/2 grains' * * * * of the half eagle 129. grains;
of the
of the eagle
258 grains, of the double eagle 516 grains.
The Act of Sentember 26, 1890, Chapter 945, Section 1, directed the
discontinuance of the coinage of the
03.
and *1. gold pieces.
R. S. Section 3514 provides that the standard for both gold and silver
coins of the United States shall be such that of one thousand parts by weight
900 shall be of pure metal and 100 of alloy.
*
*
coins shall be of copper, or of copper and silver;
any case exceed one-tenth of the whole alloy.
*
*
The alloy of the gold
but the silver shall not in
-2-
Sedtion 3518 provides that at the option of the owner, gold or silver
may be cast into bars of fine metal or of standard fineness, or unparted, as he
may prefer, *
*
*
*
.
The Act of May 26, 1882, as amended by the Act of March 3,
1891, and of Farch 3, 1901, provides that the superintendent of mints and of the
New York Assay Office may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury,
but not otherwise, receive
U. S. gold coin from any holder in Tams of not less
than 5,000. and deliver in exchange therefor gold bars in value equalldng
the
coin provided that the Secretary of the Treasury may make the exchange with or
without a charge.
Section 3519 provides that any owner of gold bullion may deposit the
same at any mint, to be formed into coin ot bars for his benefit, but that any
deposit of less than !'100. or any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the op-
erations of the mint, may be refused.
Section 3521 provides that when bullion is deposited, it shall be weighed
when practicable in the presence of the depositor, to whom a receipt shall be given
stating the description and weight of the bullion.
Section 5524 as amended provides that the charges for melting or refining bullion *
*
*
* and for the preparation of bars shall be fixed from time to
time by the director of the mint, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the
Treasury so as to equal but not exceed in their judgment the actual average cost
to each mint and assay office of the material, labor, wastage and use of machinery
employed in the cases aforementioned.
The Act of January 14, 1875, Chapter 15, Section 2, provides that thereafter no charge should be made for the service of converting standard gold bullion
into coin.
The Act of March 14, 1900, Chapter 41, Section 1, provides that the dollar, consisting of 25.8 grains of gold, nine-tenths fine, as established by Section
3511 of the revised statutes, shall be the standard unit of value.
Section 3544 provides that when the coins or bars which are the equivalent to any deposit of bullion are ready for delivery, they shall be paid to the
depositor, or his order, by the superintendent;
and the payments shall be made,
if demanded, in the order in which the bullion shall have been brought to the mint.
In cases, however, where there is delay in manipulating a refractory deposit, or
for any other unavoidable cause, the payment of subsequent deposits, the value of
which is known, shall not be delayed thereby.
In the denominations of coin deliv-
ered, the superintendent shall comply with the wishes of the depositor except when
impracticable or inconvenient to do so.
Section 3545
provides as follows:
For the purpose of enabling the mints
and the assay office in New York to make returns to depositors with as little delay as possible, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to keep in
such mints and assay office, when the state of the Treasury will admit thereof,
such-an amount of public money, or bullion procured for the purpose, as he shall
judge convenient and necessary, out of which those who bring bullion to the said
mints and assay-office may be paid the value thereof, in coin or bars, as soon as
practicable after the value has been ascertained.
On payment thereof being made,
the bullion so deposited shall become the property of the United States.
The Sec-
retary of the Treasury may, however, at any tins withdraw the fund, or any portion
thereof.
The Act of June 19, 1878, Chapter 329, Section 1, provided that in carrying out the provisions of Section 3545, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to use "as far as he may deem it proper and expedient for payment to depositors, all bullion at the several mints and assay offices, coin certificates representing coin in the Treasury and issued under the provisions of Section 254 of
-4-
the revised statutes" *
*
*
* all to be done under regulations to be prescribed
by the Secretary.
The Act of March 3, 1879, Chapter 182, Section 1, provided for the
repeal of the pre-existing authority lodged in the Secretary of the Treasury
to issue coin certificates in exchange for bullion deposited for coinage at
any assay office other than the one at New York.
section 3546 provides that unnarted bullion may be exchanged for
fine bars on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the director
of the mint, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.
The Act of June 19, 1878, Chapter 329, Section 1, provides that refining and parting of bullion shall be carried on at the mint of the United
Similar provision is found in
States and at the assay office at New York.
the Act of July 7, 1898, Chapter 571, Section 1.
Section 3548 as amended by the Act of March 4, 1911, provides that
the standard troy pound of the Bureau of Standards shall be the standard troy
pound of the mint of the United States, conformably to which the coinage thereof shall be regulated.
Section 3552 provides that the monies received from all charges and
deductions on and from gold and silver bullion *
*
*
* except as otherwise
provided in the Act shall be covered into the Treasury.
Section 3553 provides that the business of the U. S. assay office
at New York shall be in all respects similar to that of the mints, except that
bars only and not coin shall be manufactured therein, and no metals shall be
purchased for minor coinage.
All bullion intended by the depositor to be con-
verted into coins of the United States *
"ohiladelphia under
s7ch
*
directions as nhall
*
* shall be transferred to the mint
e
e
the secretary of the
-5-
Treasury at the expense of the contingent fund of the mint, and shall be there
coined and the proceeds returned to the Assay Office.
The Act of June 22, 1874, Chapter 419, provides that the Secretary
of the Treasury may from time to time transfer to the office of the Assistant
Treasurer at New York from the bullion fund of the assay office at New York,
refined gold bars bearing the U. S. stamp of fineness, weight and value, or
bars from any melt of foreign gold coin or bullion of standard equal to or
above that of the United States, and may apply the sane to the redemption of
coin certificates or in exchange for gold coins at not less than par, nor the
market value, subject to such regulations as he may prescribe.
Section 3555 provides that the duties of the officers of the assay
office at New York shall correspond to those of the mints, and all provisions
relating to mints and their officers shall extend so far as practicable, to the
assay office at New York.
The Act of August 27, 1894, Chapter 349, Section 25, provides that
the value of foreign coin as expressed in the money of account of the United
States, shall be that of the pure metal of such coin of standard value and
the values of the standard coins in circulation of the various nations of the
world, shall be estimated quarterly by the director of the mint and be proclaimed by the Secretary of the Treasury on the first days of January, April,
(Note:
etc.
these values are for the purpose of estimating duties on im-
ports.)
Section 3565 provides that in all payments by or to the Treasury,
whether made here or in foreign countries where it becomes necessary to compute the value of the sovereign or pound sterling, it shall be deemed equal
to
4.8665, and the same rule shall be applied in appraising merchandise im-
ported where the value is, by the invoice, in sovereigns or pounds sterling,
and in
the construction of contracts payable in sovereigns or pounds sterling;
-6-
and this valuation shall be the par of exchane between Great Britain and the
United States; and all contracts made after the first day of January, 1874,
based on an assumed par of exchange with Great Britain of fifty-four pence to
the dollar, or ,:34.44 4/9 to the sovereign or pound sterling, shall be null and
void.
Section 3566 nrovides that all foreign gold and silver coins received
in payment for monies due to the United States shall before being issued in circulation be coined anew.
May 22, 1916.
JFC/LCE
GOLD IMPORTS.
The Assay Office will pay $18.945 for one ounce Gold 916 2/3 Fine.
The English Standard is 916 2/3 Fine.
Taking 78s. as the price at which the Bank of England will sell
Sovereigns in London, we arrive at the following:-
X
936d. fequivalent of 78s.)
1 Ounce English Standard,
916 2/3 Fine
Therefore X .
.7.
=
=
=
240d. (equivalent of £1 stg).
1 ounce English Standard 916 2/3 Fine.
$ 18.945
4.85769230.
$
1 Sterling would equal
$
Less charges as follows:Freight -London to U.Y. 3/8% .....01821635,
TI
.00607212%
Marine Ins.
u
.03036058
5/8%
War risk "
1/4 o/oo .00121442.
Abrasion
1/10 0/0o .00048577,
Sundries
Interest loss, say 12
1 1/3 0/co .00647692days, at 4%
TT
4.85769230
1/0
Cable Rate
.06282616
$
4.79486614
GOLD
COIN
IMPORTS.
The Assay Office will pay $18.604651 for one ounce Gold 900 fine.
The American Standard is 900 fine.
Taking 778.3d. as the price at which the Bank of England will sell American
Gold Coin in London, we arrive at the following:-
X = 240d. (equivalent of £1 stg.)
927d. (equivalent of 77s.3d.)
=
1 oz. American Standard 900 fine.
1 oz. American Standard-900 fine= $18.604651
Therefore X
= $ 4.81673812
$ 4.81673812
1 Sterling would equal
Less charges as follows:Freight - London to N.Y: 3/8% ...
"
1/8%
Marine Ins.
"
"
u
IT
It
5/84
Warrisk "
Abrasion
1/4 o/oo
Sundries
1/10 0/00
Interest loss, say
12 days' at 4%
1 1/3 o/oo
.01806277
.00602092
.03010461
.00120418
.00048167
.00642232
Cable Rate ...
.06229647
$ 4.75444165
ooe aloO apnoc 03-
raaeoa.ox xeq ,-±
1
sealt ooe et fr./a/mate aaoli4AA
0i
aAT
Iftw ha+aa to ,rfah 0a: latifw I* 3ollz 06: sa 444SOTY
;gatwollot ad: :a evilis isw .looftoa at rtf,:0
(ols II /o tnairitoe) .1)(4S
t 0Q biabruo aioiT.ml .40 1
I oa.80 swat(.a.C.aTt to taaIlvir,-)
1
. I:
am rase
-L
/#41110 4).Coo* 3ati/s1,:, 1 .
VT330C1 .
SVOSV,.
.
myna'
-
#
.
,L
.
1(401
Valdie.au
.
.
:4401101 10
:Y.4 ql flobnol
"
"
"
IT
oclo
oo\o
11 ,4510!
.
ToAd-
A et) J
.
-
. .
. .
-Tiff r
TABLE
AMERICAN
At 77s.
" 76s.5 1/2d.
" 76s.3 I/2d.
" 76s.-112d.
COIN
GOLD
.7. 4.83237
900
C 200,000
C 200,000
C 200,000
C 200,000
= 4.86661
= 4.87724
= 4.89327
FINE.
=
=
-
=
1 oz. pure gold = $ 20.67183462
1 oz. 900 fine = $ 18.604651
1 oz. 916 2/3" =
18.949181
EXPENSES
FROM
Expressage
Abrasion
TO
OTTAWA
3/40 =
Cooperage
Interest loss
3 days at 6%
=
NEW
.003670
.000250
.000200
.002446
.006566
YORK.
.
.
%
966,474
973,322
975,448
978,654
U. S MINT SERVICE.
Form 92.
Ed. 1,500 Nov. 17-19.
REVISED TABLE OF CHARGES
AT THE
MINTS AND ASSAY OFFICES OF THE UNITED STATES.
As fixed by the Director of the Mint and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury
November 14, 1914.
TO TAKE EFFECT DECEMBER 1, 1914.
MELTING CHARGE:
On deposits of bullion a charge of $1 shall be imposed for each 1,000 ounces
of bullion or fraction thereof as shown by weight after melting, except in the
case of uncurrent United States coin and mint-fine bars, for which no charge
\
is made.
On deposits carrying nonmetallic material or separate particles of nonprecious metals when the loss exceeds 25 per cent, a refining charge of $1 for
each deposit shall be imposed when the deposit weighs 150 ounces or less.
On such deposits weighing over 150 ounces the charge shall be in accordance
with the extra expense of the melting operations.
PARTING AND REFINING BULLION (rate per ounce gross):
On bullion containing 100 thousandths or less of gold and not more than 100
thousandths base, three-fourths of a cent per ounce for each additional 50
thousandths base or fraction thereof, in such bullion, one-half cent per ounce
shall be added
On bullion containing 100+ to 250 thousandths, inclusive, of gold and not
more than 100 thousandths base, 1 cent per ounce; for each additional 50
thousandths base, or fraction thereof, in such bullion, one-half cent per ounce
shall be added.
On bullion containing from 250+ to 500 thousandths, inclusive, of gold and not
more than 100 thousandths base, 2 cents per ounce; for each additional 50
thousandths base, or fraction thereof, in such bullion, one-half cent per ounce
shall be added.
On bullion containing from 950 to 9911 thousandths, inclusive, of gold and not
more than 30 thousandths base, 2 cents per ounce.
Bullion containing 992 thousandths of gold and upward shall be accepted
free of the parting and refining charge. No allowance shall be made the depositor for silver.
On all other bullion there shall be a charge of 4 cents per ounce, and deposits
containing 800 thousandths or more of base metal must be declined.
For bullion where the alloy is all good copper, with but one of the precious
metals presept, the charges shall be one-half cent per ounce. This does not
mean to include foreign coin of standard fineness or above, for which the only
charges imposed shall be for melting and for extra copper required for alloy.
A parting and refining charge shall be imposed on all foreign coin below standard fineness. When bullion contains less than one-fourth thousandth of gold
or 8 thousandths of silver, the gold or silver contents shall not be reported for
the benefit of the depositor.
REFINING SILVER (rate per ounce gross):
Upon silver bullion free from gold assaying 970 to 997+ thousandths, inclusive,
the charges to be imposed and collected shall be four-tenths of a cent per ounce;
and all such bullion between 870 and 970 thousandths, except where the base
is all good copper, in which case it shall be in the above class, shall be subject
to the parting and refining charge of three-fourths of a cent per ounce; and
all such bullion 870 thousandths fine or under shall be subject to a parting and
refining charge of 2 cents per ounce.
Upon silver bullion free from gold assaying 998 thousandths or over, when a
depositor demands in payment bars of a higher fineness than his deposit, a
refining charge of three-tenths of a cent per ounce shall be imposed and collected.
70037-14
2
TOUGHENING CHARGE:
Bullion containing one or more of the following substances, viz, iron, lead,
antimony, bismuth, tin, arsenic, zinc, or sulphur, in amounts sufficient to
make it impossible to obtain a satisfactory assay, shall, at the discretion of the
superintendent, be subject to an additional charge equal to the cost to the
Government for remelting and treatment by the deposit melter.
COPPER ALLOY:
I
Two cents per ounce for the necessary copper required for alloy to be determined by taking one-tenth of the fine weight of gold, except when the base
in the deposit is all good copper and the fineness above stp.ndard, the alloy
shall be determined by taking the amount of copper required to reduce the
bullion to standard fineness.
WITHDRAWAL OF DEPOSITS:
Deposits may be withdrawn subject to charges actually incurred up to the
time of withdrawal.
BAR CHARGES:
On bullion deposited for fine bars but not required to be parted or refined,
and for unparted bullion (when sold or when special sizes are required by
depositors).
On fine bars, in lots of $5,000 or more, exchanged for coin, and on fine bars
exchanged for bullion:
Bars of fine gold, $5,000 in value and over, 0.05 of 1 per cent.
Bars of fine gold (less than $5,000 to $500), assorted sizes, 0.05 of 1 per cent.
Bars of fine gold (less than $500), assorted sizes, 0.07 of 1 per cent.
Bars of fine gold (between $300 and $200), in lots of 20 bars, value approximately $5,000, 0.09 of 1 per cent.
Bars of standard silver, per ounce gross
$0. 00.
Bars of fine silver, not less than 500 ounces, per ounce gross
001.16
Bars of fine silver, less than 500 ounces and more than 125 ounces,
per ounce gross
00-i
Bars of fine silver of 125 ounces and less, per ounce gross
00f
. 00f
Bars of unpaxted bullion, per ounce gross
S. MINOR ASSAY OFFICES:
When bullion is deposited for payment in coin it shall be subject to such
charge as would be imposed at the mints, and an additional charge for assaying
and stamping, viz: On deposits of less than $800 in value, $1; on deposits of
$800 and over, one-eighth of I per cent on the gross value of the bullion. In
case the bullion deposited contains any foreign substances that make it impossible to obtain a satisfactory assay it shall be subject to an additional charge
equal to the cost to the Government for fuel, labor, and materials used for
remelting and treatment. Very impure deposits which fail to give concordant
assays on dip samples from the third melting shall be returned to the depositor
and the additional expenses incurred in treatment collected. When bullion
is returned to the depositor in an unparted bar the charges for melting and
assaying and stamping shall be collected.
ASSAYS OF BULLION AND PLATED WARE:
Samples of gold and silver bullion will be assayed at the mints and assay
offices at a charge of $2 per sample. In case of plate, or what is known as
rolled or filled plate, the charge shall be $4 for each assay; or the assay may be
refused, at the option of the assayer.
ASSAYS OF ORES:
Assays of ores for gold and silver will be made at the minor assay offices and
the mints at Carson, Nev., and New Orleans, La., at a charge of $3 for each
assay.
GEO. E. ROBERTS,
Director of the Mint.
Approved:
W. G. McADoo,
Secretary of the Treasury.
WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1914
U. S. MINT_ SERVICE.
Form 8847.
TABLE OF CHARGES
AT THE
MINTS AND ASSAY OFFICES OF THE UNITED STATES
As fixed by the Director of the Mint and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury
March 31, 1916.
TO TAKE EFFECT APRIL 15, 1916.
MELTING CHARGE:
On deposits of bullion a charge of $1 shall be imposed for each 1,000 ounces
of bullion or fraction thereof as shown by weight after melting, except in the
case of uncurrent United States coin and .mint-fine bars, for which no melting
charge is made.
On deposits carrying nonmetallic material or separate particles of nonprecious
metals, when the melting loss exceeds 25 per cent, an additional charge of $1
for each deposit shall be imposed when the deposit weighs 150 ounces or less.
On such deposits weighing over 150 ounces the charge shall be in accordance
with the extra expense of the melting operations.
TOUGHENING CHARGE:
Deposits which fail to give concordant assays shall, at the discretion of the
officer in charge, be subject to an additional charge equal to the cost to the Gov-
ernment for fuel, labor, and materials used in remelting and treatment by the
deposit melter. Impure deposits which fail to give concordant assays on dip
samples from the second melting shall be returned to the depositor and the
additional expenses incurred in treatment collected.
WITHDRAWAL OF DEPOSITS:
Deposits may be withdrawn from the mints at Philadelphia, San Frandsco,
and Denver, and from the assay office at New York, subject to charges actually
incurred up to the time of withdrawal. Deposits withdrawn from the minor
assay offices and the mints at New Orleans, La., and Carson, Nev., shall be
subject to the following charges, viz: Deposits valued at less than $800, where
extra toughening charges have not been incurred, $2 ior assaying and stamping each bar; on deposits of $800 or over, such charges as have actually been
incurred up to the time of withdrawal and $2 additional for assaying and
tamping each bar.
PARTING AND REFINING BULLION (rate per ounce gross):
CLASS A.Bullion containing gold and silver.
Gold contents.
Thousandths.
3-250
2501-500
5001-949;
950-969;
950-991;
992-1000
Charge.
Base contents.
Charge.
Thousandths.
Add.
$0.01 }For each 100 or fraction thereof, in excess of 100
.02
.04
.04 If more than 30
.02
$0. 01
If not more than 30
No allowance for silver
CLASS B.Silver bullion free from gold.
870 thousandths or less
8701-9691 thousandths
970-9971 thousandths
998 thousandths or over, if payment is demanded in bars of a higher fineness
50.02
.01
.00}
.003
CLASS C.
