Show PUBLIC OPINION AND THE BANKS by bf F N SHEPHERD Alar aler american ankers association WHILE banking backing today appears appear la in a wholly distorted light in the eyes of some thi the mote more reasoning elements in our population undoubtedly have a less jaundiced view than would appear fr from om certain irresponsible orators often posing as spokesmen for that indefinite quantity called the mass ot of our people antisocial anti and social acts on the p part a r t of P N SHEPHERD some bankers tor for merly have been the subject of spectacular exposures but I 1 can say without reservation that they were in to no way typical ot of the acts and attitudes ot of the vast majority ot of their lellow fellow bankers the public mind was shocked into the belief that th these untypical instances were tar far more representative than they really were and this belief has been encouraged by political and demagogic elements the bankers today the bankers who are in charge ot of our banks today represent men who withstood the temptations and avoided the economic pitfalls ot of the great boom it they had not they would not be there or their banks would not have been able to survive the rack and ruin ot of the economic hurricane by which even many banks and bankers whose conduct was above reproach have hare been destroyed the other types ot of bankers those that tell below the high standards ot of professional ethics and business prudence that charac characterized ten those that remain have bare passed out ot of the picture but they have hare left tor for those that remain a difficult heritage ot of suspicion and III will how irrational this Is when we reflect that not more than three or four per cent of our entire population suffered personal loss because of what any banker did or neglected to do whereas literally millions of bank depositors po did not lose a single cent as a r result ot of banking difficulties and really owe a vote rote ot of confidence and thanks to their own bankers who were true to the highest conceptions ot of their stewardship and brought their institutions and their customers a safely a f is I 1 y through the greatest business disaster the world has ever seen it has been a peculiar feature ot of the psychological distortion of the times that many who owe nothing but gratitude to their bankers joined in blaming the banker tar far out ot of proportion with any rational consideration ot of the facts |