Mei Man: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

Chapter 294 Roosevelt Inauguration

"The Journal of the World is yours now, Mr. Colin Looper."

In the new Pulitzer Building, after completing the final transfer procedure, Roy Howard signed his name on the contract and said to Colin in front of him.

"I believe that Joseph Pulitzer would be happy to continue to pass on the newspaper industry he founded in the hands of an excellent media person like you, Mr. Colin Looper."

For the Scripps-Howard newspaper group behind Roy Howard, the "World Journal" also got a rare respite.

In recent years, the Scripps-Howard newspaper group has continued to expand its newspaper territory, adding an average of 1-6 newspapers per year during the craziest period.

Such unrestrained expansion has obviously brought consequences today. With the occurrence of the Great Depression, the sales volume of the newspaper industry has generally declined. In the past year alone, more than six newspaper offices under the Scripps-Howard Group have closed down. It forced Roy Howard to adjust the development plan of the newspaper group and sell some unnecessary newspaper industries, for example, the current "World Journal".

I don't think Joseph Pulitzer would have liked to see this scene.

Facing Roy Howard's praise, Colin felt somewhat disapproving.

In fact, before his death, Joseph Pulitzer had clearly left in his will: "The World Journal will never be sold."

The reason why the Scripps-Howard newspaper group was able to buy the newspaper was also thanks to the cooperation of Pulitzer's son Herbert, who hired a lawyer, and after a lengthy judicial process, revised Pulitzer's will.

However, unfilial children and grandchildren are the Pulitzer family's problem.

At least for both Roy Howard and Colin in front of them, they are the beneficiaries of this will modification.

Without Herbert's cooperation, they would not have been able to trade "World Journal" so easily.

After completing his legal contract with the Journal of the World, Roy Howard left in a hurry without stopping at the new Pulitzer Building.

The Scripps-Howard newspaper group still has a lot of things waiting for him to deal with.

Watching the back of Roy Howard leaving, Colin began to visit this building accompanied by the editor-in-chief of "World Journal". The Pulitzer Building has a total of 20 floors. Although it is an old building 40 years ago, But overall it was maintained well. There were neatly arranged printing machines in the basement. Among them, Ke Lin even saw the four-color double-sided paper offset printing machine produced by his factory.

Clearly, these are the fruits of Lange Vorst's hard work.

Going up from the basement where the printing presses are placed, the first floor is the sales department of the Pulitzer Building, the second to tenth floors are high-end office buildings for rent, and the tenth floor and above is the hub of "World Journal". The upper floor is a tidy bedroom suite, which is reserved for editors who work overtime and cannot go home.

Of course, after the Great Depression, many editors simply moved here.

Going up from the Pulitzer Building, Colin came to the place where Joseph Pulitzer worked during his lifetime, a huge office in the gilded circular top floor.

"Call the editors-in-chief of all departments in charge of the "World Journal" over here..."

Sitting down in the office, Colin looked at the editor-in-chief of "World Daily" who followed him, and then made his first order after taking over the newspaper.

……

Just as Colin took over the "World Journal" and rectified it, the Great Depression that swept across the United States finally knocked down the last domino of the American economy.

On February 1933, 2, Valentine’s Day was also the eve of Roosevelt’s inauguration. The entire American bank began to collapse. Trust companies in various states were at the end of their ropes. Hundreds of millions of dollars in deposits, huge crowds of people in front of the bank, and the wave of runs spread all over the country.

The collapse of financial trusts seems to be without warning, but in fact, there have been examples before it happened again.

As soon as the bank announced its bankruptcy, Ke Lin sent reporters from the "Daily Courier" to acquire the "World Journal" and merge it into the "Messenger World News" to the office where the "Banking and Monetary Committee" is located.

The committee was commissioned by U.S. senators at the height of the Great Depression to investigate the trading practices that led to the Wall Street crash.

Since the establishment of the committee, they have been trying to understand the truth of the investigation, but the bankers have always refused to hand over the bank records. This dispute lasted for a year, and finally the committee concluded: "The state of the banking system is so bad that if all It's too dangerous to make it public or tell the House of Representatives."

And now, the bank's collapse appears to confirm the committee's conclusions.

As soon as the banking system collapsed, the Banking and Currency Committee created a subcommittee headed by former New York District Attorney and legal counsel Ferdinand Picarro.

Correspondents from Les Couriers Welt filmed the bankers being brought before Picaro one by one, demanding to be held accountable for their misconduct.

The public was dismayed to discover that their favorite businessmen, guardians of corporate America, had been exposed.

On the day Morgan Jr., the most profitable banker in the United States, was summoned, the "Courier World" reported immediately: "A group of onlookers" gathered at the door and filled the corridor of the committee meeting room. In the morning, the staff had to Strive to get through it.When Morgan boldly proclaimed: "I state without hesitation that I consider private bankers to be national assets and not national dangers," Picaro retorted: "What is your business or occupation?" When Morgan answered "private banker," the audience roared with laughter. "

Dishonest and selfish bankers like Morgan are ultimately dangerous to the United States. According to survey statistics, they did not pay any taxes from 1930 to 1932. For this reason, Colin specifically wrote in "The Courier The Le Monde gave them an apt name - "Bank Hooligans".

In addition to Morgan, a lot of beings that the ordinary public can only look up to have been revealed for their true colors, such as Samuel Insall, a utility tycoon, after his company began to collapse. , he fled to Europe.