Bullion with but one precious metal present and base being copper suitable for alloy
purposes (including foreign silver coin deposited for fine bars), if paid by cash or check.
35204-16
$0. 001
2
CLASS D.
Foreign and uncurrent or mutilated domestic gold coin, or bullion of Class C (except foreign
silver coin), if payment is demanded in line bars
$0. 01
Foreign and uncurrent or mutilated domestic gold coin of standard fineness
or above is not subject to a refining charge if paid for by cash or check.
When bullion contains less than one-fourth thousandth of gold or 8 thousandth of silver, the gold or silver contents shall not be reported for the benefit
of the depositor.
All deposits containing 800 thousandths or more of base metal must be declined.
ALLOY CHARGE:
Two and one-half cents per ounce for the copper required for alloy, to be
determined by taking one-tenth of the fine weight of gold, except when the
base in the deposit is copper suitable for alloy purposes and the fineness above
standard, in which case the alloy shall be determined by taking the amount
of copper required to reduce the bullion to standard fineness.
BAR CHARGES:
Gold bars, of standard fineness or above, when sold for coin in lots of
not less than $5,000, and gold bars issued for bullion, when special sizes
or amounts are requested by depositors, shall be subject to the following
charges:
GOLD BARS.
Per $100 value.
Bars of $5,000 in value and over
Bars of less than $5,000 to $500, assorted sizes
Bars of less than $500, assorted sizes
Bars between $300 and $200, in lots of 20 bars
Bars of a fineness of 999.9, not over $5,000
Bars of a fineness of 999.9, over $5,000
$0. 05
. 05
.07
. 09
.09
.08
SILVER BARS.
Per ounce gross.
Bars of standard silver
Bars of fine silver, not less than 500 ounces
Bars of fine silver, between 125 ounces and 500 ounces
Bars of fine silver, 125 ounces or less
Bars of unparted bullion
$0. 00i
. 001
. 00-k
. 00+
. 00+
ASSAYS OF BULLION AND PLATED WARE:
Charge.
Gold samples
Silver samples
$2. 00
2. 00
4.00
Plated ware, rolled or filled (may be refused)
8, ASSAYS OF ORES:
Assays of ores will be made at the minor assay offices and the mints at
Philadelphia, New Orleans, La., and Carson, Nev., charges based on
metals determined in sample:
Charge.
Gold and silver
Copper, tin, zinc, iron, lead, and tungsten (each)
$1. 00
1. 00
9. ASSAYING AND STAMPING CHARGES:
These charges apply at the mints at New Orleans, La., and Carson,
Nev., and the minor assay offices, and are in addition to such charges
Charge.
as would be imposed at the mints and assay office at New York:
Deposits of less than $800 in value
Deposits of $800 or over, on gross value
$1.00
.1 of 1 %
R. W. WOOLLEY,
Director of the Mint.
Approved:
BYRON R. NEWTON,
Acting Secretary of the Treasury.
WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1916
DOSORIS LANE
GLEN COVE
LONG ISLAND
GLE,: . L.VE 659-W
Ccit. 1/4
t,
-TA
?fri-,(1
k-C24
Oto (7-}-
aPJ
7:;
uttte
t
2
CATT:1-77-,
Lae-
.
tri-k
_-9erz
Y-2-7
?7V
c-2
5;72/
777sAi
).rw
)7-Lix7
)fr'(
7 "YeL29 /r---,7
"Cr
0
J
rti
74-- /1J(
Aeer.,11.
/46t,ix
7<-
"ferx
tek_ -te;
'et
7;
k
GLEI.
Lait72
trE--
c_tt
11--t
ai CC
crt,)c
_
rt-
rsic,AtLc
&
t
?z-.144
!IL
0-zA
C
4--7
J.
7Lotk
V
44t4y,&
DOSORIS LANE
GLEN COVE
V
LONG ISLAND
ky
101-?&..
/E 659-W
Arja
sal.au
"Ar
G,T5-et_
A_<_t
itc_k,
ha-e..1
p-cA
e)
,0
7s&
1-3--`v
aftAo. lOta-A-',4414t
e
ac2f
3,
e
EZ.---,t-o (c,(.
14-z
th.4-1c-.
0-i4A-
&,--1.-W-(A_
ct-,
/>---e-e
ILLY
wt
dee 74
OL
/1-
Aji,
-e
Z-41
4'2
AC.,
7tA,
k3%
C.o7-CA-Geap._
/
a--
aA-
cd 37 kc.,_/
&c,<<pi.t
July 6 [1916]
COPY
Dosoris Lane
Glen Cove
Long Island
My Dear Gov.
Words fail to express my astonished pleasure when your munificent Cigar
Box walked itself into my presence. It was just like you, in the midst of the
thousand + one things you had to attend to, to go to the trouble of selecting someI am considthing that you knew would give so much enjoyment. Many many thanks.
ering myself merely as a custodial trustee for the benefit of all the smokers at
the Bank.
As you may well imagine, the chief excitement since you left has been
Ex/" which is now practically a fait accompli. You would have
the advent of "
laughed to see Bro.Starek's attitude when considering the application in committee.
Very critical + unenthusiastic. When I said, Nell, this marks an epoch in our
history," he doubted whether it really did + wasn't sure that the new arrival was
However he was willing to vote in favor of
such a valuable acquisition after all
the application.
We had quite a meeting of the various Governors about the 3% bonds + went to
Washington as you know to get the gpproval of the plan for a selling committee.
will send you the minutes of the meeting to while away your leisure hours.
They finally appointed 3, Rhoads(ch.) Treman, + McDougal, with Kenzel as advisor, to
manage the marketing. All the banks but two (not yet heard from) have approved the
plan so I guess it will go into operation all right.
Fisher came down yesterday to see about borrowing $15,000,000 for the City
in August, but as he wanted it at 3% Kenzel + Treman told him that was a little too
low + he went away - only to return on thinking.
Laura + I went on to Manchester for the 4th but when there we got word
that the youngest baby was quite sick so we rushed back again. He is better again +
think out of the woods all right, though we had quite a scare.
P.J. starts west tonight, stopping over in Buffalo + Niagara Falls +
will probably reach Denver about the time this does. He needs a good rest + we have
finally persuaded him to take 6 weeks anyway + I hope more.
Your will is safely deposited with the Trust Co. + your old one destroyed.
I'm ashamed to say I haven't,got around to fixing up all your insurance yet, owing
oddly enough, to quite a little work I found to do for the bank - in spite of the
complaints anent my cultured ease which I was getting off the last time we talked.
Which all goes to show that you never can tell.
Charley Sabin has taken on Harry Emery to do some work for his Co. in
Russia, which pleases me intensely. This news is not public by the way.
Our new acting govr. has taken hold
Things are moving along here smoothly.
in good shape + seems to be acquiring a good grip on the situation very rapidly. Our
friends of the Exchange National of Olean have registered a kick against the Collection
plan backed up by opinion of counsel, which I am shipping to Washington with the
suggestion that they let us have an opinion from the Atty-Gen for use in such cases
so that all the F.R.Bank's counsel may make uniform replies.
I sincerely hope you were not too tired by the trip + that the beneficent
effects of the wide + woolly may..raready be showing themselves.
of feelings I can't tell you what
Not being much good at the e- ression
ell
the
truth
I never fully realized how firm
To
makes.
a gap in my life your absence
part
of
my
affections
you
have
succeeded
in ensnaring. (over)
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
a grip or how large a
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Rahter
snit to get so dependant upon another soul, don't you think?
Yours ever
J'F'C
X, 'ActLat
t
If .
urcee
44. tStfaLa
o-)
11
,
LONG ISLAND
tt.
fr"-
DOSORIS LANE
GLEN COVE
GLEOVE
#Q1.' 659-W
-
1011.$
ric-a/LAcr-Y-:)1(
ne,
ae4.45",.;f- -to 6 "e
tri .
td-
-1.3c,!t
24-&,-g,
:st
-
- 7444;40'
fiss4--e-
.1?)
/1*-51: 1-91,
Z.*+.
11
etewt
Q0
htftt
ift-Z.A,
it-
hz,
iftt.,j
1.11Licw
0E
ra,-
(44.
7.7!'
;dm,
1'
tcrzt-4._
e'-
aL
t2A,?t
et. Gie
X.41174rel
cA
.
ii.,
dp
?tri-A-v,),
t.
Cut. V,. SS
Se- ef. 41- -
fca,s_
7
5. ce,A
13
1/4
C. U
ektA:
ZLktn e.&,aJtdzgcee
raotA;,. ar,:giet isksi
j'
thrifj
014
td;
80,40e.
Arv;.;(-1711r-tk MOO; 4......o4t4. itru-crv
"lfs:f
9 L.,a. fckotur I/1
Amok t
e-4 Nr--t UPI AI,
ftr7.
atk
aiLc_
row
(h17 efitA4-e)li
° C&L"'t
LY-11
4
na,A,
&A)/
7
Lt t<
2kt.
774
rtc-t-d-z-2tfv--v
t,, /-6&_
c
)(
l&t7 L1
,At
0...44
1/7n
7
S
'Lera,*
aL,r,&
1ft_
iria
--
RA:N..1'
163-t,e_k_
t
1&,
crIAL
;s
ehtH
DOSORIS LANE
GLEN COVE
LONG ISLAND
4.4vE
elLa77_
Gr17'k,
42-6
711,..40L
6-41
ta:1 111/1-
6to
_von", _%7-
erwv
?-1 -
11. 111)
-
frff-r_
ekizia4,7t.cet..
/..:-eA_ -A
frtAM
er-C-tiz
4)-°
trr-VV-
VYLJP
Cte,a
!
AIA.Ar/4-s
-r- "At
tAce,14.-1,
-t'
Sw-C&
i-Aft-
dru-a_4
,fu.
J-1E-tL-Fx
9)un-e4
tattc._ c
41-
L14-4A-t_
DA-
.
ltrto
ori,
641,
-ft, 4, ,C4_
1:f
.
t_e_
615"
-
all
1
ittwYtt-
e27`14__
-t;
6,
7t-
IL
a_
7i7
A-a-rtvv,
J47
61-0
ç4C4
P-
tn.
4 -t_
I
,
1,s
PAAA
r-ftyot
'LAO
4_
11,_..Y
To- 1---
aart 4,44-D truet.4&_ 7
iltoetgair
d-krw. 2 72_ rhjek:,,
(rt.)f
t*A.Cta.---1 E..
4-1611-'-'17;
1 LAI
V (Ai 17/
7%..L4
.1
1-
Gart:TA
(trIttA.t
al-1-
Art ;4-t.0
It-4 I
IL-at7/
th_..4,
1-64-44,-
c
/..:,...e.L.
t
471
e', °
ct_f ft-4-4.c(
7L. ana, otte:_r
&da1 :
tet"1 z;a e t00%
loga
Lfz.t4 4
erk
0 0 og
Oa ciotto
/0010 0
/52.
th'utl
4.
11,6
?". re
-t.
/3 a
0.te
4-s9t-
"ic.,
c,-7(
144-dc Tom &Z roz-44,
R4:41 t
41/ t_ 10-4
11/
SI"'"
41
e-10T-1-444
th
?Wait
tt-
a-1`
Vr/` ur:te
frit
a-QL:0-4-k
eL-Y
lo
7.rof Doe
1,.."-e.,v 0,646,
t. 4- 1)td..,,
2;14.
(.1-t aia---.4-714-17tz"-.--
/Ill'
CLA-c
es-Mck5t
try-
if
7;
!MC Let
7"-4161<-°0
I; At
EA.
A-0-"teA00
Cf...--ct_
.
(.44- 6-e-t---
of
tt
t 0414 elow
Efir,r-
zi-c&
orte-.4. 4164_,
;5'1
&Lt.-,
"
714-al*,
to.-4
qr,,
10 pr.
e/17 /Ctt:c
7yu..11
aLlytrno h.
lc;
i
DCSORIS LANE
GLEN COVE
LONG ISLAND
GLE,LJVE
)10-4 ht-clet
Lt1 2
c-eJfLk e,
1110.
Ft;-01e-
z
1;
ktr_A:
Aa-
LIcaCA:.
b"-a-t .411
41
4-
44.4.11
chd<
fite
'
cr.,/ K.-/(_.
JaZ
it-14
1/4
C-
02-c-r-C
L
7e-r, -a(
/AP*14
74,
21,_
d;A /IL
0
P---A
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
August 2, 1916.
Ny dear Guy:
I seem to have about three letters from you which I have so far
neglected to answer, for all of which please accept my profuse apologies.
Referring now to your letter of July 25th which asks some questions
about the bookkeeping of the check collection plan, the situation is as follows:
In order that we might keep track of the uncollected items and know
at all times the amount of float we are carrying, it was necessary for us to
establish two memorandum accounts, which were called "Uncollected Itemdson
the resources side and "Uncollected Deposits" on the liability side, these
two items always agreeing as to amount.
In addition to these two accounts,
we established two accounts on the resources side, "Deferred Debits" and
Transit Account," the "Deferred Debits" being the total amount of outgoing
items which are charged to our member banks and other 2ederal reserve banks
on the outgoing time schedule.
The "Transit Account" consists of items
which we send direct to nonmember banks.
Deducting the balance in "Un-
collected Deposits" from the sum of "Deferred Debits" and "Transit Account"
will show the amount of float we are carrying.
This float is largely
caused by deferring our credits on a different time schedule from that of
the charges.
The way our member banks ledgers are arranged, containing
the ledger account and the analysis on the same sheet, by the use of the
above-mentioned accounts we are able to prove the gross balance, the net
balance and the unavailable items.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/2/16.
All of the above explanation has been written by Mr. Hendricks and,
0
as they say on the letters of advice, is given without responsibility on my
part.
Referring to the government account, I conferred with Mr. Treman who
agrees that it would be well to inquire of either McAdoo or Yalburn with respect to the policy the Treasury Department would adopt in the matter of our
balances, and we shall do this within a day or two.
I am delighted that you continue to gain and also that the climate
is so beneficial.
We had a conference here yesterday with Messrs. Warburg, Aiken,
Rhoads and Fancher, at which check collections, the Clayton Act and government
bond sales were the principal topics of discussion.
It is proposed to hold
a conference of the governors either here or at Boston on August 22nd, if the
other governors agree, in order, chiefly, to iron out the difficulties of the
collection matters.
Warburg was on his way to Washington yesterday in order to be on
hand when the amendments to the Federal Reserve Act are brought
ference between the Senate and the House.
up in con-
As you may have seen by the papers,
the Senate passed most of them on Monday, with a modification in the branch
bank section which would limit national banks to establishing branches in the
same city or town only and only if the banks have a capital of a million
dollars or over and are situated in a city or town of one hundred thousand in-
habitants or over, with the number of branches limited to ten and only in
cities where the State laws permit the State banks to have branches.
We started taking items under the collection system from the New
York City banks yesterday, the Corn Exchange Bank supplying most of the increase - approximately 6,000 items -, which made a total of 27,000 for the-day.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
3
3enjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/2/16.
I went over to the tobacconist on Wall Street, who said he would send
cy
you 250 of the same "vintage" of cigars that you had before,accompanied by the
bill so you see that your commission was honestly carried out.
Mrs. McLaren seems worried about whether we have two sets of your
Dutch emergency currency in the box in the vault.
I think we have but have
not been able to look as yet, although I will as soon as opportunity offers.
We had one very hot day here, which was the day ir. Hughes made his
acceptance speech,which I managed to miss by being a little late in arriving.
Candidly, however, I don't think I missed very much as, as an acceptance, I
am afraid it will go at more of a discount than Kenzel allows.
How did it
strike you?
The latest news item is that the Deutschland is still with us.
Hoping you are the same, I am,
Yours very truly,
etary.
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
The Lewiston,
Estes Park, Colo.
JFC/PE
P. S.
Since writing the above I have received the enclosed note and blanks
from Mr. Carraway with reference to your accident insurance.
After going
over the policies very carefully and discussing the matter with him, I think
the only chance of collecting anything would be with respect to your twisting
the sacroiliac joint, which, as I remember it, laid you out for about two
weeksanyway, irrespective of other ailments.
In this connectionl please note
Mt. Carraway's remarks concerning the possibility of cancelation.
I don't
know anything about this except what he tells me and so am not able to give you
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/3/16.
any advice that would be any better than your own guess nor quite so good.
I am enclosing copy of Mr. Nugent's reply to Mt. Jay, which will be
of interest.
JFC/PE
EnC8.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
e/7/e-r_
G(7
x
z
1
I 4, IL,
4F-1-2q
7,4x
7f-e-
/
/'14
/e0 (34
-1/
YYri,
a"?
.A1/
)0'3e
_
).4-2-/-,
NK)
--Y'?7---1 73V-
JAMES FREEMAN CURTIS
TELEPHONE MAIN 4235
COUNSELLOR AT LAW
53 STATE STREET
ROOM 905
adiffee
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
/1-wct,
X_ ((-(,
/dr
zet-r5
&t4 e_
aTT3?1.1I-1.)A.,
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
August 9, 1916.
CONFIDENTIAL.
My dear Governor:
I have read with great interest and admiration your memorandum with
reference to the B
of E and have almost no comments to make except that I
think it is conclusive and unanswerable.
However, in order not to let you
get the feeling that any piece of work of yours can escape wholly unscathed,
I make the following suggestions:
1.
On page 3 you include among the businesses to be transacted
under the agreement
Purchasing dollar bills of exchange,
"(c)
selling the same with the indorsement of the Federal
reserve bank and collecting same at maturity or for
(See paragraph (e) quoted
account of the B. of E.
above.)"
It seems to me there is some question about whether parasTaph (
does authorize Federal reserve banks to conduct this business in the United
States for account of its 'foreign correspondents as, to my mind, paragraph (e)
contemplates only activities to be conducted abroad by the correspondents or
agents of the reserve banks in the foreign countries.
Of course, this is a
pretty vital point and probably we had better assume the correctness of your
position without raising the question.
I think it would be covered by the
amendment to the Act which has passed the Senate, Which provides that there shall
be added after the last word of paragraph (e) the following:
"And with the consent of the Federal Reserve
Board to open and maintain banking accounts for such
foreign correspondents or agencies."
..AL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2.
2
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/9/16.
On page 5 you state that
"Such commerce (in contraband, etc.) being
described by the Secretary of State in one case as
legitimate commerce and in another case as lawful commerce."
I would suggest changing this to read that this commerce has been described by both Secretary of State Bryan and Secretary of State Lansing in official
docugents as lawful commerce and legitimate commerce.
At the end of page 6 I would add the words "as a franchise tax."
On page 8 I mould suggest making the last sentence of the first
paragraph read
"They also pay substantial taxes, called "duties,"
to the Federal Government."
Agwo--1-
On page 9 I would suggest the third sentence be made to read
"In the years 1893 to 1895 and 1907 and the
two years of the present war, etc."
On page 11, the first line, I would suggest that your phrase,
"Nor need (b) and (c) be discussed." should be elaborated as this is a somewhat
curt dismissal of suggestions which might appeal to some members of the Federal
Reserve Board.
How would it do to insert something like the following:
"After considering all three possibilities, (a)
alone seems feasible.
