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PART PLAYED BY DAWES IN LORIMER SCANDAL
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Figured in Chicago Bank Deal in Which Thousands Lost
Editor's Note: N. D. Cochran, of The News' Washington bureau has just made a thoro personal study of the role played by General Charles G. Dawes, Republican candidate for vice-president, in the Lorimer bank scandal, which cost some 4000 small depositors their lifetime savings. Here is the complete story of the transaction.
BY N. D. COCHRAN
CHICAGO, Sept. 23.—Vice-presidential Candidate Charles G. Dawes is a banker. He is at the head of the Central Trust Co., of Chicago.
During the McKinley campaign of 1896 he was on the Republican executive committee with Mark Hanna. After McKinley's election Dawes became comptroller of the currency. When he retired from that job he organized the Chicago bank.
Just now there is some discussion concerning the connection of Dawes and his bank with William Lorimer and his bank. Lorimer was United States senator from Illinois and was expelled from the senate.
After his expulsion he started in 1910 what was known as the LaSalle Street National Bank in Chicago.
Started in 1910
William Lorimer was president and Charles B. Munday vice president of the Lorimer bank, which started with a supposed capital and surplus of $1,250,000. This bank began doing business on May 10, 1910.
During that year and early in 1911 examinations of the bank were made by the Chicago Clearing House association; and as a result the Lorimer bank was unable to obtain membership in the Clearing House association.
After May, 1911, it was denied the privilege of clearing thru other banks.
On demand of the comptroller of the currency the directors of the bank agreed to do certain things, but failed to do as they agreed; and on Oct. 12, 1912 the bank was in worse condition than when the agreement was made.
Changed to State Bank
Lorimer and his associates then determined to change the national bank into a state bank, to be known as the La Salle Street Trust and Savings Bank, with an advertised paid in capital and surplus of $1,250,000, by turning over to the new bank the assets of the national bank subject to the national bank's liabilities, but without putting up any more money.
Much of the national bank's money had been loaned to Lorimer and Munday, their associates, and speculative enterprises in which they were interested.
Before the Lorimer savings bank could open its doors, receive deposits and commence business, it had to have permission from the state of Illinois. The Illinois law requires that there must be exhibited to and counted by the state auditor of public accounts, or his agent, the actual cash, representing the paid-in capital and surplus.
This law is intended, of course, to protect innocent depositors. The state wanted to be sure that the capital and surplus had been paid in in cash and was on hand and dedicated to the bank's business.
Didn't Have Money
But Lorimer's bank didn't have the $1,250,000.
Most of the money of the national bank had been loaned to the directors, Lorimer, Munday and their associates and their speculative enterprises.
So Lorimer's national bank could not turn over to his state bank the cash. All it had to represent that cash was mostly Lorimer and Munday paper.
Not being able to get the cash elsewhere, Lorimer appealed personally to his friend Dawes, the then president of the Central Trust Co.
The result was an agreement between Lorimer and Dawes whereby the Dawes bank, the Central Trust Co., was to provide the $1,250,000 cash long enough for the agent of the state auditor of public accounts to look at it and count it.
Agreement Carried Out
This agreement was carried out. A cashier's check of the Lorimer national bank for $1,250,000 was drawn; the auditor's agent and Lorimer went to the Central Trust Co., and presented it for payment, and the cash was delivered to Lorimer in the presence of the auditor's agent, and by Lorimer handed over to the agent who counted it and handed it back to Lorimer.
The money was returned to the Central Trust Co., the cashier's check taken up, a certificate issued to Lorimer's savings bank and trust company, which thereupon began doing business, including the receiving of deposits.
All this happened on the afternoon of Oct. 2, 1912. On June 12, 1914 the Lorimer state savings bank, which Dawes had so generously helped launch upon its disastrous career was closed by the state auditor.
A receiver was appointed and after full hearing the court found the bank insolvent and dissolved it. Its assets were found to be insufficient by more than $2,000,000 to satisfy the claims of its depositors and other creditors.
Over 4000 Depositors
At the time the bank closed there were over 4000 depositors. Of these about 3000 were savings of other depositors whose average deposit was less than $200, people of small means who lost money thru the fraudulent organization and operation of the bank.
The solvent stockholders, many of whom were people of moderate means, lost not only the money they had invested in the bank but had to pay in addition amounts equal to the par value of their stock.
Subsequently the Central Trust Co., was sued for the benefit of the Lorimer bank's creditors for the $1,250,000 which the Dawes bank had permitted the state officer to count as the cash capital and surplus.
Judgment was given against the Dawes bank for the full amount plus interest, being in all $1,487,854.36.
On appeal the Supreme Court of Illinois held that the Central Trust Co., by making false representation that the money which was exhibited to the auditor's agent was the money of the Lorimer bank, and afterward wrongfully taking it back, had made itself liable for the $1,250,000, but was entitled to credit for the Lorimer national bank capital stock of Oct. 12, 1912, if it had any value; and the case was remanded to determine the value of the stock, if it had any.
Report Made
The matter was referred to a master in chancery, who reported finally that the capital stock of the Lorimer national bank at the time of the change to a state bank had a value of $1,170,303.58.
This was done by finding that all of the Lorimer and Munday notes in the bank were as good as cash. Altho Munday was hopelessly insolvent on Oct. 12, 1912, the master found that he was then worth exactly $539,968.29 over and above his liabilities, and that, being solvent his paper in the bank was as good as its face value in cash.
He also found that the Lorimer paper to the amount of $215,299.33 was as good as cash.
When the savings bank suspended however, the bank lost $348,581.44 in Lorimer paper; and also, in addition, $635,729.54 on paper discounted to raise money to carry on the operations of Lorimer and his sons.
Exceptions Filed
The creditors filed 753 exceptions to the master's report. Judge Holdom waved the exceptions aside and let the master's report stand.
In April, 1923, at his home in Evanston, Ill., Banker Charles G. Dawes organized what he called the Minute Men of the Constitution, whose avowed purpose was to uphold the constitution and laws of Illinois.
The first and only time General Dawes has called his Minute Men into action was at the fall election in 1923, when he ordered them out to save the state constitution by electing to the bench again Judge Jesse Holdom.