When he was accused of embezzlement, he simply asked: "What banker and business tycoon hasn't done what I've done?"

Among the first bankers to be summoned before Picarro was Charles Michel, chairman of National City Bank, the nation's second-largest lender believed to have played a leading role in "frenzied speculation that led to the collapse of the business". .

In 1929, Michele earned $1206195. To avoid paying income tax, he sold the stock to his wife at a far lower price than it actually did, and later bought it back for the same price.

"Frankly, I sold this stock to avoid taxes." Charles Michel admitted that the bank provided $240 million in interest-free loans to its executives to help them protect their investments.

The editor of Le Monde, which reported the news, commented: "The only difference between a bank thief and a bank president is that the thief works at night."

Batch after batch of bank failures eventually triggered a huge financial disaster throughout the United States.

People thought the Great Depression was at its worst, but they didn't think there was a possibility of something worse.

The reporter of "Messenger Le Monde" didn't need to travel too far at all, and could take a picture surrounded by the crowd at the door of any bank.

At this time, the only one who feels lucky may be Hoover.

Because he had handed over this mess to Roosevelt.

While the whole country was in a huge financial disaster, "Superman" also serialized a comic about banks in a timely manner.

The story follows the plot of the Pocket Universe. Superman thought that after killing someone, he exiled himself into the universe. During one of the exiles, he accidentally came to a magical planet. Everything on this planet is controlled by the bank. Individuals can freely sell everything they own through the bank.

Superman saw with his own eyes that a child entered the bank and came out as a gray-haired old man.

From other people, Superman learned that this is the age when the child sold himself in the bank. In this banking world, only the bankers are the real masters. They control all the resources of this planet, even the air needs to be supplied to the bank. They can only be obtained by purchasing.

Each person has a special machine that provides them with the air they need for the day.

People on the entire planet are working for bankers, just to make money to have the air to survive every day, and once they can't pay the price, they can only be forced to sell their lives.

Coming to this world, because Superman can survive without breathing, he is considered by the bankers as an unfavorable factor that threatens their rule.

In order to eliminate Superman, the banker sent his men to try to eliminate Superman.

However, they underestimated the power of Superman. Under the powerful power, the means of bankers are useless at all. In the end, Superman destroyed the bank and found out the bankers hidden in the bank. It's an ugly alien mouse.

The serial on the world of banking in the Courier World soon aroused great repercussions throughout New York.

At a time when the economy is in turmoil and everyone is worried about their banks, the story of Superman fits the public's expectations well, although in real life, they crowd at the bank door and pray for their savings. Banks should not be targeted for failure.

But deep down, they undoubtedly loathe the bankers who caused all this.

Especially at the end of the comics, the scene where Superman grabs the bankers out of the bank and exposes their ugly appearance makes the readers who have seen the suppressed anger get a little vent.

These alien mice are not those greedy bankers in real life.

Undoubtedly, the serialization of Ke Lin’s cartoon has aroused strong dissatisfaction from financial institutions, especially bankers. They think that the description in the cartoon distorts their image and is a malicious slander.

However, Colin didn't care about this.

With the financial collapse, these bankers have already fallen from their high status. It can be said that the bankruptcy of the bank has caused serious losses to the people who believed that saving money was the right move, and thus changed a generation. The American concept of saving.

When the banks are not trustworthy, they can only spend their money in useful places, so at least they don't have to wait until the bank fails to regret it.

Of course, the content of comics is just a channel for justice to vent its dissatisfaction with reality, and it cannot really change what actually happened.

On the day Roosevelt was declared inaugural, the financial heart of the nation stopped and the stock exchange officially closed.

On March 1933, 3, the people who participated in Roosevelt's inauguration crowded the east porch of the Congress.

"I, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, do solemnly swear..."

In front of Capitol Hill, Roosevelt solemnly made an oath. The impact of the bank failure was greater than expected. What Roosevelt took over from Hoover was a dilapidated country.

“I am sure that my fellow citizens expect that when I assume the presidency, I will speak to them as candidly and decisively as the situation in our country demands. Now is the best time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and courageously. Moment. Let us not be daunted, but be honest with our country today. This great country will carry on as it has always done, and it will revive and prosper...”

Having said that, Roosevelt in the wheelchair took a deep breath, his eyes fell on the speech in front of him, and he paused for a while on a paragraph of it.

This is the content of the speech he finalized after meeting with Colin after discussion and confirmation, and the next paragraph is what Colin insisted on adding.

"So let me first state my firm conviction that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, the inexplicable, irrational, unwarranted terror that annihilates the efforts that are needed. Anyone who lives in our country A leadership of candor and vigor has had the understanding and support of the people in times of overcast clouds, thereby preparing the necessary conditions for victory, and I am confident that the same support will be given again in these critical times..."

"Has it been filmed?"

In front of the VIP seats in the Shandong porch of the Congress, Ke Lin turned his head and asked Little John beside him.

"It was filmed."

Nodding, Little John nodded to Colin while carrying a camera to film Roosevelt's inaugural speech in front of Capitol Hill.

Carrying on Little John's shoulders is the latest video camera modified by Ferro Farnsworth after being suggested by Colin. Compared with the original heavy model that needs wheels to move, the new generation of electronic camera is more efficient in shooting. Convenient, and the picture imaging is also clearer.

　Thanks to GrandBlue for tipping 500 starting coins.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)