Action under either (b) or(c)
would result in our obtaining service considerably less
efficient than that which we could obtain under (a), and
would have the added disadvantage of our being uhable to
obtain the guarantee of the B. of E. on all our bills.
It hardly seems necessary to discuss (b) or (c)."
Doubtless you could rephrase this in much better language and with
additional reasons.
In the middle of page 12 I would suggest inserting an answer to
the argument which I feel sure -Ir. Warburg will present:
That your plan is the
product of an idealistic vision in that the B. of E. and ourselves are in
...............,
RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
3
Benjamin Strang, Jr., Esq.,
8.p/16.
4(1,2
)64)
business for what we can get out of it and will not in reality cooperate in these
matters but will always be on the opposite sides of the fence, and that in some
way or other the other fellows will manage to "put one over on us."
He also
feels that,in case of the outbreak of war or threatened war in which England or
ourselves might be involved, we might be at the mercy of hostile bankers.
I
feel sure that he will raise this point of view, which, to my mind, when analyzed to its logical conclusion, really means"Don't ever do any international
business"because, if actual hostilities occurred, we would be no
more safe
having anybody else as our correspondent in England than we would be under your
proposed plan.
However, I think it would be well worth while to answer this
argument in advance.
Will you let us know how these suggestions appeal to you, if at all.
Upon receipt of further word from you, 1,1r. 2reman and I will put the matter in
the way of getting further action.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strang, Jr., Esq.,
The Lewiston,
Estes Park, Colo.
JFC/PE
8/9/16.
2
2.
On page 5 you state that
"3uch commerce (in contraband, etc.) being
described by the Secretary of State in one case as
legitimate commerce and in another case as lawful commerce."
I would suggest changing this to read that this commerce has been described by both Secretary of State Bryan and Secretary of State Lansing in official
documents- as lawful commerce and legitimate commerce.
(See
and telegram
from the Secretary of State to Ambassador Penfield under date of August 2, 1915.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
August 10, 1916.
My dear Mrs. MicLaren:
So soon you get a note from the Equitable Building.
Would you be so kind as to do something for me.
On
the second page of a letter I wrote yesterday for Mr. Curtis
to Mr. Strong a blank space was left to be filled in later.
In the rush of things I forgot this an& only rembered it
this morning.
The second page down to and including the
addition is as per the enclosed.
I hope it isn't troubling
you too much to ask you to make the addition for me.
I do hope you had a nice trip.
You certainly
picked out a very disagreeable day to begin your journey.
I also wish that your stay in Colorado will turn out to be
very, very pleasant, and that you will come back feeling
very much better.
Sincerely yours,
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
-2s4
6v.
e/Z04,
Ar7)../
ti4(
tA-r?e
1;x
A/6(
7Coe e_
c(9-0
%/e-4/tC,CA.
74-
J
d7-eA-
der211-1 01'42'1
41Fer-e-t_
APz1'
(Q34-3X
Ar5_
di A
i-7,Ac
'/L 7&4L:4
cLo
op- oz
-11
A-444
Ltd
d
ek,_
)1--
A-
a Ai-itA4.,.
tt,"(
'X- 4
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
Wzro-
1-t-i(ci,
dA,L
7L;,
62-c-c
le 4A--
a&uk_
(1
12
ktk-
2
1C/l4
t1;,
.
et:t,
a/64'717-2j
4/4
(---cif
/LeJ/
bifo
p-tet_
.
(3.
hrL4f
AOtO
IAC:e C56"C
41-7iL/
'97-1C 7Lej
4i:4(41/06eiiC
ets4),Le,
?4/
7%4-
A,Zy4
AL,f4
,s4=-éLJ
-7 /1:14-----4
/1.4t't_
(eLIC
(7
/Ittl''
frc/1(
EIGHTH CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS
of
FEDERAL RESERVE BANES
BOSTON. AUGUST 22. 1916
PROGRAMME
1.
Appointment of Chairman
2.
Minutes of Seventh Conference of
3.
Unfinished business:
Governors.
Distribution of expenses of moving gold for gold
fund.
Eains
Retroactive liability for expenses of operating
gold fund_
()
Conference of Auditory
Audit of gold fund.
Disposition of matters reported to Federal Reserve Board:
Mt. Curtis
ft
Checks received from collectors of
customs and internal revenue
carrying exchange Charges,
Copies of instructions to collectors of customs and internal
revenue,
Communications between Federal Reserve Board, Federal reserve
banks and Federal reserve
agents.
Member banks' earnings statements.
4.
Committee reports:
(0)
(a)
(e)
5,
Committee on reserve and central reserve cities.
Committee on questions submitted by Federal Reserve Board touching foreign operatione.
Committee on method of calculating dividends.
Committee on allotment of investments,
Committee on disposition of government bonds,
Reserve banks as fiseal agents of the
Government.
Mr. Seay
Mr. Kains
Mr. Sway
*
Xt. Rhoads
(Mr. Delano
(Mr. Aiken
Seay
6.
Collections and clearances:
Direct routing of Cheeks.
Transfer Charges
(Mr, Rhoads
Should uniform rates and forma be as
tablished.
Consent of Federal reserve
(Mr, Zesty
(Mr, McCord
banks,
Routing ef returned items.
(Mk.. Treman
1g, Rhoads
(o)
Postmasters us °enactors,
(W. McDougal
Surety bonds.
(Mr, Rhoads
Seay
Service charges,
(P)
(gr.
Aiken
.(14r. Rhoads
Per item v., per thousand.
Cost of operating collection department.
Items
to be included.
Distribution of expenses
Postage on mixed mail.
Elimination of service Charge on collections
handled for member banks.
Alien indorsements.
Atlanta vs. St. Louis.
Waiver of restrictions relating to indorsements.
Statements for member banks showing available
balances.
Daily, weekly or monthly?
Statements ahowing balances between Federal reserve brn3cy
Daily 0 weekly or mon;:hly/
,
(J)
(Mr.
Bev
(W. Aiken
(Mr, McCord
gr.
Miller
Mr. MoGord
Mr. Rhoads
*
-2(10
Remittance basis for member banks.
(1)
Remittance basis for member bunko on items sent
them drawn on. State banks,
(3)
Reserve roquiremLntA,
(mr. Tremar.
(Mr.
taloa and report
Miller
Uniformity of OOMVM-
Panaltlee for enereaohment on reserves,
Mithed of dealing with member banks that deduct
enchange,
Immediate availability of drafts on Federal re- (Mt, Delano
serve banks,
.
(14e
Treman
Oar, Aiken
Miller
(Ur, $say
(Nit
(g)
immediate availability at Federal reserve banks
of °beck* drawn on member banks located
outside Federal reserve cities.
Immediate availability of bank drafts on member banks located outside Federal reserve
OkrL MnDougal
(Mr, MoDongal
OW, Miller
cities.
Checks payable in Nee York funds at current
rates.
Transfers between Federal relerve banks.
Establishment of brandhes of Geld Settlement
Fund in ncn-Subtreasury Federal reserve
cities.
(N)
Currency shipments
Double indorsement stamps.
(s) District numbers on cheeks.
NO pretest items.
Should two accounts be maintained between
Federal reserve banks:
(ea) Charge, to be collected by member banks from
their patrons, and charges to be imposed
Seay
(Mr McCord
(Mr
Mr',. Aiken
Mr, Miller
Mr
Soay
ft
Mr MoMougal
Mr McCord
for clearing qr collecting by Federal
reserve banks.
(bb) Comensatien to member banks for collecting
Mr. Rains
(cc) Servies charge for items forwarded direct by
member banks for Federal reserve banks.
(dd) Uniformity in billing service Charges between
Federal reserve banks.
Mt, Miller
items en nonmember banks.-
(se) Service Charge on government checks deposited
with Federal reserve banks,
4
S
9,,
70
FOregn arrangements.
B A, meeting in Kansas City
Press stateliest,
Next meeting.
Mr
Treman
Mt
Rhoads
Supplement to
HUBBELL'S LEGAL DIRECTORY
(FORTY-SIXTH YEAR)
1916
AUGUST
THE HUBBELL PUBLISHING COMPANY
EQUITABLE BUILDING
NEW YORK
To keep Hubbell's for 1916 up-to-date make the following
important corrections:
CHANGES IN ATTORNEYS' LIST
PAGE STATE
3
Ala.
TOWN
Anniston
Willett, Willett & Walker succeed Willett &
Willett.
4
"
9
Cal.
20
Huntsville
S. S. Pleasams, deceased. Insert Lanier & nide.
Alturas
Cornish & Sharp succeed N. A. Cornish.
Conn. Bridgeport
lc
20
Chamberlain & Hull removed to 115 Main St.
Samuel C. Shaw removed to Security Bldg.
42
Ill.
Decatur
McCullough & Wierman succeed Outten, Ewing,
McCullough & Wierman.
47
Ind.
Evansville
Joseph H. Iglehart removed to Mercantile Bank
Bldg.
51
"
51
52
55
62
South Bend
Slick & Slick removed to Farmers Trust Bldg.
Terre Haute
Davis, Bogart, Royse & Moore succee
Iowa, Burlington
"
Dubuque
Kans. Topeka
avis,
Bogart & Royse.
Blake, Wilson & Jackson succeed Blake & Wilson.
J. 0. Frantzen succeeds Fitzpatrick & Frantzen.
Ferry, Doran & Cosgrove succeed Ferry, Doran
& Dean.
65
Ky.
Louisville
Harrison & Harrison now in Suite 301-302, Norton Bldg.
73
Md.
Baltimore
Howard M. Emmons removed to Munsey Bldg.
76
Mass. Boston
Dunbar, Nutter & McClennen succeed Brandeis.
Dunbar & Nutter.
PAGE STATE
TOWN
8._ ),fich. Battle Creek
"
83
Bay City
Ira A. Beck removed to City Bank Bldg.
Stoddard & McMillan removed to Shearer Bros
Bldg.
"
8;
93
101
Kalamazoo
Minn. St. Paul
St. Louis
Mo.
Mason & Sharpe succeed Lynn B. Mason.
Lightner & Young removed to Endicott Bldg.
Barclay & Wallace succeed Barclay, Orthwein 8z
Wallace.
"
101
Boyle & Priest removed to Central Nat. Bank
Bldg.
Collins, Barker & Britton removed to Boatmen's
Bank Bldg.
101
Jeffries & Corum removed to Central Nat. Bank
"
102
Bldg.
117
N. Y. Binghamton
119
"
" Cortland
Welsh 8z Couper succeed W. J. & F. W. Welsh.
New address, Suite 303 Phelps Bldg.
Benjamin T. Wright, deceased.
& Buck.
119
" Elmira
"
Use Champlin
Diven & Turner, dissolved.
Alexander S. Diven practising alone. Offices, 212
E. Water St.
S. G. H. Turner and Lewis Henry have entered
into a co-partnership under the firm name of
Turner & Henry. Offices, Realty Bldg.
132
/
CI
New York City
The firm of Aldao Pavey & Campos has been reorganized under the name of Aldao, Campos &
Gil, and will continue to carry on the business
at 55 Wall St.
This firm's South American connections continue
as formerly. See page 222.
160
Okla. Hobart
161
"
172
Pa.
Tolbert & Tol6ert succeed Morse 8z Standeven.
Tulsa
Cochran & Kauffman succeed Cochran & O'Brien.
Scranton
H. R. Van Deusen moved to 730-732 Scranton
Life Bldg.
It is with sincere regret we announce the death
of Major Everett Warren of the firm of War-
172
ren, Knapp, O'Malley & Hill.
172
it
Watson, Diehl & Watson succeed firm of Watson
& Diehl, with offices at 502-506 Scranton Life
Bldg.
178
S. C. Newberry
Geo. B. Cromer succeeds Johnstone & Cromer.
230
Ger.
Alfred Silberfeld, deceased.
Steinfeld, Cartstr. 3.
Breslau
Insert Justizrat
3(9
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
/4k
4
Ac7(9-0--)g-A
A-Vic-s/
A4-eLeee_,.7-0
Ve/o__<
44-t(
t°--pLe-754i--(
0.2e
767:4( dt,t__",
73
4t
ee-ef-e_e77*4,
caet-t,--%/
4t-c-oc
s
it_t_
d2-L-1-X
4
zt,4
tz, x
frz,
ic-cf.S/
A-L
I.
UNION
TER
THEO. N. VAIL, PRESIDENT
CETVED AT
E.T3LUE
SV BOSTON MASS AUG 22ND 312PM 1916
'IN STRONG
ESTESPARK COLO
TELEGRAM RECEIVED IN CONFERENCE
OW MUCH WE MISS
YOUR GENERAL LEADERSHIP AND SEND
TiNGS AND ARDENT 7lISH FOR
RETURN TO OUR MIDST
A SPEEDY AND COMPLETE RECOVERY
AIKEN TREMAN RHOADS SEAY MCCORD
R MCDOUGAL WOLD MILLER HOXTON
THE BUNCH THEY
E TO SEND:HIM
ASSEMBLED WE WANT YOU TO
KAINS ON READING THE ABOVE
SAID ALL VERY WELL 'BUT
OUR LOVE
CURT IS'
836PM
0,1
l,. woo
Form
ancheettr b t4e
Alazsztchuod
Seio
9
%
1345,
itrifAL'#
L7
ii
etr,4! 63-4,..-
JtiitA.4",(
4-cet
tre
14-- do
erv
t4Z.
s
cP-/
'At
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
%,August 28, 1916.
My dear Governor:
any thanks for your letter of August 24th with its enclosure of a
Zilverbon for one gulden, which will be placed with the others.
Also, please accept our thanks for your kindness in advising us
We decided to
about the possibility of obtaining a place for the young man.
send him out West on the chance.
Our doctor thought that would be better than
any place in the East, and he was very anxious to go West also.
I have given
him letters to Dr. Sewall (whom I do not know), Peter Holme, a lawyer classmate
of mine in Denver, and yourself, and hope that he will be able to find something to do.
He is very willing and of excellent character.
Please do not
feel under any obligation yourself to him financially or otherwise as I have
arranged about that.
With reference to our foreign arrangements, I went to Hartford to
see the Secretary last Wednesday, he being in the midst of a tour to hold hearings in connection with the establishment of Federal
*o.00.o0.4.@r
farm loan banks.
I only had a very brief interview with him but it was sufficient to get his
point of view and also some valuable suggestions.
I think he is wholly
favorable to the plan as outlined in your memorandum and also to its being
put in operation as early as practicable, although he did not definitely commit himself on either of these points.
He threw out a suggestion (of course,
et(a 35-4-Y
wholly without meaning to have it taken as advice) that it might be well to
A
omit from the memorandum all references to the yuestion of neutrality, and he
..,SERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/28/16.
also thought that it would be advisable to make our application as brief as
possible.
...lessrs. Aiken, Wold, Treman and myself thereafter took the matter
up with Harding and Delano, who had each been given a copy of your memorandum
and who knew of my trip to see the Secretary, and it was decided by all hands
to be advisable to have any references to matters of neutrality omitted from
the memorandum.
Both Harding an0 Delano are definitely favorable to the
scheme and, I think, seem in
operation.
doubtA
as
the time when it should be put in
There was some indication that it should not be before the first
Tuesday following the first Monday in November, but I doubt if this magical
date will have much influence in the matter.
After a conference of about an hour or so, Mr. Delano thought it
would be advisable to talk with Dir. Rains on the subject so he was also called
in, he not having ever seen your secret memorandum.
When he read it over he
was very enthusiastic over the possibilities of the plan and heartily indorsed
it, which, I think, relieved Delano's mind somewhat as the latter,
hile en-
tirely believing in the plan, has felt his own lack of knowledge on the
technique of foreign exchange and his inability to reply to what might be advanced against the plan by his colleagues on the board.
He thought it might
be advisable to get in some outside experts to advise with them, but possibly
he may consider that Kainst's opinion will take the place of such outside advice.
The board is having a meeting to-morrow morning and we are sending
to them to-day in consequence a formal application, of which I enclose herewith
a copy, together with a sustaining memorandum which is the same as you original
CLO
/1.0-24,,et17
-ko-t,
Incidentally,
which
I4,1-4enclose
a
copy,,
one reduced as above set forth, of
the committee of which Rains is chairman appointed to consider the questions
touching foreign operations submitted by the Federal Reserve Board at the
conference of governors held last January made a report to the effect that it
would be advisable for the Federal reserve banks, acting together, to open re-
RVE BANK OF NEW YORK
3
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/28/16,
lations with the national banks of the countries with which we have more important trade relations, such as the Bank of France, the Bank of England, the
Bank of the Netherlands, the Reichsbank, the National Bank of the Argentine,
etc.
This report fits in very well with your recommendations and memorandum
and, I think, will be very useful in getting action from the board.
Delano tells me that Warburg became much impressed with Kains during
their trip to South America, which will be a good thing in view of 'Coins's
enthusiastic reception of the plan.
Delano also suggested that KOins might
be a good man to get to manage the foreign exchange work of the banks when we
start out.
I told him that that had also occurred to us here and that we had
some idea of getting Kains to come on as deputy governor in charge of all
foreign exchange transactions if that could be worked appropriately.
Delano
was much pleased with that idea.
Since dictating the above I have talked with Mr. Harding by telephone
and have arranged to go to Washington to-night to present the application to
the board in person, with the accompanying memorandum, to-morrow morning.
I see I forgot to mention that the Vains report on foreign arrange-
ments was approved by the conference and referred to the sub-committee composed
of Messrs. Wold, Aiken and yourself (for whom we have substituted Mr. Treman)
to be used in such way as this committee may deem best.
I am arranging to
give a copy of this report to the board to-morrow so that they may have it before them when considering our application.
In case you have been distressed by observing in the Chronicle of
August 26th that the conference committee on the amendments to the Federal Reserve Act have omitted to include the amendment about days of grace in section
14, I may say that Mt. Harding told me over the telephone this morning that
that amendment had been included at the last moment through the efforts of
the board and :,1r. Glass and, apparently, after the text of the conference re-
port had been handed to the press.
In case you have not seen the Chronicle
_.,ERVE BANK OF NEW YORK ....._
AP
__
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
8/28/16.
and have not observed what the fate of the amendments was, I think it may be
briefly summarized as follows:
That everything recommended by the board which
passed the Senate was agreed to,except the issuing of Federal reserve notes
against gold, which, I am afraid, has been swept into the discard for this
session, and except the authorization to national banks to establish branches
in this country,
which also
has been knocked out.
The committee has put in a
provision permitting the board, upon an affirmative vote of not less than five
members, to permit member banks to carry in the Federal reserve banks any
In giv-
portion of their reserves now required to be held in their own vaults.
ing out the report of the conference committee the Senate conferees stated:
"The amendments of the Senate to the bill have
been accepted by the House conferees with some slight verbal
modifications, except that the House declined to agree to,
and the Senate receded from, its amendment of section 16 of
the Federal Reserve Act which would have explicitly authorized and encouraged Federal reserve banks to issue Federal
reserve notes based upon gold or gold certificates.
"The House conferees declined to agree to the Senate
a!nendment proposing to permit national banks in cities of
more than 100,000 inhabitants and possessing a capital and
surplus of ,1,000,000. or more to establish branches, and the
Senate conferees have agreed to recommend that the Senate recede from this amendment.
"The House conferees insisted upon an amendment to
section 11, which was accepted by the Senate conferees, permitting the Federal Reserve Board, upon an affirmative vote
of not less than five, to permit member banks to carry in the
Federal reserve banks any portion of their reserves now required to be held in their own vaults."
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong,
The LewiSton,
Estes Park, Colo.
Esq.,
sija &4t4A1,
E(2)
4(Afid
XIC:&c,c
;A*d/(
4
7"c
//
aAg-i-(
Form 1204
CLASS OF SERVICE SYMBOL
-
Letter
Blue
Night Message
Nite
Night Letter
NL
1.
inn of these three symbols
a,
at s after the check number of
words)th is is a day message. Otherwise its character is indicated by tho
UNION
WESTE3,
,, Message
TEL
0- SNA
WESTERN UNION
NOW
:7 Am
NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT
symbol appearing after the check.
CLASS OF SERVICE SYMBOL
Day Message
Day Letter
Blue
Night Message
N ite
NL
If none of bum', three symbols
Night Letter
appears after the check number of
words)this is a day message. Otherwise its character is indicated bythe
symbol appearing after the check.
RECEIVED AT
9D R 33N.L.
US WASHINGTON DC AUG 29TH 1916,
BENJAMIN STRONG
THE LEWISTON ESTESPARK CO 0
BOARD HAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED FO
OF OTHER DEPARTMENT RELATIVE TO
,THAT NO ACTUAL
TRANSACTIONS
FURTHER APPROVAL OF BOARD
IGN
ARRANGEMENTS SUBJECT TO APPROVAL
INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS PROVIDED
HALL BE XXX UNDERTAKEN WITHOUT
NGRATULATIONS
ON FIRST STEP
J F CURTIS
840AM AUG 30
)t
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
August 31, 1916.
My dear Gov:
In order to keep you up to date on our foreign matters, I give you
a brief sketch of what has happened since I-last wrote you.
I went to Tashington Monday night to see the Board, as I already
have written you in my letter of August 28th.
7r. Tarburg and I went down
on the sane train and I showed him a copy of the memorandum I was taking to
the Board and also told him of the steps already taken.
ing the memorandum, he looked
1113
Thile he was read-
and said, "You know I wrote this section
originally for 9enator Aldrich and it was taken bodily from the Aldrich Bill
and put into the Federal Reserve Act, and now I suppose the Board will tell
me what it means."
As I was under the impression also that such an event
was likely to occur, I made no reply.
On Tuesday morning I went to see Farding and presented him with
the various documents; also a copy of the Hains' report,
which I
ing herewith, and we had a little chat on the subjeCt.
He showed me a
am enclos-
letter he had .1ust received from McAdoo, stating that he thought the matter
was of such importance that before official action was taken, it should be
taken up informally with the State Department, which I think is wise on his
part, although a slight reversal from what he told me at Hartford.
During
our talk the Comptroller came in and L:r. Harding showed him the Secretary's
letter, so as to make sure that they should not be getting at.the subject
from too many different angles.
They went into a meeting at 11 o'clock, Harding having asked me to
prepare a little memorandum on the neutrality aspect of the matter for him to
77,7A BANK OF NEW YORK 2
Benjamin Strong, Esq.
8/31/16.
use if the vote came out as he expected it would--that it should be taken
up with the State Department.
I spent from eleven until one dictating a
memorandum for him on this subject, which was in effect a rather poor imitation of the original pages in your memorandum which had been excised.
At one o'clock they adjourned and Harding told me that I need not
wait around unless I wanted to.
I went up to the Capitol and got a ticket
to hear the President address Congress on the railroad strike and listened
to a very poor speech, which seemed to me very illogical and unsound.
Am
glad to say he did not get nuch applause, although he got a little bit scattering and quite a little at the end; but I could find nobody in Washington,
even among my radical friends, who did not believe that the President was
in the wrong and the railway presidents in the right.
In the afternoon I played golf with Basil ::iles, who starts for
Russia to look after relief work for the ambassador (apparently to look out
for about a million and a half German and Austrian prisoners, military and
civil), and also Aiot\ Wadsworth, who has just taken up his new duties as
acting chairman of the executive committee of the American Red Cross, a job
which I believe he will do extremely well.
In the evening I had a little farewell party for Basil at !"1718"
where we gathered a few of the old crowd.
I telephoned to Governor Harding in the late afternoon, who told
me that the Board had unanimously approved of our application with two provisos:
1st.
That the State Department find nothing
obnoxious in the plan, and
2nd.
That no actual transactions be undertaken
without the further specific approval of the
Board.
He and Hamlin were appointed a cbmittee to take it up with the 5tate Depart-
dANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.
8/31/16.
vo- '
Tient informally, and they had an anpointnent to do so some time to-day, Thurs-
day, but I have not yet heard the result.
Later in the evening I ran into Hamlin at the club and I asked him
what the idea was in putting in the second restriction.
He said the theory
of the noard was that it would be well to have the machinery all set up for
doing the business, but that they were somewhat doubtful of the advisability
of actually beginning transactions during the pendency of the war.
I urged
him very strongly to permit us to go ahead as soon as we are ready, on the
ground that I knew it was your view that the way to prepare for the shock to
commerce and the exchanges, which would necessarily follow the declaration
of peace, was to have a lot of credits and bills already established and
owned in London, so that the slack could be taken up by our selling the same.
I also said that to wait until the war was over before getting into this
position would be practically locking the stable door after the traditional
horse.
He said that anyway their approval to-day will make the first step,
and the Board was rather anxious to go by easy stages.
The psychology of this, I think, is easy enough to understand,
especially in view of the fact that they got a unanimous vote, and it seems
to me that we wil7 be in a very strong position to begin at any time we want
if, as I expect, the State Department has no objection to the plan.
You will
observe that our position will then be that the Federal Reserve Board will
stand committed to the Proposition that the principle of appointing the Bank
of
ngland our correspondent is a good one and has met with their approval,
and the State Department will be in the position of not disapproving of our
actually entering into transactions.
Consequently I think it would be very
difficult for the Board to put themselves in the -)osition of "hanging their
clothes on the hickory limb but not going near the water."
I expect we will hear some more news on this subject to-morrow and
.NK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.
8/31/16.
I will write you again if this lengthy letter does not prove over-powering
to you.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
"The Lewiston,"
Estes Park, Colo.
JFC/CEP
Enc.
September 1, 1916.
P. Se ___ I have just received your telegram of August 31st withreference to
our foreign arrangements.
Your suggestions contained therein had already
4-
almealed to us and we haw* forwarded to Governor Harding a copy of the argument on the neutrality question which had been omitted from the original
memorandum.
This was prepared in aslightly different form and submitted
as a separate memorandum,
and,
gone to the State Department.
I understand from TTr. Jay, that it has already
He will tell you also at the end of this
letter what occurred in rashington yesterday.
I am enclosing herewith a
copy of the sunplemental memorandum in the form in which it went to Governor
Harding.
I enclose herewith a notice from the Bankers Trust Company, indicating that they have credited your account with !:299.70 as collection on the
draft of your friend in Scranton, so that that matter seems to be successfully
closed up.
K OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.
8/31/16.
I will write you again if this lengthy letter does not prove over-powering
to you.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
"The Lewiston,"
Estes Park, Colo.
JFC/CEP
Enc.
September 1, 1916.
P. S. --- I have just received your telegram of August 31st.with reference to
our foreign arrangements.
Your suggestions contained therein had already
annealed to us and we ha yk forwarded to Governor Harding a copy of the argu-
ment on the neutrality question which had been omitted from the original
memorandum.
This was prepared in a,slirhtly different form and submitted
as a separate memorandum, and, I understand from Hr. Jay, that it has already
gone to the State Department.
He will tell you also at the end of this
letter what occurred in r7ashington yesterday.
I am enclosing herewith a
copy of the supplemental memorandum in the form in which it went to Governor
Yarding.
I enclose herewith a notice from the Bankers Trust Company, indicating that they have credited your account with
299.70 as collection on the
draft of your friend in Scranton, so that that matter seems to be successfully
closed up.
Misc.
34
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
11:00
Postal' (TO BE MAILED)
/-0).
CONFIRMATION OF TELEGRAM
We have today telegraphed you as follows :
lenjamin Strong,
The Lewiston,
73stes Park, 0010.
<0/
Repiyiug telegram August thirty first your grugestions have already been
carried out Am writing fully.
J. F. Curtis.
(age. Fed. Res. Bk.
Equitable Bldg., N. Y.)
B-2
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
a
44V4-C-
(4.4t
4-73441f-c,
/2c:e<
674/76(
7472-
44rA,
C.
4./e-0
oe4-c----
7,It
/14-7v,
A_
/ 744' 484
4.6°'-
h.sE
6<re-
3
4o-t;ec-g7
3/(2 A
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
Sex)
September 11, 19r6.
4 dear Governor:
Many thanks for your various letters of September 5th. and 6th, and
I beg to say that I am attending to your requests, as follows:
Your letter to Mr. Treman has been forwarded to him.
A copy of the Clayton Act, including the Kern Amendment, contained in an index-digest prepared by the digester par excellence at Washington, is being sent you;
also
A copy of the September number of the Federal Reserve Bulletin,
which contains the amendments to the Federal Reserve Act as they were signed
by the President, except that the words which I have bracketed on page 440
got omitted from the bill through the negligence of the conference committee.
We have received word from the board that, as a result of this slip, for the
present and until Congress blooms again we need not forward any applications
from member banks to accept up to 100% of their capital and surplus.
The Burton Bill; the National Bank Act and the stenographic
minutes of the conference of governors I sent you in a package on September
2nd and should have reached you about the same time as my letter of that date.
I an having a list of the directors of State banks and trust
companies made up, with an indication of which ones are private bankers,so
that you will be able to see where the shoe pinches.
It is too bad that
this matter comes up just now to throw an additional spoke in the wheel, but
I cannot help feeling that it is something that can be worked out satisfactorily in the end.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
6.
2
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Es.,
9/11/16.
As to the Bank of England matter, I have had no further word
but possibly :Ir. Jay is learning something in Washington to-day, where he expects
1115
to be over to-morrow wrestling with the Clayton Act applications.
There may
have been some news of this during last week when I was away on a cruise, in
which case I would not have heard it.
I am dropping Jr. Jay a line to-day in
this regard and hope to find out something of what is going on in Washington
from him.
I note your lamentation that so many topics at the conference were
passed without final action.
This also seemed to me a mistake as I thought
several of them could have been decided without waiting for further experience,
but most of the ones in question came up during the day when I was chasing
round after the Secretary
so you cannot blame me for the results.
I do not know whether you have seen the statement which your friend,
the Comptroller of the Currency, published the other day as to the benefits
conferred upon the downtrodden farmers of the country as a result of the famous
order of the Federal Reserve Board of September, 1915, authorizing preferential
rates on commodity paper.
In this statement he indicated that the result was
to have the member banks loan the farmers about one hundred and twenty-four
millions of money at not exceeding 6% interest, which was a wonderful showing
for one little order of the' board.
However, I took the trouble to analyze
the figures the other day and found the following rather amusing results:
The Comptroller stated that the amounts loaned by national banks on
commodity paper as of June 30, 1916, were as follows:
New England States
Eastern States
Southern States
:diddle States
Western States
Pacific States
,
13,000,000.
38,000,000.
37,000,000.
25,000,000.
2,500,000.
8.000.000.
123,500,000.
By looking at the reports in the Federal Reserve Bulletin one finds
3
,eliAL RESERVE !SANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
9/11/16.
that the total amount of commodity paper rediscounted by Federal reserve banks
during the month of June, 1916, was 012,000., of which Richmond and Atlanta
contributed 006,000.
The total amount of such paper rediscounted during the
first six months of 1916 was ,0,370,000.
It is also to be observed that no rates of discount for commodity
paper have yet been established by the Federal reserve banks of New York,
Cleveland and Chicago and that no rediscounts of such paper have yet been made
by the reserve banks of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and
Kansas City.
So that the net of it is that out of the Comptroller's
1.24,000,000.
of benefit a large majority was in a position where it could not have been
caused by the regulation of the board a-rid only $712,000. worth was of a charac-
ter where the original loan was necessarily at a rate of interest not exceeding
6%.
It would be interesting to follow this up a little further and compare
the amounts loaned by national banks on commodity paper in past years with the
amounts given by the Comptroller for this June, and also compare the rates of
interest charged during the various years.
I suggested to P. I. W. that an analysis of the figures given by the
Comptroller would lead to quite different deductions from those which he had
drawn and he urged me to publish such an analysis but I have not felt that it
was worth while to start trouble on the subject.
Yours very truly,
Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
The Lewiston,
Estes Park, Colo.
JFC/PE
LOCUST VALLEY, LONG ISLAND
laN
4
se,
COVE, 740
PIPING ROCK CLUB
/t9i,
4 4?
dc
(-6
/o/7-- 72 C_
e.-eee-4)
137A
)21,
V
6'4
d7J-1,C
Cty
et 72
c
(3-
6--0
(
tr
oziL
<
"`-
c>7
6/1(
L
tC
Al/
er
-(f
/
(4"
frAX/ C
f_f
00-
(r-L:c
L
r
zZA__ e
1,_1
z
,
et../1
7
et
srl"-
A/
tr
77-1-4-2
.22
z(-0
e
//-<-
1--,/
/r4
e/ ii
4:4740:_
L
71,
Ab'
/E-et°2
(..
/I-
t_
1--
(
4
7/;:: 4-e
4-131-
A-C
-t
-X
tz_
< r_ -X
cs-L,Y dd.- (co
deecc
EQUITABLE BUILDING
NEW YORK
September 15, 1916.
2y dear Governor:
I enclose herewith the cancellation of assignment
of your Mutual Life Insurance policy #762306, together with
a duplicate, both of which must be executed, in view of the
fact that the cancellations you executed in July were not in
proper form owing partly to the errors of the insurance company and also to my own stupidity.
The same is true of your policy #1156987, for which
I am also enclosing cancellation and duplicate.
I am very sorry to have made such a stupid mistake.
Sincerly yours,
To Benjamin Strong, Jr., Esq.,
The Lewiston,
Estes Park, Colo.
JEC/EEB.
Encs. (2)
2
4_
4 74L-#7',eev(
14,
a
if) o
4
q.
k,,---e-6c
.s
krt;
/0
L-0 pa
-11Z&
LI,
?ft,,?4
d.,
4
77-t ),_.4(
+
/3_Ii
7L.,. , ;s
1(
'P-4LV
iY7J-5,
114
1
"A"47/
?L4,1
Le--,e_
,
C6--k
/----)e--
1,4
,t_
-
\,cl,I, i
I
A
lr' /1
(.,
/,/ o
a
-"-A---, °'--, r"- - PaA-,:_?
d,,,,
IL
t
I
l-t_,7`,
't
4,2`,:_f -1_1>
A_
'
-
co-7-,1,7,
i,
La-,-
,__, ) (--,-14
0,-7f E-dc-4_
(ie---,--e, ,
. ,x
7`4,_
6)
-,,k./et__ etZ-4-
--(.-y7-----/---e------,-
L/74
--C4C
X, ,L.,-(Z
c_,,/ /1,,
,,L.7.
'1) 1 tt,-,.
Ce4,,
,50 41'.-4----7- 4-,
%k\ 1 r''Aj-44C-4
i
i-z-.--4--.---,_.,,e
74i-,.. 4,,,,,-4
.
71-- /1'''-'-`:e'S
-7L
ltr2'
1
4,-/l471.4-e
-4-0,_
---4;/-t(
e
q -I- c ir-
4.--6/,,,e ez-1(
4 ,- _ , Ac-
d, p,..
- -.,7-,--0
7-- 717,--c-,
,4-
4_e_c_e-L,C
,4-0
C-.,47,-<--
, L__.
\I
,-,
7 :___7,
-10-0. 6,4,56-,--if.
-74.-:ezu
ik
js
/--<--,-/--L<_
1,- . ; Ar-,-,- V-- 77-/'-`1-7°
--,k_ /44__ i_____-4 ,L-------c__
4r-
./,---0--(0-4--&-
-...--_-=
tv-eL, d-,,-4-y_e_ a i U L,_)e
1,-,-,-2,,,
-,-4
..si
7*L.-..__4
I, ---t_-eec.L_,f
e,-,J
d-r-i)(
ri ex-77,.---
--7
7 4-4/
-,?
4-----?:
tcJ
A fri-L-e),
-N1
i.;
(,,/,
,a /,-:, /-,
.
°Z,
tiyo,(
-
, c,
L"--.a-e4-4,,r.,
eL
Al--
a---
c
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
October 13, 1916.
My dear Gov:
Hovensky of the Comerce has a client in Germany who desires
to buy some Mdes in South America and store them there until the close of the
war, when they are to be exported.
He desires to finance himself by draw-
ing ninety day bills, which the Commerce will accept, with a number of renewals
sufficient to last for two years, if necessary, the understanding being that
the goods are to be exported as soon as war conditions permit, and in the meanwhile the warehouse receipts for then are to be controlled bM agents of the
Commerce.
This seems to raise two points:
1st.-
Is the transaction based upon an export?
2nd.
Is two years a reasonable time for renewals under
existing conditions?
What are your views in this regard?
we get any reply from you
Probably we will have settled it before
but I should like to see where you would stand.
any event I think we shall probably submit it to the Board, as our action in
this case would tend to establish a precedent that might be of considerable
force in tines to cone.
I certainly am much indebted both to you and to Dr. Sewall for the
trouble you have taken about
I!.41Ak.
Larcey.
Before your last letter came,
I
had already had various of his relatives in the East write to him, insisting
upon the importance of obeying the Doctor's orders, and I have hopes that
they have produced someeffect.
I am to-day writing to Dr. Sewall, who was
In
ERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin
trong, Esq.
kind enough to advise me concerning Larcey'.s condition.
Sincerely yours,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 liontview Boulevard,
l'enver, Colo.
JFC/CEP
10/13/16.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
October 17, 1916.
My dear Guy:
I have your letters of the 10th and 11th.
Am sorry that I have been so slow in giving you my views about
amending the Clayton Act, also getting for you that list of private bankers
who were acting as directors, and so on.
In this latter regard, however,
the matter has been much simplified as the board has adopted a ruling (based
on an opinion of Elliott's which seems rather lurid to Cotton and myself) to
the effect that a private banker whose place of business is in a city or town
of less than 200,000 inhabitants and who has aggregate resources in his
business of less than c,5,000,000. does not fall under the ban of the Clayton
Act.
I will busy myself on this matter during the rest of this week and try
to get something to satisfy for a few brief hours your craving for mental
occupation.
The bill from the Piping Rock Club was all right;
ward and I have deposited the Tam of
Company.
it has gone for-
to your credit at the Bankers Trust
Please accept once more my thanks for your kindness.
You are more than optimistic about dividends;
to be right at the end of the next month or two.
I hope you m:v prove
Jost of us have been rather
figuring on paying one to the end of _larch, 1915.
I can't remember whether I wrote you last week about signing our new
permanent certificates of stock for the member banks, which are now on hand
beautifully engraved by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
They require
RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
e".
-
2
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
10/17/16.
the signature of the governor, the Federal reserve agent and the secretary.
Mr. Treman, before beginning to sign them, thought possibly you might prefer
to sign them yourself as a matter of sentiment.
know and I will ship the package out to you.
If you do, please let me
There are only about 600 odd and,
if you like the form of exercise, I am sure the member banks will appreciate
the beauty of your signature.
There is no hurry about this matter so, if you
would like to sign them, just say the word.
There is not much new to report, except that Mr. Hamilton of '21organ's
told us confidentially that they were expecting some more very large shipments
of gold in the near future and wanted to know if we would like to buy some of
it so that we could keep up our gold supply and they could get immediate cash
for their importations, which they cannot do at the Assay Office owing to the
rush of business at the latter place, they being now in a position where they
can take in only about two and a half millions a day.
We are looking round
for some space to see if we can undertake this conveniently and I think we
probably can get enough additional space at the Clearing House to make it worth
while, but I am not sure about it.
Your additional foreign money arrived safely and I am putting it away
with the rest.
Everybody who gets back here seems to agree as to the "bloomingness"
of your health;
I hope you wOn't get your head turned and think you are now in
a position to do anything.
Kains was characteristically worried lest you be
overwhelmed by the hospitality of Denver, so I suppose from that remark that
you will probably need some restraining influence.
Yours as ever,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK'
o
.4'1'0
October 23, 1916.
<9/6,
dear Gov:
I enclose herewith a life insurance certificate for you (and also
one for Ws. McLaren) which shows that you are covered by the group insurance
policy of the bank.
Will you please hand .1.1rs. NbLaren's to her at your
convenience.
I have your two letters of October 18th.
If you have not already
heard, you will be interested to know that the board approved the eligibility
of W. Rovensky's proposed acceptances with renewals up to two years, thus
coinciding with your views.
I discovered myself in a minority of one on
that proposition as everybody here was in favor of taking the acceptances
except myself, my view being that the plan of holding stuff in warehouse for
two years with no contract of shipment or definite time of shipment in mind
was getting pretty far away from the theory of a self-liquidating 90-day
bill.
However, as long as everybody is pleased, I guess no trouble will
come.
I read of the organization of the Foreign Trade Bank in London,
but have not seen any details in connection with it and have not heard what
it proposes to do.
With respect to our foreign business, I agree with you that some
pressure on the Department of State should be exerted, but I don't think
there is really any use in attempting anything before election and, on the
other hand, I think it will probably do more harm than good.
I am convinced
77
.,.../
."-FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
2
10/23/16.
that the administration has had plans for "twisting the lion's tail" which
would have been brought off about now had it not been for the appearance of
the U-53, which made a little change in sentiment.
However, it isn't all
over yet and a peremptory threat to use the powers granted to the President
under the new Revenue Act addressed to Great Britain may still be issued before the fifth of November.
If my diagnosis of their frame of mind is cor-
rect, they would not be likely to listen to our plans no matter how reasonable
or unconnected with their points of view such plans might be.
I am delighted to learn that you found such a good ready-made house
that fitted your needs so well.
It must have saved you a good deal of trouble
in the way of looking up furnishings and so on.
Charlie Norton and I are trying to get up a week-end of golf down at
the National, where we shall miss you.
We are going to get some of the fel-
lows from Washington and our old friend, Bik Bill Taft, and two or three others
and have an interesting time.
Be sure not to let the people of Denver feed you to death as they
probably will attempt to do.
Yours as ever,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 lontview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
Encs. (2)
'
Form a 1201
CLASS (
Blue
VIESTEansNA UNION
Nite
WESTERN UNION
SYMBOL
iiDaY M
Let,
_
Night ; .
re a
TEL
NI
If none or these three symbols
ifter the check number of
wordsais is a day message. Otherapp'
wise its character is indicated by the
1
symbol appearing after the check.
7ECEIVED AT
AVIF4 jr
esv
AM
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
GEORGE W. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
5-919 Seventeenth Street, Denver, Colo.
CLASS OF SERVICE
SYMBOL
Day Message
Day Letter
Blue
Night Message
Nite
Night Letter
NL
If none of these three symbols
appears after the check number of
words) this is a day message. Otherwise its character is indicated by the
symbol appearing after the check.
°LAI"
YORK OCT 26 1916
,
1636
STRONG
4100 ANTVIEW BLVD DENVE,, COLD
SUGGESTS THAT
AE
IT MAY BE IMPROPER FOR NTIONAL BANKS TO AGREE
DISCOUNT THEIR OWN ACCEPTANCES 'AS JELL AS TO RENEW FOR
STOP LET ME HAVE-YOUR VIEJS ON THIS POINT AND ESPECIALLY
T
IF
AYTHI
SAID WHEN ORIGINAL BROWN AND BONBRIGHT CRE,DITS WERE
.0 STOP DID THE LATTER KNOW DETAILS OF THOSE CONTRACTS
BOARD WASHINGTON
J F CURTIS
OCT 27 1211AM,
1
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
October 28, 1916.
4 dear Governor:
ith reference to the new French export credit, I received your
various telegrams in Washington yesterday but was somewhat mystified by the
last sentence Of your original telegram, which when first delivered to me
read as follows:
"Important should not conclude argument with
revealing all correspondence and memorandum in our files
on this subject."
The telegraph company repeated this sentence so as to read:
"Important should not conclude argument with
reviewing all correspondence and memorandum in our files
on this subject."
I assumed that what you really said was, "without reviewing, etc.
But we
did not go over the whole story from our files with the board, although Jr. Jay
and i did to refresh our memories of what had taken place in the past so as to
be able to make a clear statement to them.
The history of this matter is
about as follows:
A week ago Thursday Kent invited Jay and myself to lunch and told us
that he had been working on this credit for about six or eight months and that
they were about to get their syndicate arranged and conclude the contract.
He said there would be about sixty high-class manufacturing and commercial
concerns in France that would draw on the American banking syndicate.
He
didn't show us any contract and, in fact, indicated that matters hadn't quite
progressed that far.
It appears that on the same afternoon he called in various news-
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
cp
2
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
10/28/16.
paper men and told them the negotiations in confidence, with the understanding
that it was not to be published until he gave tire word to them all simultaneously to release it.
However, with its customary disregard of little matters of
that sort, "The Kew York American" promptly published the story on Friday morning, which forced the hand of the managers of the syndicate, i.e., the Bankers
Trust, the Guaranty Trust and Bonbright & Co., who then with much haste sent
out their circular to about four thousand banks inviting them to participate
in the syndicate.
This circular was not shown to any Cf us over here.
On Saturday morning the members of the Federal Reserve Board who
were in Washdngton felt much upset about the published newspaper articles concerning the credit on the ground that the managers apparently had made statements which might lead people to believe that the Federal reserve banks would
"hold the bag" and purchase all the acceptances under the credit which might
be thrown on the market.
They got in touch with Mr. Jay, who got in touch
with Kent, who tried to stop the circulars from going out but found they were
already in the mail.
Without notifying us of their intentions, the board sent a telegram
to each of the Federal reserve agents indicating that these acceptances were
not very desirable,and that the reserve banks should not buy them in large
quantities, and that the persons who might join the syndicate should be advised of this fact.
As soon-as we received the telegram, which was on Jonday,
we called them up at the board and got hold of Warburg, I think, who told us
the board were considering making a published statement for the newspapers in
connection with the matter.
:e urged them not to do this on the ground that
such statement would have two inevitable results:
Kill the credit "dead as a doornail," and
Lead to a newspaper controversy with bankers as
to whether the board or the trust companies were
in the right.
That night Jay and I jumped on a train and went to Washington and
had a conference lasting about two hours and a half with Messrs. Harding,
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
-RAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
10/28/16.
Delano and Warburg, at the end of which it was agreed that the best way to handle
it was to have the trust companies include in the next letter which they were
to write to those who desired to participate a statement to the effect that, in
order to avoid misunderstanding, they wished to advise the participants that,
while the acceptances were eligible for purchase by the Federal reserve banks,
it was understood to be the policy of the Federal Reserve Board not to encourage
large purchases of this class of acceptance which had the renewal provisions
included in the contract.
It was also understood that Governor Harding, who
is to make a speech here in New York next Wednesday evening, would make a
general statement of the position of the board with respect to acceptances of
this character without mentioning any particular credit by name.
We also
urged upon those members of the board to send another telegram to each Federal
reserve agent indicating that their first telegram was sent for his private
information and not for publication, which, I think, was done but I am not
sure.
word
On Wednesday we received..from Mr. :IcKay of Chicago that his executive
committee had voted that the proposed acceptances were not eligible for purchase by Federal reserve banks and that, therefore, we would kindly refrain
from buying any for their account.
Naturally, this action was quite a body-
blow for the undertaking as the Chicago bank was advising all its member banks
who inquired that the acceptances were not eligible.
The same was true in
Boston, except that after first advising tember banks that they were not eligible they changed around and later advised them that they were eligible.
While in Washington, we gathered from conversations with Delano and
Harding that the Comptroller was very much wrought up over the newspaper
articles about the credit and was very anxious to have a counter-statement
issued by the board or by himself, and, apparently, all of the members of the
board except Delano were much exercised over the situation, he having said
that when he returned to Washington on that Jonday he found them in a great
AESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
state of excitement..
4
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
10/28/16.
Harding told me when we were alone together that Willis
was very much excited about it and had almost given the whole matter to the
press with a statement before they had held him up, and he also told me that
his awn view was that it should be managed without publicity and thought that
the plan of having the trust companies issue a supplemental explanatory letter,
coupled with his speech, was the correct way of handling it.
Jay and I left
Washington on Tuesday afternoon,thinking it was all settled, with various
suggested forms for this supplemental letter to be submitted to Kent.
On
Wednesday Kent and his associates went over the draft of statement and changed
it somewhat and submitted what they thought would be appropriate, which was
forwarded to the board.
On Thursday the board met again and decided that the
Kent draft would not meet the situation, and, apparently, the Comptroller at
that point became convinced that the whole matter was illegal so far as national banks were concerned, apparently on the ground that national banks have not
the right to combine an agreement to renew acceptances for a period of eighteen
months plus an agreement to advance the funds themselves, if necessary.
I do
not know what provision of law prevents this and have not yet discovered what
one he thinks prevents it, but, anyway, it raised a new complication and so it
was suggested that Kent and Hemphill go to Washington for a conference yesterday (Friday) together with Cotton, Jay and myself.
undertaken once more,
So the pilgrimage was
r. Jay having been there on Thursday anyway to attend
a meeting of the executive committee of the Federal reserve agents' conference.
0
On Friday morning Jay and I had a long talk with Cotton, Elliott,
and Harrison, all of whom apparently had got it into their heads that the
combination of the two undertakings of the national banks was in some way in
violation of the provision that they should not make acceptances to run for
more than six months.
I argued this for about an hour and a half at the
close of which Harrison said he had come round;
Cotton was looking at the
ceiling with his feet on the desk, in an atmosphere of coma, and Elliott had
.1.41( OF NEW YORK
5
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
peared with the papers to look something over.
10/28/16.
At two o'clock Kent and
Hemphill arrived and at half past two we all went to the board room and had a
meeting with the board, at which they were all present except JcAdoo and Hamlin.
Harding started off by saying that the board had made up its mind that
a statement must be made and they would give opportunity to the trust companies
to make a statement to the prospective participants of the general nature of
one which he read aloud, or the board would issue a public statement.
There
ensued a debate lasting for about three hours in which the following statements
were made:
Warburg said he didn't believe in the credit anyway, that it was on
the wrong basis and ought not to be encouraged.
Hemphill said that the board had already practically killed it, that
it could not now amount to more than fifty millions and that all the subscriptions they had received so far totaled only eighteen millions.
He asked
Harding whether there were any misstatements of fact in their circular and
suggested that they take up the facts stated in order:
1.
Were the bills eligible or not.
To my amazement .Mr. Harding did not answer this question directly,
but one of the members of the board (I have forgotten which) said that it was
a matter under consideration.
Miller suggested that, while the bills were
eligible, they were not eligible, his point apparently being that, while they
were eligible as a matter of law, they were not eligible as a matter of prudent
banking.
I suggested to him that the word "eligible" by constant use in the
regulations of the board had now acquired a definite fixed meaning which everybody interested in the matter knew, but this suggestion fell by the wayside.
Toward the end of the argument Hemphill made a plea that nothing at all be done
on the ground that if the object of the board was to kill it they had succeeded
already, that the trust companies would guarantee it would not exceed fifty
millions in any event, and that if it were killed any more they would have to
/SANK
OF NEW YORK
6
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
10/28/16.
Tort to their friends in France that this credit had been killed by the
action of the Federal Reserve Board, which he thought would be an unfortunate
situation.
Somewhat to my surprise this plea seemed to have some effect upon
the board, who apparently said they would consider it ,further, but at 5:10 I
left the meeting to catch the train home and don't know what happened after
that except that Kent and Hemphill, who took the same train, seemed to be a
little in doubt as to what shape the matter was in at the end of the conference.
x. Jay stayed over in ':iashington where he is to-day, but I have not
heard anything further from him.
Since returning this morning I find a letter from the Federal Reserve
Bank of ilinneapolis stating that their executive committee has concluded that
the bank ought not to participate, directly or indirectly, in acceptances growing out of the French credit about which the Federal Reserve Board has communicated with all the Federal reserve banks.
We have not yet made any reply to
Chicago or _Iinneapolis, thinking it would be better to wait until some decision
has been reached.
The funny .part, from my point of view, is that this credit is ar-
ranged along a line entirely similar to all the others which we have been buying for the last fifteen manths.
The record shows that the board had a copy
of the original Brown credit for eight days before they published the revised
regulations which permitted the purchase of acceptances of the character being
made under the Brown credit, but each member of the board thinks that he never
saw the paper, and they are all firmly convinced they never knew that in any
of these credits the acceptor was obligated in one form of words or another to
supply the funds at the time of the original acceptance as well as at times of
renewals.
At the conference yesterday, I thought 1arburg made a very good
speech on the theory of the acceptance business, in which he stated that he
SANK OF NEW YORK
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
10/28/16.
thought the practice of acceptors in this country of furnishing the money and
holding their own bills was not the best way to have the acceptance business
grow up in the United States, and he asked Kent if he thought that was the
normal way to have the business conducted.
On the Other hand, I thought
Kent's reply was also very good, in which he said that that way was as normal
to-day as living to-day was, that the war had changed all forms of international relations, and that the development of the acceptance business in this
country could not be done on the basis that it had been developed in England
over a period of some hundreds of years.
I am sorry that we have not had better success in this matter.
The
Lord knows we have struggled hard enough, but I don't think we have accomplished anything.
To my mind the credit is practically killed and probably cannot
be revived with any semblance of unbroken life, and I don't think anybody is
better off for it.
4 own view would be to write to Chicago and jinneapolis
and ask them if they desire us to stop purchasing any French acceptances for
them, .on the basis that there is no distinction between the new ones and the
old other than the fact that the new have industrial and manufacturing concerns
as drawers whereas the old had bankers.
It is an astonishing fact that in all the conferences, debates, correspondence and general mix-up that you had with the board in July, August and
September of 1915 there does not appear to have been a specific reference to
the fact that the participants in the Brown credit were obligated (i.e., they
covenanted and guaranteed to have the acceptances discounted at the agreed
rate) to furnish the money or see that the money was furnished.
To pass on to a pleasanter subject, let us come back to our old
friend - the situation of the private bankers .in this State under the Clayton
Act.
In accordance with your request, I enclose herewith a list of the
private bankers who are directors in State banks and trust companies,together
-
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
ASSSSYS SANK OF NEW YORK
10/28/16.
the sources of information from which the list was made up.
I am sorry
I have not had time to go over the drawing up of an amendment in this regard.
Your letter of October 23rd has just arrived.
The first two ship-
ments of gold, amounting to about ten million dollarS., have been received and
put into the Clearing House.
As you suggest, we are taking a guarantee from
..organ of the contents of the bags, and the 1% is not to be paid over until
we receive final payment from the Assay Office, which,, of course, will be at
the end of our holding the gold.
Yours very truly,
ecip_
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
Enc.
Dictated by Er. Curtis but only partly read by him.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF4EW YORK
NO/
October 30, 1916.
4
dear Guy:
Since writing you on Saturday the French credit matter has progressed a little bit, about as follows:
Mr. Harding called up Mr. Treman and suggested that we get hold of
Messrs. Kent and Hemphill and say to them that, if the amount of member bank
20,000,000., the board
acceptances involved in the credit was not to exceed
would be inclined not to make any announcement and not to ask the trust companies to issue any additional letter or circular.
Accordingly, we got hold
of Messrs. Kent and Hemphill and told them this, and they agreed that the
member bank acceptances would not exceed cr;20,000,000.
Mr. Harding is to make a speech here on Wednesday night in which he
is to outline the general policy of the board, and I understand also from him
that he is to send a copy ofthis speech to each Federal reserve agent confidentially, as indicating the policy the board would like to have them pursue.
He is to send a copy of this over to us to-night for our information.
After our conference, Mr. Treman called up Mr. Harding again and told
him of the understanding reached.
So there the matter rests, with everybody
dissatisfied to a certain extent.
Your letter to Mr. Brian Cokayne has been forwarded to him with the
following change on page five in the second paragraph.
After the word
"follows" we have inserted "Every Federal reserve bank shall have power," in
order to make the context a little clearer.
.AL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
10/30/16.
We are to have a meeting with Messrs. Rhoads, McDougal, Aiken and
Fancher to-morrow and we may be able to get the French credit in better shape,
but I doubt it.
(Continued October 31st)
Since writing the above, we have had a meeting with Messrs. McDougal,
Aiken, Fancher and Seay in which various matters were gone over very thoroughly,
especially the French credit.
We got Ir. Kent over to give a further explana-
tory talk on this matter, and we also received a copy of Mr. Harding' s address,
which I enclose herewith.
After reading it, we called him up and Aiken urged
that the parts marked on pages 16 and 19 be eliminated as we thought they would
both give erroneous impressions of the French credit and the possibility of our
foreign relations.
Mr. Harding replied that it was too late to change the
speech as it had already been sent to the newspapers for release on Thursday
morning, but that he would make it clear in his speech that the part on page 16
was not intended to apply to acceptances of the character now being purchased
or to be purchased under similar credits but was intended to apply only to
finance bills pure and simple.
With respect to the foreign arrangements, he
felt that the phrase we objected to would not be a commitment of the system not
to undertake such relationships until after the war, which was what we were
afraid of.
He also telephoned the substance of instructions that were going out
from the board to-day to all Federal reserve agents, of which I also enclose a
copy.
It is rather hard to see where this will lead the matter, but I fear
the effect of the speech will be unfortunate.
Yours as ever,
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
4100 lontview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
Encs. (2)
'5(
er){ / e
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
lazk,
OF NEW YORK
November 2, 1916.
y dear Gov:
I enclose herewith a copy of the minutes of the
recent meeting of the bond selling committee which speaks
for itself.
We are calling a conference of the governors to
be held at Washington on December 11th next.
If you have
any suggestions for topics, please let me know.
There is nothing new today here.
I am going to make a real reply to your latest
letters when I get a little more time.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
Enc.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
November 3, 1916.
My dear Gov:
I have your note of the 31st enclosing the s
ps from the Piping
Rock Club, for which I am much obliged.
I had just learned that Laracey has lef Denver to return to the
East which, I am afraid, is in the nature of c a/l
mmitting suicide.
this apparently on the advice of one of his
without any consultation with us and,
Sewall.
He did
rothers here and, naturally,
uppose, without talking to Doctor
It is a crime that they sho id take such an attitude as Laura and
I had got his aunt, who works for
him abide more strictly by the
to write to them urging them to make
octor's orders, but I am afraid that the milk
is spilt now.
leanwhile, please accept our most grateful thanks for all that you
did for him out there.
Sincerely yours
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
..TFC/PE
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
November 3, 1916.
N08
My dear Gov:
We have been over your letter to Mons. Pallain, which we are taking
the liberty of holding up although we are sending forward the various papers as
you request.
May I make one or two suggestions about your letter, as follows:
On page one, in the second paragraph, I would insert after the
word "liabilities" at the end of the sixth line a semicolon, and strike out the
comma after the word "account" in the next line, otherwise I am afraid the Door
Frenchman may not quite get the full beauty of the thought.
On page two you say that "the suggestion for a specific transaction, aggregating, say, "20,000,000., preliminary to a more general understanding is now awaiting final consideration by some of my associates in
Washington."
This is in the nature of news to us here as we have not taken
any steps towards placing this matter before the Federal Reserve Board and had
no knowledge that you had done so.
you think that we have?.
Do you mean that you have done so, or do
What you say in the rest of your letter seems to me
to indicate that Mons. Pallain's suggestion about the twenty millions could not
be worked, so I don't quite understand what you mean in this regard.
On page three, in order to maim the context a little clearer, I
would suggest inserting after the word "purchase" in the first line the words
"in this country."
For the same reason, on page five I would suggest that the first
part of the second paragraph be changed to read, "Also, if exchange became
_DERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
11/3/16.
adverse to this country and continued in that situation for any length of time,
we would naturally, etc."
I would suggest this because I feel that any
foreigner translating this paragraph might not readily connect it with the preceding one if left in its present shape.
As to my seeing Frank Polk, I think it would be a good thing to do
informally and, of course, I can do this without stirring up any trouble and
will take occasion to see him as soon as opportunity offers.
Perhaps I am rather dumb about the twenty million dollar transaction
which possibly you mentioned as you did in order to waste a little time, but
it strikes me that your remarks under that head are really not consistent with
the rest of the letter.
I understand Mr. Treman is writing you more fully
on this matter today.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
November 10, 1916.
My dear Gov:
I enclose herewith the list of private bankers which you
sent me the other day, on which you will find noted the firms of
which the individuals are members.
I will get busy over Sunday on
your plan for an amendment to the Clayton and hope to get something
off to you on this subject next week.
I also enclose herewith copy of such correspondence as we
have about the National Bank of Commerce German hide credit, which,
as a matter of fact, has not yet been arranged.
I have your letter of the 6th.
With respect to the
United States 3s, we had a little mix-up over the last million that
was sold to the First National Bank of Chicago, but it has now all
been straightened out satisfactorily.
We had a very clear under-
standing with them that all six millions were to be placed with a
customer and not to come on the market for a considerable time.
They tried to put the last million on the market right away and thus
spoil Harvey Fisk's situation.
After we had taken the position
that they must either keep the bonds off the market or the sale of
the last million would be canceled, they finally climbed down and
agreed to hold them off.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
....
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
11/10/16.
I cannot write much of a letter to-day as I am off this
0
afternoon to Cambridge to see your pets go down to defeat.
I hope your health continues to improve.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 ..Iontview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
PRIVATE BANKERS IN NEW YORK CITY
WHO ARE DIRECTORS IN STATE BANKS AND TRUST COMPANIES
Empire Trust Company
J. S. Bache
International Banking Corporation
James A. Blair
New York Trust Company
Harry Bronner
Equitable Trust Company
Franklin or Brown
Columbia Trust Company
James Brown
Mercantile Bank of the Americas, Inc.
It
It
Union Trust Company
Thatcher U. Brown
Mercantile Bank of the Americas, Inc.
E. E. Bulkley
Bankers Trust Company
Henry P. Davison
Bankers Trust Company
Eugene Delano
N. Y. Life Insurance & Trust Company
John B. Dennis
New York Trust Company
Charles D. Dickey
U. S. Mortgage & Trust Company
* Murray W. Dodge
Franklin Trust Company, Brooklyn
Benjamin S. Guinness
New York Trust Company
Henry R. Ickelheimer
Fifth Avenue Bank
It
II
It
U. S. Mortgage & Trust Company
Adrian Iselin, Jr.
Central Trust Company
C. 0,D. Iselin
N. Y. Life Insurance & Trust Company
Ernest Iselin
U. S. Mortgage & Trust Company
Union Trust Company
Otto H. Kahn
Equitable Trust Company
W. DeLancey Kountze
Lincoln Trust Company
Thomas W. Lamont
Guaranty Trust Company
Charles Lanier
Central Trust company
-2-
R. Walter Leigh
Franklin Trust Company, Brooklyn
Walter Luttgen
Transatlantic Trust Company
Edgar L. Marston
Astor Trust Company
Bankers Trust Company
Guaranty Trust Company
Title Guarantee & Trust Company
Horace J. Morse
Peoples Trust Company, Brooklyn
Edwin W. Orvis
Colonial Bank
Greenwich Bank
Charles J. Peabody
Franklin Trust Company, Brooklyn
Wm. H. Porter
Astor Trust Company
It
II
Fifth Avenue Bank
Title Guarantee & Trust Company
Dallas B. Pratt
BP/9k of America
Oscar L. Richard
State Bank
Max Ruckgaber, Jr.
Peoples Trust Company, Brooklyn
Charles S. Sargent, Jr.
N. Y. Produce Exchange Bank
Jacob H. Schiff
Central Trust Company
timer L. Schiff
Fidelity Bank
U. S. Mortgage & Trust Company
John S. Scully
Montauk Bank, Brooklyn
Isaac N. Seligman
Lincoln Trust Company
James Speyer
Bank of Manhattan Company
It
Albert Strauss
Title Guarantee & Trust Company
Guaranty Trust Company
Mercantile Bnnk of the Americas, Inc.
-3-
Frederick Strauss
tt
Columbia Trust Company
U
Mercantile Bank of the Americas, Inc.
Jesse Isidor Straus
Lincoln Trust Company
Henry R. Talmadge
Empire Trust Company
Moses Taylor
N. Y. Life Insurance & Trust Company
Henry H. Wehrhane
Transatlantic Trust CompaAy
M. Orme Wilson
Union Trust Company
Beekman Winthrop
Farmers Loan & Trust Company
PRIVATE BANKERS IN NEW
yaix
STATE (OUTSIDE KEW YORK CITY)
WHO ARE DIRECTORS IN STATE BANKS ArD TRUST COMPANIES
H. E. Crissey
Farmers & Mechanics Bk., Jamestown
C. R. Nelson
Peoples Trust Company, Binghamton
Leo Frank
St. Lawrence Trust Company, Ogdensburg
t E. Perkins
Union Trust Company, Rochester
(The names of private bankers were obtained from a list published
in R. G. Dun & Company's Reference Book and from the statement of the New
York State Banking Department.
The directors were taken from the Rand-
McNally Bankers' Directory of July 1916.)
Murray W. Dodge
Walter Luttgen
Horace
J.J.
G
Morse
Edqin W. Orvis
(Ap
Oscar L. Richard
C.
0, pA,LeiJ,_el 4-co
John S. Scully
M. Orme Wilson
Beekman Winthrop
- Vo-rf
__co
H. E. Crissey
(4-.
R. Nelson
_
0
Leo Frail
y
y
E. Per
/
Jesse Isidor Straus
EQUITABLE BUILDING
NEW YORK
410k,
4 49;6,
November 10, 1916.
4 dear Gov:
I have finally straightened out all your insurance
matters, I believe, as follows:
.1;;25,000. worth of fire in-
surance has been transferred to your furnitire and personal
effects, etc. at the warehouse;
11,000. worth of your fire
insurance on the effects that were formerly in your apartment
has been canceled;
the burglary insurance on effects former-
ly in your apartment has been canceled and a return premium
will be forthcoming;
burglary and fire insurance on property
at Greenwich has been transferred to Mrs. Strong and the policies disposed of in accordance with a letter to the Astor
Trust Company of which I enclose a copy.
Mr. Carraway has made out a new policy to take ef-
fect on December 22nd next for 10,000. to replace the Westchester policy that expires on that day.
I enclose herewith
his bill, and am sending under another cover your insurance
register so it can be written up by Mrs. McLaren.
I also enclose two letters from Mr. Carraway, one
of which is about doing your accident insurance for you in
the future.
In this connection I ought to say that Mr. Coe
4
11/10/16.
Benj. Strong, Esq.,
seemed to feel a little badly about my having employed Mt.
Carraway so possibly it would be better to stick by the original brokers in the future;
however, I leave this matter to
your judgment, naturally.
Sincerely yours,
c-4Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
Encs. (4)
Dictated by Mt. Curtis but not read by him.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
40
1.4
November 17, 1916.
My dear Gov:
I have your two letters of November 14th, and in reply to the personal one will let the insurance matters rest for the present as you suggest.
The other matters discussed in your second letter were all the subject of debate at a rather fortuitous meeting to-day, at which we had Messrs.
Warburg, Aiken and Rhoads.
We all came to the same conclusion that you did about the government bond matters and thought it would be wise to have the committee on disposition of government 3s act for all the banks in purchasing 2s.
Mr.
Warburg felt that we would do well to write the suggestion to the board to see
if they had any objection, in view of the fact that last year it was the Comptroller who'tpset the apple-cart" on the theory that such joint action would
amount to a conspiracy in teliistraint of trade and spoil the market for his
beloved defunct banks;
so'I think it is likely that we shall take this course.
The necessity for it was well illustrated yesterday (our directors having
A.6
voted the day before to authorize the purchase of a million.Zwat not higher
than 99 7/8) when Childs offered us a million at 100 1/16, we replying that
we were not interested.
About two hours later we got a telegram from Cleve-
land to transfer a million dollars to' the Mechanics & Metals National Bank for
the account of Childs;
so it appeared that Fancher had been bidding against
us, which certainly is an unfortunate situation.
straighten it out in the near future.
I think we might be able to
The board has notified us that bonds
Purchased in November and December will be counted to our credit in making up
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2
11/17/16.
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
the amounts to be allotted to us both under the twenty-five million of purchases and the thirty million of conversions, which accounts for the sudden
scramble for the 2s.
During the course of the discussion to-day Mr. Woodward came over
and we spent considerable time debating the policy to be pursued with respect
to so-called renewal acceptances and with respect to differentials in our
rates generally.
No final conclusions were reached except that it seemed to
be the consensus of opinion that the governors of the principal banks in the
East should make up their minds about what amounts it was wise for the Federal
Reserve System as a whole to have of such acceptances and when that amount was
reached for the New York bank and others to raise the rate on that class of
bill.
This was something of a concession from Mr. Warburg's original view
that we ought to raise our rate now.
Mr. Aiken suggested the advisability of
reducing the differential for bills indorsed by member bank from one-quarter to
one-eighth, but this did not meet with approval from the others present.
I took advantage of the opportunity to bring up the question of a
change in the rate of allotment of the investments and produced some figures
prepared by Mr. Kenzel and Mr. Jefferson, a copy of which I think has been sent
to you, which show that New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Francisco
ought to have their proportions raised.
Mr. Warburg agreed, especially about
New York, and we are going to send our figures on to Mr. Seay within a day or
two.
I advanced the view that, inasmuch as all the reserve banks and all the
member banks were now interested in the question of the payment of dividends by
the reserve banks, we ought to take the net earnings as a basis for making up
distribution so that those banks which are still falling farther behind in this
matter might be given an opportunity of catching up.
I believe that a sub-
stantial charge will be made in the basis at the next meeting.
During the course of the acceptance discussion I made some humorous
remark to:M±.. Warburg (who had previously said that we in New York were con
_RVE BANK OF NEW YORK ......_
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
_3_
11/17/16.
Anually trying to stretch the already liberal interpretations that he made in
t7
7ashington) about his stretching farther than some of us here would do with respect to the Argentine hides to be shipped to Germany after the close of the
war with two years' renewals attached, to which he replied that I hadn't given
him a complete statement of the credit because I hadn't told him that the
National Bank of Commerce was to obligate itself to furnish the money at a
given rate.
I told him that I had given him all the information I had at the
time and that it had been sufficient for him to make a ruling on,-but he still
thinks that it would be less of a stretch than on the French renewals apparently because the hides would still be in existence at the end of the two years.
We also spoke about the rulings with respect to "dollar exchange"
in connection with which he expressed the view that the bills should be in connection with imports and exports.
I stated that I did not see any point in
tying the matter down so close as, if that was to be the attitude of the board,
there was no sense in having the amendment passed at all as the banks already
had authority to accept such bills under the old law.
In this connection Mr.
Gardin of the National City Bank is probably going to arrange with four or five
other bankers interested in foreign exchange to go to Washington to have a discussion with the board some time in the near future, which, I think, will be
very helpful.
The other day I had
a
chat with Hoffman, who now represents the
"Times," in which he told me that it was rumored about that Mr. Starek had had
a falling out with the Comptroller, that he had recently gone to the custom
house to see what he could find out about it and found 11r. Starek away on a
vacation and the Comptroller there at the office,
who introduced him to a Mr.
Richmond who has been put temporarily in charge of the office.
The Comptroller
denied that there was any such situation, but Hoffman feels sure that it is true
in view of the fact that Mr. Starek apparently is spending his vacation on the
lower part of Manhattan Island, although not at his office.
The latter has not
ERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4
11/17/16.
*
been to a board meeting for six or eight weeks and I had an idea that he was
sick, but apparently this is not so.
-
4011?
Mr. Atkinson of W. E.
Co0's
office called me up just now to ask
whether your share in the Spesutia Island Rod and Gun Club is for sale and, if
so, how much you want for it as /0±.
Cos,
would probably like to buy it.
If
you will let me know about this, I will communicate with him or you can do so
direct, as you prefer.
dined last night at a house where the Colonel was with a small
party and, as usual he did all the talking.
It was very interesting, especial-
ly with respect to what actually happened in California.
He thinks it was
mostly Mr. Hughes' own fault and misfortune in not knowing what the real conditions were out there and getting himself completely tied up with the Old
Guard, represented by Crocker, so much so that he never saw Johnson during the
three days that he was in the State.
The Colonel says that no one could
persuade the people of California that Hughes was not an absolutely standpat
II
Old Guard follower, all the people going on the basis of seeing is believing
to the tune of a difference between his and Hiram's vote of more than 250,000.
However, the Colonel did not contribute the result to the poorness of the campaign, although he thought it had been poor, but to the general disgusting
attitude of the people of the country who were satisfied with a full dinner-pail
and "he kept us out of war." . He also told us of a most extraordinary interview
Alt,A4mk17
he had had with HermantRidder and another German editor, who came to him before
the convention and said that they were for him.
When he expressed astonishment
and said that they ought to know his views about Germany's actions, they replied
that they had read everything he had said and written and were still for him on
the basis that, while he had denounced certain things that Germany had done, he
was obviously not pro-British and that he would do what he said he would do,
whereas they knew that Mr. Wilson would not.
You have doubtless heard that the day before yesterday we raised the
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
5
JERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
11/17/16.
rate on acceptances a quarter of one per cent, which caused a mild discussion
among bankers downtown but otherwise apparently has not had much effect from the
number of bills offered.
The general comment on it was favorable.
Boston and
Philadelphia have also raised their rates.
*Kent tells me that his French credits have been taken up to the fifty
millions they were originally counting on for the first contract, of which about
fourteen or fifteen millions are member banks'.
Please accept my apologies for not having an amendment to the Clayton
Act ready for your blue pencil to-day, but I am in my usual position of just not
having got around to it.
I hope your health continues to improve and your weight increase.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
4..* 44,
Ch_Vitt
4'n/64
.
r-Jc
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
levember 18, 1916.
My dear Governor:
I enclose herewith a draft of a suggested amendment to the Kern Amendment of the Clayton Act which, I think, would bring about the desired result of
permitting a private banker to be a director of a member bank or trust company
and not more than two other institutions.
If it is desired to exclude private
bankers from being class A directors of Federal reserve banks, the provision in
brackets at the end of this draft might be included as part of the amendment.
I have been over with some care your letter of September 23rd
in
which you give your views on a proposed amendment to cover this matter, and I
cannot see the necessity for the elaboration appearing in your draft.
As the
board has already ruled that the private banker provision of the original Clayton Act does net apply to private bankers with resources of less than five
million dollars who are situated in cities and towns of less than two hundred
thousand, of course all we mlled to look out for are the private bankers that
fall outside this category.
But there seems to be no objection to making the
terms of the Kern Amendment sufficiently broad to include all private bankers
without going into details as to which ones were already affected by the original
Clayton Act.
I note your suggestion about adding a section or clause similar to
that found in section 31 of the far-famed Burton Bill.
You do not' state
whether your purpose in adding such a section is to ameliorate or exacerbate
VEBANKOFNEWYORK
2
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
11/18/16.
the lot of the private banker who becomes a director of a member bank, but the
effect of such a provision would be the former, I think, as section 22 of the
Federal Reserve Act already covers the point in what seems to me a comprehensive
way.
Of course, the scope of section 22 is somewhat in doubt and it might be
well to make clear either that ordinary transactions between a private banker
and a member bank of which he is a director shall be permitted or shall not be
permitted as a matter of public policy.
1, personally, am in favor of a policy which says that all such
transactions shall be forbidden as I think the other policy leads to great
abuse.
On the other hand, as a matter of expediency it may be wiser to permit
such transactions in order to encourage the trust companies to come into the
system.
Yet, again, there remains the question of how much of it you can get
past Congress.
Will you let me know what you think of my suggestion, and accept once
more my apologies for the delay in getting it to you.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
Enc.
SUGGESTED AAENDMENT TO THE KERN AAENDAENT
It is suggested that the proviso be amended so as to read as follows:
"AND PROVIDED FURTHER,
That nothing in this Act shall prohibit any
officer, director or errploye of any member bank or class A director of a Feder-
al reserve bank who shall first procure the consent of the Federal Reserve
Board,
which board is hereby authorized at its discretion to grant, withhold or
revoke such consent, from being an officer, director or employe of not more
than two other banks, banking associations or trust companies, whether organized under the laws of the United States or any State, or a private banker, if
such other bank, banking association or trust company or private banker is not
in substantial competition with such member bank.
"The consent of the Federal Reserve Board may be procured before the
person applying therefor has been elected as a class A director of a Federal
reserve bank or as a director of any member bank, or in connection with the
application for admission of a State bank, banking association or trust company
to membership in the Federal Reserve System."
(PROVIDED FURTHER,
That no private banker shall be a class A di-
rector of a Federal reserve bank.)
OF" T. RESERVE BANK
NEW YORK
5:45
JFC/P
Festal.
(TO BE MAILED)
CONFIRMATION OF TELEGRAM
We have today telegraphed you as follows :
November 29, 1916.
Benjamin Strong,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
Corey wants Spesutia share for five thousand
Please send instructions.
J. F. Curtis.
(Charge)
o
B-2
acdm
e-wvG--
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
November 29, 1916.
Dear Gov:
I understand that Mr. Treman is writing you fully concerning our
board meeting of yesterday, so I will not bother you with a repetition of it.
By this time I assume you have seen complete copy of the announcement
issued by the board yesterday, together with the comments made thereon by various bankers.
The general feeling here seems to be one of criticism, especial-
ly with respect to the part where they undertake (after saying that it is no
part of their function) to advise private investors how to invest their money.
My own view is that this portion is entirely uncalled for and hardly a proper
exercise of their authority.
In principle they might, as I see it, just as
well say that investors should not buy any more United States Steel Corporation
bonds without looking carefully into the situation of that company.
The an-
nouncement had considerable frect on the market - a certain amount on stocks
but principally on the various foreign bond issues, all of which dropped yesterday from one-eighth to a point and some of which continued dropping to-day.
As you may imagine, poor Cazenave and Bloch are in despair; figuratively speaking.
I lunched with them the day before the announcement was published and
they told me then, confidentially, that the sledding was pretty hard owing to
atmospheric conditions in 7ashington.
Cazenave added pathetically that he
didn't know exactly what was to be done to please the bankers of the United
States, who appeared to feel upset over the large influx of gold but who,
nevertheless, did not want to have commercial credits last longer than ninety
t."
41101.
RAL RESERVE SANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
2
11/29/16.
days and would not approve any more foreign bonds or treasury bills.
He said
he began to wonder whether it was desired to reduce the amount of the export
business of the United States, and I think a good many people are echoing his
sentiments to-day.
However, "the beans have been spilt" and it only remains to
assist in picking up the pieces.
Cazenave was to have spent Thanksgiving with
us on Long Island but he telephoned me yesterday that he had to go to Washington
to see what could be done.
Mr. Jay is still "under the weather" and, according to his doctor,
narrowly escaped having pneumonia.
He is planning to go to the Federal reserve
agents' conference to be held in Washington next Zionday, but I hope he will not
undertake it as I think it would prove too much of a strain on his constitution
in view of the pulling down which his bronchitis has caused.
We are having the combined auditors and transit men's conference
(really separate but at the same time and place) at Chicago on the 4th in order
that they may present recommendations, through a small committee, at the governors' conference on the 11th.
Mr. McCord has written to each of the governors
asking whether it would be agreeable to them for him to have Mr. Walker, manager
of the New Orleans branch, attend the conference.
We replied that we saw no
objection, but I understand that Aiken and McDougal have stated that they preferred not to change the rule, so that the country may be saved after all.
In response to a suggestion we made last week, the board has written
that they perceive no objection to the plan to have a committee formed to purchase government 2s and, accordingly, I have sent out a suggestion to each of
the governors to the effect that the same bond committee be appointed to purchase
the 2s on joint account for all the banks that desire to participate, with
authority to fix prices, commissions, etc., in the same manner that they did with
respect to selling the 3s.
I have only one reply so far - from Kains, who
agrees to the plan but says he does not care to make any purchases through the
committee till after the first of the year.
CRAL RESERVE SANK OF NEW YORK
2
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
11/29/16.
I have just talked with Mt. Corey by telephone, who say S that he
would like to buy your stock in the Spesutia Island Rod and Gun Club for
,5,000, and I have accordingly telegraphed you to-day as per confirmation
herewith.
If you will tell me what you would like to have done about trans-
ferring this matter for you, I will try to collect the cash.
I enclose herewith a tentative draft of the programme for the next
conference of governors which will be made up finally in a few days.
I hope
I think the board had
it does not meet with your too severe disapproval.
some of your feeling about the lack of action at the last conference as, in
reply to my request for subjects, Ir. Harding wrote me that he hoped some of
the matters in connection with the collection and clearing system that were
left unanswered at the last conference might be taken up again.
We are about to have a new arrival in the family, the Bank of Mont-
clair having made up its mind to apply for membership, but this is strictly
confidential at present.
I hope you have a good fat turkey out your way for Thanksgiving and
that your doctor will let you eat 'im all.
With best wishes for the season, I am,
Sincerely yours,
P.
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 TIontview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JEC/PE
Encs (2)
Dictated by Mr. Curtis but not read by him.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
December 2, 1916.
My dear Governor:
I have been engaged in a somewhat vain endeavor to find the ruling
of the Federal Reserve Board mentioned in your letter of October 18th to Mr.
Treman under which the liability of Federal reserve notes is extinguished
when gold is deposited with the agent in place of commercial paper.
I do
not find that this practice was inaugurated by a formal ruling.
As you may remember, on January 5, 1915, Judge Elliott issued a
ruling concerning the correct procedure in the issuing and retiring of Federal reserve notes which contained very many foolish statements of what the law
meant.
A little later you wrote a long letter to the board.criticizing this
ruling and urging that it be not adopted as the position of the board.
On January 8, 1915, the Honorable John Burke wrote us a letter de-
manding445,000 to be sent to him for the 5% Redemption Fund, to which we
-
replied on the 15th that we did not need to send him any more money for his
redemption fund as we only had to keep a 40% reserve against Federal reserve
notes in actual circulation and not offset by gold or lawful money deposited
with the Federal reserve agent, as provided in paragraph 3 of section 16.
As I remember it, prior to this time we had had several discussions
with the staff of the bank as to the proper way of showing our liability on,
and reserves against, Federal reserve notes and everybody had agreed, without
a ruling, that the proper way was to show the liability only on the net
amount outstanding, as above described, and keep our reserves on that basis.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
12/2/16.
On January 17, 1916, the board sent a circular to each Federal reserve agent stating that the operation of the law might conceivably result in
the situation of Federal reserve notes being secured by 100% of silver certificates, which the board considered was not contemplated under the Act.
fore, each Federal reserve Agent was instructed that at least 40.,;
There-
gold must
be held either by the bank or, in the alternative, by the Federal reserve
agent against all outstanding Federal reserve notes, and the agents were instructed to require that a minimum of not less than 40% of deposits made to reduce liability must be in gold or gold certificates.
It seems to me that this order of January 17, 1916, is somewhat inconsistent with the general position that the board and the system as a whole
has taken in that it apparently recognizes the necessity of making the reserve
requirements applicable to the amount of notes for which the liability has been
reduced by depositing gold or lawful money with the agent.
I find that the method of showing the net liability of reserve banks
upon outstanding notes by deducting from the total amount in circulation the
gold and lawful money in hands of Federal reserve agents for redemption of
outstanding notes was begun at least as early as the weekly statement of com-
bined resources and liabilities of the Federal reserve banks at the close of
business December 11, 1914:
This statement is apparently the first weekly
statement published as it is the earliest of which we have a copy in our files.
As you will doubtless remember, I have written various memoranda on
the subject of what is meant by the words "reducing liability" in section 16
in Which I pointed out that there are various liabilities in connection with
outstanding notes which might be reduced by deposits with the Federal reserve
agent, to wit:
Liability to pay the notes when presented,
Liability to maintain a 40% gold reserve,
Liability to maintain a 5% redemption fund, and
ERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
(4)
3
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
12/2/16.
Liability to pay such tax as might be imposed on
their issue by the Federal Reserve Board.
Under the present practice, it seems to me clear that the liabilities
which have been reduced by making deposits with the agent are Nos. 2, 3 and 4
above, the liability to Day the notes when presented being one which the Feder-
al reserve banks cannot escape under any circumstances.
If our methods of book-
keeping were changed so that all notes issued to the bank by the agent were included in our statement of liabilities and all gold or lawful money deposited
with the agent was included in our assets, then, I believe, the only liability
which would be reduced by making such deposits would be the liability to pay
whatever tax might be imposed by the Federal Reserve Board, as our liability to
maintain a 40% gold reserve and a 5% redemption fund would exist with respect
to all notes outstanding but would be compensated for, as a practical matter,
by our
ability
to count the gold with the agent as part of the gold reserve.
Of course, I agree with you that our position would be much strengthened if it were possible to consider the gold deposited with the agent as
assets of the bank, and I also agree (if this is your view, it certainly being"
mine) that, as a practical matter, in case of the insolvency of a Federal reserve bank it would make absolutely no difference which way our books were kept
so far as the paying off of outstanding Federal reserve notes was concerned.
My view on this is that, even under present conditions, if a bank became bankrupt
and its reserve notes were presented for payment, all its assets would be used
so far as they went (including the assets held by the Federal reserve agent) to
pay off all of the reserve notes outstanding, and I do not believe that the
first notes presented could be handed to the agent for payment in full, leaving
the notes later presented to be paid off in part only by the balance of the insufficient assets of the bank.
Consequently, as a practical matter, whichever way
we kept our books on this question the assets of the bank and the assets held
by the reserve agent would be thrown into a common fund and used first to pay
....,ERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin strong, Esq.,
4
12/2/16.
Cr off the notes and, subsequently, any other liabilities of the bank.
However, I am not quite clear in my mind whether it would be wise to
try to get the board to authorize a change in the system at the present time in
view of the fact that the amendment was presented to Congress and turned down.
If you think it is wise to try for this change in practice, I think it could be
done by suggesting to the board that the banks be instructed simply to change
their form of bookkeeping so that all outstanding notes would appear as liabilities and all gold and lawful money deposited with the agent as assets temporarily held in custody by the agent.
As a matter of fact, this would require
very little change either in the books of the bank or in the weekly statements
of the board as the figures in question all appear upon those statements in the
in
form they are issued to-day.
In this connection, it is somewhat interesting
to note that the amount of gold and lawful money held by the agents on November
24, 1916, was in excess of the Federal reserve notes in circulation, both as
shown in the reserve banks' statement and as shown in the reserve agents' statement, although the two statements do not contain exactly the same figures.
With respect to the legal questions involved, I am rather inclined to
the view, although I think the solution is filled with doubt, that the gdld or
lawful money deposited with the Federal reserve agent remains the property of
the bank.
There are several indications to this effect in the statuteil as
follows:
(1)
The use of the word "deposit" instead of the word
"transfer" or other synonymous expression,
indicates that title was not intended to pass.
*(2)
The explicit provision that reserve notes so deposited shall not be reissued except upon
compliance with the conditions of an original
,issue would seem to indicate that, without
that provision, the notes might be considered
as owned by or subject to some claim of the
bank.
The absence of any such specific condition concerning the gold or lawful money
deposited has the tendency to indicate that
there may be such a claim or ownership in the
bank.
.ERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
(3)
tit'r
0
5
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
12/2/16.
The fact that the reserve agents must hold the gold
or lawful money exclusively for exchange for
notes offered by the bank indicates that the
bank is the only person that can ultimately
obtain the gold or lawful money so deposited
(except the Treasurer of.the United States,
who may get some of the gold for his redemption
fund).
(4)
It has been suggested that the Federal reserve agent
holds the deposits as trustee for the note
holders, but the fact that no individual note
holder could obtain any part of the deposit
even on presentation to the reserve agent of
Federal reserve notes seems a conclusive answer
to this suggestion.
Of course, the argument on the other side is that the Federal reserve agent is an agent for the Government to protect its liability on notes
and that he has consequently been vested with full legal title to the security
in order to make that protection adequate.
I am sorry that this discussion is not more illuminating, but
possibly it will serve to pass the time away and assist in digesting that
Thanksgiving turkey.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
EQUITABLE BUILDING
NEW YORK
rzr
e
ede,
1/A-(
t://
74--c
e,4(
fi/Ift
k-vis
7()
/Tv
(?6,J(
Azz,d`z
d
6-t_
/1'7- c-cf_'-</
Q2'"2L(
/(
//(,4_
id
/,,,t .1
z,,,_
_
7/__-,
K
x
-----7
.2,-y
(y
4_,_, V
/,------/ 47127-,
Y------X-_,
/ 7(,__(
2
/-,?__,
---/ ,,-
c
c
\ki)\'
--k
V a //-
e/'
4x
'/ (',ee
7R.,
1,
L
c
>e--
10 - e/
4,
e & ,___X
,,,,,---,-e-,{
-,,,,:,
,t_
-
--0--.---- ,
7,---(._
XI- /*S--
1.-c
2
4- -,---, ty .5,ede,,,a.
4
fr
//(_-_:_
-g'-z,_}--,-,-7----<-1-77/--5-z_,
1.
/.±-(
Equitable Building
New York
Dec.
4 (1916)
Dear Gov:
It certainly was good to hear your voice the other evening and thus
obtain aural and oral evidence that you are strong enough to shout 2,000
miles.
I hope it did not overstrain your system.
I have delivered your Spesutia Club share to Mr. Corey and received
a check for $5,000 which I will deposit to tax credit of your account in
The Bankers Trust Co. tomorrow.
We are still sputtering over the Board's proclamation.
The more I
think about it the madder I get, especially at Warburg's attempt to have me
make a futile and ridiculous crawl for him.
I am sorely tempted to give out
the interview just as he wanted, with a few bland remarks of my own to the effect
that any intelligent reader aught to have understood that the Board was not
talking about British or French Treasury Bills, and how stupid it was for
Morgan's to let the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Finance
labor under such a queer misapprehension.
As you may easily imagine,more than one half the people I meet think it is
is part of the pro-German propaganda which Hon. Paul has been clever enough to
put over on his confreres.
And I'm almost getting ready to believe it myself
(at least to the extent that no such play would have been made if the positions
of the Allies and the Teutons had been reversed).
I enclose some stuff from the
Evening Post about it.
But I guess we would do well to try to forget the matter, as its bad for
you to get "all het up" over such things.
Call money went to 15% today, closed at 7%, and went back to 15% after the
close.
We did not advance our rates on acceptances and bought $3,800,000, of'
which $1,900,000 are Pehewal credit bills.
Kains says he is under the weather and so cannot attend the Conference.
Isn't it too
bad.
Here is a programme.
Looks like a real week's work this
41,
time, doesn't it?
Jay has gone to Washington today; his doctor being
willing, with Mrs. Jay as watchdog.
But I fear he will over do things
as 2/3 of the senior officers of the Bank are apt to.
If only they could adopt
the dolce far niente of the remaining 1/3, how well off we should all be!
J. H. C.
EQUITABLE BUILDING
NEW YORK
December 5, 1916.
My dear Gov:
I enclose herewith a telegram which came to
you from Andrews & Co. about some stock business which
is similar, except for the name of the company, to one
or two that I have received from them.
It is all a
fake as far as I know, but I am sending it along in
case you are interested in the twenty shares which they
are holding for you out of the oversubscriptiomwith
which they are about to be overwhelmed.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 llontview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
diCaLo
Enc.
;(7-2.df-- (?)
Ac-
3STAL TELEGF .,
Link
RECEIVE
E
el
COMMERCIAL CABLES
PY, PRESIDENT
TELEGRAM
, AIN OFFICE
',ST 4 CRANMER BUILDING
^a 17TH STREET
0
.VER. COLO.
TELEPHONE: MAIN 4600
r DELIVERY NO.
ii7
\./
The Post. Telegraph-Cable Company(Incorporated)transmits and delivers this message subject to the terms and conditions printed an the back of this blink
1413--290 R
NENIGN PATENT- NA; 4010
147cbm 21 213p
cb Newyork Dec 7 16
Benjamin Strong
enjamin Strong
41 Hundred Montvier Blvd Denver
Hearty congratulations on approval ef foreign matter of which Jay
has just notified us We assume you will prepare necessary letters.
J F Curtis
POSTAL TELEGRAPH-COMMERCIAL
uo..7,7,741.4 ow
THE GU
T,EST TF.I.
PU AND CARLE SySTE
IN THE WORLD.
EXTENDS OVER TWO-THIRDS
CABLES
OPERATOR'S NOTATIONS,
OF THE WAY AROUND THE EARTH.
COMPANY (INCORPORATED)
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH-CABLE
Fbli.LOWIttrirttletiviS AN
TELEtaiAmSUIRAVIIYTO THE,
,
CANDITIONS:
back to the originating office for
REI' IATED: that is, telegraphed
its face, THIS IS AN UNREPEATED
telegram
shonld
order
it
on
indicated
delays, the sender of a
Company as follows:
To guard against mistakesthe
or nnrepeated telegram rate is charged in addition. Unle4,otherwise
UNREPEATED telegram, beyond the
tg agrwiljietween the sender of the telegram and this
comparison. For this, one-half AS
or for non-delivery, of any
REPEATED telegram, beyond
SUCH, inelanirlderaido4
TRANSMITS AND DELIVERS THE WITHIN
.
or delivery,
TELEGRAM AND PAID FOR liable for mistakes or delays in the -transmission
any
interruption in the
or for non-delivery, offrom
not be
unavoidable
mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery,
I. The Company shall
sending
the
same;
nor
for
SPECIALLY VALUED; nor is any case for delays arising
amount received for
non-delivery
of this
ter vii,Ling the same, UNLESS
or for the
TELEGRAMS.
fifty tinsewthacsum,received
or delivery,
this telegram, if
OR.NOR EIMRS IN CIPHER OR OBSCURE
for any mistakes or delays In the transmission
telegram
rate,
at
which
amount
woilting'Of fteii
shall not be liable for damages
is offered to the Company for
beyond fifty times the REPEATED
hereon at the time the telegram
2: In any event the Company
of its servants or otherwise,
telegram, whether caused by the negligence efdned,
unless a greater value is stated in writingto one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
when necessary
based on such value equal
sentras, a REkICATEDtelegrain,lerhereby
this telegram over the lines of any other Company
Mee paid or. agreed to be paid
transmission, and' an additimutlmade
without liability, to forward
the
agent
of
the
sender,
greater distance a special charge will be
8. The Company is hereby
free delivery limits of the terminal office. For delivery at a
to reach Its destination.
transmitting offices; and if any
free
within
the
established
42 Messages will be delivered
-and 'accepted at one of its
until the sti.11.,..Kie-Pnetented
of delivering the message and any notice or
made to Over the cost di such delivery.
attaches
to
this
Company
of
the
sender
for
the
purpose
messengers, he acts as the agent
:s. 45,,,responsibility regarding messages
in writing within sirty days after the
message 1.73to such office by one of this Company's
in its said office.
rding
it
to
the
Company's
agent
penalties in any case where the claim is not presented
instructiO
liable for damages or statutory
id The twinpany shall not be
the sender of this telegram,
telegram is died with the Company for transmission.
upon tile receiver as well as
term. and cot/ditto:is shall be binding
d. The r
AUTHORIZED TO VARY THE FOREGOING.
E N LOYEE OF THIS COMPANY IS
8
CLARENCE H. MACKAY, PRESIDENT.
M.E.RAL MANAGE.
EDWARD REYNOLDS VICE-PREST. A
.CMARLES C. ADAMS.
NT.
,EST TELEGRA
CHARLES P. BRUCK
VICE-PRESIDENT.
4.ICE IN THE WORLD
TIME SENT, Ere.
6
7`o
27/
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
CONFIDETHAL.
December 3, 1916.
9161 C
3.30
My dear Governor:
I have your telegram of December 7th about foreign arrangements.
Jay tells me to-day by telephone from Atlantic City, where he now is for
a few days, that the situation was that the State Department had decided that
they did not careto consider the matter, so that the board is to go ahead
with it as a purely banking proposition and forget that the other department
was ever consulted.
Kr. Harding told :Ir. Jay that we might go ahead and com-
plete our arrangements, but not to do any business under such arrangements
without farther consultation with the board.
My view of the way to handle it
so far as the other governors is concerned is to tell them individually the
whole story, but not to let them take it up with their boards of directors at
the present time as that would convey the information to about 140 people,
which is a good many for a dark secret.
':;e could then go ahead and complete
arrangements on the underitanding that the Hew York and at least some others
would come in to the actual operations and, after our arrangements had been
completed with our friends abroad, we could then find out from each bank
whether they wanted to share in the operations and, if so, to what extent.
Row does this plan strike you?
Will you please telegraph your views in this
regard to me on Ilonday or Tuesday at the Shoreham.
I have your confidential letter of two or three days ago and note
your feelings about the board's announcement.
It has been very generally
criticized in this part of the world and still is being criticized, there be-
ZRAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
2
ing three different views entertained as to the cause:
That it is a very skilfully engineered piece of
pro-German propoganda;
That it is a subtle move on Mr. Wilson's part
calculated to make the Allies long for peace
on the ground that they can't get any more
money to continue fighting, and at the same
time to make the Germans think that :Ir. 7i1son would be a good mediator;
(3)
That Davison said something unfortunate to the
board and they decided they would put him in
his place.
I have not yet been able to discover what the true story is, but my
own guess is that the board were afraid people would think that, because Davison
had talked with them before putting the treasury bills on the market, therefore
the board approved of the issue, and that consequently they wanted to indicate
This is in line with their feeling that,
in advance that such was not the case.
because Kent and Hemphill said something in their circular which mentioned the
reserve system, the board must make clear to people that it was not mentioned
with their sanction, etc.
Of course, there is another view to the effect that
there was no ulterior motive behind the announcement, but that the board did not
appreciate what an effect their remarks would have.
To-day we did not have any rediscounting.
Mr. Thrburg called :Jr.
Treman on the telephone and Criticized quite severely the amount of renewal acceptances we have bought recently, which, however, did not seem excessive to us
under the circumstances, especially in view of the fact that we have avoided
taking a good many of the renewals that have been offered to us in the last week.
.e had a very full meeting of the executive committee this afternoon and discussed this whole matter at length.
all acceptances from 2 3/4 to
They decided to raise the basic rate for
and to consolidate the differential on 30 and
60-day bills, so that there will be only twocl-i-f4-e-r-'e+it4a-l-g as far as maturities
go - one ever and one under sixty days.
The committee did not approve of try-
ing to discriminate in any 13444./.'way against renewal bills, but thought that the
a AL RESERVE RANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
3
12/8/16.
best way to handle this matter was to continue along about as we had been, not
taking all that were offered but not making any marked discriminations.
Mr. Jay reports that his health is very much better and that he is
feeling very well, but 1ix. Treman and I have some doubt As to whether he should
be left alone at the bank next week.
I expect to go to Atlantic City Sunday
morning and spend the day with him there, so that we may be mutual au courant
with affairs in ITew York and Washington, and I can then decide as to how far
his strength has been recovered.
I understand that Mr. Treman has already written you about the rediscounting so will not repeat any stale news.
Yours as ever,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
TIESTE47PASN,
UNION
Form 260
WESTERN UNION
6E011,-1 W. E. ATKINS, VICE-PRESIDENT
TEL
RECEIVER'S No.
IL.
AM
NEVVCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
TIME FILED
SEND
the following Telegram, subject to the terms
on back hereof, which are hereby agreed to
BELVIDERE BROOKS, VICE-PRESIDENT
CHECK
Washington, U. C., De-c. 11, 1916.
Benjamin Strong,
4100 Montview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
Your comrades in conference assembled send you most affectionate
greetings with best wishes for your speedy recovery and return
to our midst.
Aiken, Treman, Rhoads, Seay, Fancher, McCord,
McDougal, Wold, Wells, Miller, Van Zandt.
Kains is also un-
fortunately absent on account of illness.
Curtis.
44011
ALL TELEGRAMS TAKEN BY THIS COMPANY ARE SUBJECT TO THi -flNG
Ms:
To guard against mistakes or delays, the sender of a telegram should order it REPEATED, that is, telegraphed
the originating office
mparison
For this, one-half the unrepeatcd telegram rate is charged in addition. Unless otherwise indicated on its face, THIS
..N -UNREPEATED TELx,stAM AN
PAID FOR AS SUCH, in consideration whereof it is agreed between the sender of the telegram and this Company
follows:
The Company shall not be liable for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any UNREPEATED telegram, beyond the
amount received for sending the same; nor for mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for non-delivery, of any REPEATED telegram, beyond fiftytimes
the sum received for sending the same, unless specially valued; nor in any case for delays arising from unavoidable interruption in the working of its l
nor fur
errors in cipher or obscure telegrams.
In any e.-ent the Company shall not be liable for damages for any mistakes or delays in the transmission or delivery, or for the non-delivery.'01 this telegram, whether caused by the -negligence of its servants or otherwise, beyond the sum of FIFTY DOLLARS, at which amount this telegram is hereby valued, unless
a greater value is stated in writinghereon at the time the telegram is offered to the Company for transmission, and an additional sum paid or agreed to be paid based
on such value equal to one-tenth of one per cent. thereof.
The Company is hereby made the agent of the sender, without liability, to forward this telegram over the lines of any other Company when necessary to
reach its destination.
Telegrams will be delivered free within one-half mile of the Company's office in towns of 5,000 population or less, and within one mile of such office in other
cities or towns. Beyond these limits the Company does not undertake to make delivery, but will, without liability, at the sender's request, as his agent and at his
expense, endeavor to contract for him fur such delivery at a reasonable price.
No responsibility attaches to this Company concerning telegrams until the same are accepted at one of its transmitting offices; and if a telegram is sent to
such office by one of the Company's messengers, he acts for that purpose as the agent of the sender.
The Company will n-ot be liable for damages or statutory penalties in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after the telegram is filed with the Company for transmission.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
No employee of the Company is authorized to vary the foregoing.
INCORPORATED
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
CLASSES OF SERVICE
TELEGRAMS
A full-rate ,expedited service.
NIGHT TELEGRAMS
Accepted up to 2.00 A.M. at reduced rates to be sent during the
night and delivered not earlier than the morning of the next ensuing
business day.
DAY LETTERS
A deferred day service at rates lower than the standard telegram
rates as follows: One and one-half times the standard night letter
rate for the transmission of 50 words or less and one-fifth of the
initial rate for each additional 10 words or less. Subordinate
to the priority of transmission and delivery of regular telegrams.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not permissible.
Telephonic delivery permissible. Day Letters received subject to
express understanding that the Company only undertakes delivery of
the same on the day of their date subject to condition that sufficient
time remains for such transmission and delivery during regular office
hours, subject to priority of the transmission of regular telegrams.
NIGHT LETTERS
Accepted up to midnight for delivery on,the morning of the next
ensuing business day, at rates still lower than standard night telegram
rates, as follows: The standard day rate for 10 words shell be charged
for the transmission of 50 words or less, and one-fifth of such standard
day rate for 10 words shall be charged for each additional 10 words or
less.
Must be written in plain English. Code language not perMail delivery, postage prepaid, permissible.
missible.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
Ufr
December 16, 1916.
My dear Gov:
I an writing to give you what the old darkie called a bird's-eye
sceptic view of recent events in Washington touching on and appertaining to
the conference of governors.
Last Sunday I made an early start at about seven o'clock to see Mr.
Jay at Atlantic City on my way to Washington, and by the time I had arrived
there had picked up a real cold so that when we were rolled along the board-
walk we looked like the real thing in invalidism - he with a remnant of a
cough and I with my eyes crying so I could hardly keep them open.
we had a very pleasant chat, after
on to Washington.
However,
which he cane back to New York and I went
His strength is coming back but he is still not really fit
to do a full day's work and so'Doctor"Treman and I have ordered him away from
the bank for at least a week and I believe he is starting,for some place South
to-day or to-morrow.
We had, on the whole, a pretty good conferenceat Washington in
which a good deal more was accomplished than at the one held in Boston last
August.
In the first place, we all went over to meet with the board the first
thing Monday morning where Harding gave us a very cordial reception, outlined
the policy of the board on a number of matters, gave a brief history (very
brief) of the English and French treasury bill matter, and told us what the
board had in mind in the way of amendments to the law to be recommended at this
session of Congress, of which there were twelve.
I see that Mr. Treman wrote
to you yesterday concerning these, but I note a clerical error in his letter on
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
2
12/16/16.
line 2 of page 2, where the words "member bank" should be changed to "Federal reserve bank."
The history of the treasury bill episode was (so far as it was told us)
just what I had anticipated in my last letter to you;
that is, that the board,
having had a talk with Mr. Davison, felt that because of that fact being publicly known they would be presumed to have approved of the plan when it was announced by him a few days later.
Apparently, what happened was that Davison arranged
in advance (through Warburg, I think) to come over and explain his plans to the
board as a matter of courtesy, the initiative ,coming from Davison.
After hav-
ing had the conference at which he explained the plans, they told him they did
not approve of it.
Then he went back to New York and the following day ap-
peared the statement in the
New York Tribune," not purporting to be authorized
by J. P. Morgan & Co., which said that it was proposed to issue a thousand
million of the treasury bills.
This, apparently, terrified the board who, I
think, telephoned Davison that, if he did not give the matter up, they would
be forced to come out in a public statement against him, with the results as
you know.
Harding told us confidentially that he had seen both the British
and French ambassadors and had assured them that no slight was intended to the
credit of their respective nations, and he thought that things had been much
smoothed over.
He also said he was going to make the same point in a speech
to be delivered at Boston, of which you have already doubtless seem some extracts.
This Boston speech contained about what Mr. Warburg wanted me to
give out in the form of an interview here, and, while I suppose it is a good
idea for the board to try to make matters smoother, still there is no doubt in
my mind that the remarks made in the speech are hypocritical and untrue.
Their
original announcement stating practically in so many words that the British and
French treasury bills would not be paid at maturity, and the result of that an-
3ouncement being a definite marked decline in the market value of all the British and French securities selling in the United States, it seems a little pusil-
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
3
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
12/16/16.
lanimous for the board to come around after having caused the wreck and say that
0
they did not intend to reflect on the credit of any particular nation at all.
However, I did not have any opportunity to discuss this matter with any members
of the board except at a very brief interview the committee on foreign arrangements, consisting of Treman, Wold, Aiken and myself, had with Governor Harding.
At this interview I told him that seven men out of ten that one met in New York
believed that the announcement of the board was a very clever piece of proGerman propoganda which had been put over his associates by Mr. Warburg and
that I thought the board ought to be advised of what public opinion on this
matter was, irrespective of whether there was any justifidation for it.
In
this connection we pointed out that now was a very good psychological time for
the board to permit us to move at once with respect to the Bank of England
matter to offset the impression created by their announcement, to which Harding
readily assented.
Indeed, he concurred very heartily in this point of view,
so that I think we may get some quick and definite action.
We also told him
and the other members of the board that you as well as the other governors
were opposed to entering into any contract or preparing a piece of machinery
unless we were to be allowed to operate under it at once, and I noticed Hamlin
nod his head sagely in approbation of this view, Harding having already previously told us that he agreed with it provided that we did not undertake
operations on too large a scale at the start.
I told Harding of our correspondence with the Bank of France and said
that we might shortly file an application for permission to appoint that institution our correspondent in Paris, but we had no opportunity of discussing the
merits of this matter.
At the conference we went into executive session and read to the
governors a copy of the memorandum prepared by you with the Governors of the
Bank of England and also gave to each of the governors a_copy of the letter
which you had prepared for them some months ago, with the understanding that
z'
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
4
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
12/16/16.
they would not take the matter up or divulge it in any way to their boards of
directors or to their executive committees but would consider it themselves and
forward us any suggestions they had to make as to the method of handling the
account, the amounts for.whiich they would probably like to participate, etc.
I think that they were sufficiently impressed with the necessity for confidential
treatment of the subject.
The other matters handled at the conference you will be advised of
when the minutes are completed, which ought to be some time next week.
The principal danger ahead of us lies in the proposal of Governor
Seay to have drafts drawn on one Federal reserve bank immediately available at
any other Federal reserve bank, which, as you know, is a pet hobby of Delano's.
We had a full meeting of the governors with Messrs. Harding and Delano on this
topic at which Harding suggested that the governors appoint a committee of three,
of which Messrs. Seay and Fancher should be two, to thrash this whole matter
out with the board.
As Seay and Fancher were in favor of this scheme, Aiken
with great presence of mind suggested that a committee of three was a little too
small and so we had it increased to five in order to include people of all
shades of thought on the subject.
It was finally left to Seay, Fancher, Treman,
Rhoads and McDougal, which, on the whole, is a very good committee to handle the
matter.
.1 think the net result will probably be that they will authorize the
plan to be put into effect provided the checks have a distinctive color, are
cashable at only one Federal reserve bank, are guaranteed by the reserve bank
on which drawn and are limited to a certain percentage of the capital of the
drawing bank.
Mr. Jay feels that the thing for us to do is to fight to the
last ditch for an advice from the drawee bank before payment, which would, of
course, make the transaction very safe, especially when coupled with the guarantee from the drawee bank.
If you have any thoughts which you would like to
submit on this matter, I know they will be very much welcomed by the committee.
However, this is not an invitation to you to do any more work,as we
are gradually coming to the conclusion that you do too much work and keep in
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
5
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
too close touch with the affairs of the bank for your own good.
12/16/16.
So you may
take this letter as a slight warning that, unless you are prepared to read the
letters that are sent to you from here but not do anything about them, they may
be considerably curtailed.
Verb. sap.
Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Strong, Esq.,
4100 Idontview Boulevard,
Denver, Colo.
JFC/PE
P. S.
Jay starts to-morrow for Augusta to be gone until the first
of the year, which is certainly a very wise move on his part.
P. P. S.
tificates.
I have your letter of December 11th about the stock cer-
Please send 150 blanks, which ought to carry us through a year.
*..vir,r4,-
,J)
C-
EQUITABLE BUILDING
I tit,4
[..-e_icf
(I;
NEW YORK
1)1
'
aA
4
AJ,
c,
(4/
4- e(
f:?
tv-eAx
f/472-e-pef
-/6
4' 74-(leA
V71-14,-1/C
ttr-rk-66/t
ad(
aPW0
t(--d(
AL-
1,4,L
/'
V4,(_
/
4_7
.0c/711-E_
a
d*--t
0
pr--t--CA-----
a.---4:-..-12
t/t77
4.7-zW
Al"a.-
(--e<
2
74{1E
-
OL-t
4-(--/e(p---1._ 1 -,-,.---t,-.----17A--
_
74e-/d7C
41-
cW-LIf:
(lk
la AL_ 4_,6(
/4/,
-
A_Lej
e
L
d
2 Li/
'
C
err
e
71,
14,
(t,
,
t*.
74~,-k
}(4,..,-,)/
Any)
to-Le,,c
r7
e+)--14
/Kt)
frc
P
9- 2
EQUITABLE BUIMNI
NEW YOR
JAN 3
(2' /1c,(97,--e
fifr
,Z
/tpt-ce-,i
63/ /.5
)4(-,c)(
e/1(
C)
eL
4
A
J?
Ck_
4 e_c
L
row
Form 1204
Blue
Nile
tterN L
these
three symbols
ter the check (number of
iis is n day message. Otherhamster is indicated by the
WESTE
CLASS OF SERVICE
TEL
wv- 7,,trifOp
Jula411 ,
G 43
Bkie
Night Message
Nite
NL
If none of these three symbols
.4E4M
Il
TELEPHONED TO
B
NEW YORK 240 PM DEC 27
Day Letter
Night Letter
AM%
NEWCOM B CAR LTO
SYMBOL
Day Message
WEST E-RN UNION
,ppearing after the check.
RECEIVER AT
UNION
E
appears after the check number of
words) this is a day message. Otherwise its character is indicated by the
symbol appearing after the check.
.
I MI
BENJAMIN STRONG
CARE CHARLES T HE _8, ESTES PARK.
HAVE MADE ARRANGEMENTS
FOR A CONFIDENTIAL
SUGGESTED STOP HAVE REQUESTED GOVERNORS OF
CABLE ABROAD AS
OTHER B ANKS
TO
AS CONFIDENTIAL AND MAKE NO
CONTINUE TO TREAT WHOLE MATTER
STATEMENTS STOP HAVE MADE NO STATEMENT HERE STOP HAVE NOT ADVISED
BOARD OF CABLE ABROAD.
J F CURT I S.
208 PM
Form 1204
Blue
Nile
NI
If none of these three symbols
appears after the check number of
nords)this is a day message. Other'
its char actor is indicated by the
WESTE
UNION
WESTERN UNION
TEL
111.1
zxre.-
AM
RECEIVER AT
Day Message
Day Letter
Blue
Night Message
Nile
Night Letter
NL
It none of the a three symbols
appears after tl., check number of
words)this Ise day message. Other-
NEWCOMB CARLTON, PRESIDENT
Sof appearing after the check.
CLASS OF SERVICE SYMBOL
wise its character is indicated by the
symbol appearing after the check.
TELE:2:D TO
14 D G 110 BLUE SUB TO CORR'N.
Q
BY-NEW YORK NY 6 PM DEC 28
-TIM
'BENJAMIN STRONG,
CARE CHARLES HEWES, ESTES PARK
,FOLLOWING CABLE RECEIVED FROM ABROAD
QUOTE THE GOVERNOR SURMISED
EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND
WAS IN NO WAY PUT
OUT
BY THE PREMATURE ANNOUNCEMENT NOR
DOES HE CONSIDER THAT IT
NEEDS INTER4FERE WITH THE CONTINUANCE
OF DISCUSSION AS TO THE
TERMS EVENTUALLY TO BE SUBMITTED
TO THE RESPECTIVE BOARDS BUT
HE THINKS IT WOULD NOW
BE BEST.NEITHER TO CONTRADICT
THE ANNOUNCEMENT NOR TO CONFIRM
OR EXPLAIN IT BUT TO
LET THE MATTER REST EXACTLY
AS IT IS FOR THE
PRESENT QUOTE WE HAVE NOT
MENTIONED
THESE CABLES TO THE
BOARD STOP THINK BEST NOT
TO ACT ON FRENCH MATTER
FOR A FEW DAYS STOP
WILL SEND FORMAL PROTEST TO BOARD
SHORTLY.
J F CURTIS.
-
525PM.
(c,
r))
EQUITABLE BUILDING
NEW YORK
4?-111--1,
<
"
/
-L-Ase
LO
/
_
Cy/4z(
OZZ.
-"-
217c. '
Jo-4y
ee,
(
a-
71-.L.,
X- 7E0'1
c4-tr-
A
WO-c 4
-
/2
11-214(7-
Of 7/Z4
A-6L-d4
7e_
(2/
2
q
4
rt/t(
4_
</Le
/
Ii(
Z
7
//
z
'-i<
t---,f(c,_ EAx
7e--)(
a-
2k,
e
X 7tj,
7
z
(Qr
4,e4R,-0
-76
e
/
4;'
oC,4A7A-1
k/-)W
4-jz
r
-
@FedFRASER