Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-12-10

the Park with a thimble would send man
to the tombs, when, yet further, it is found
that banks are inveigled, aud are made TO be
left handed partners in schemes that will
not bea? the sun; and when, yet further,
strong business men are discovered to have
stopped from their legitimate calling, and
lent their names to deviscs for obtaining
funds that are unwarrantable even in COM
merce, and utterly abominable in morals
strange that men do not know whom to
trust--and that men, with David, "say in
their haste that all men are liars?"
Springing from this, and coupled with it
is the monstrous and over bloated sin of
stock gambling.
There is no more sin in buying and sell
ling stock than in buying and selling bank
bills, or any species of property. But it is
one thing to buy and sell legitimataly, and
another to buy and sell as gamblers do.
Many honorable men pursue an honora-
bic business in the brokerage of stocks--
but it is quite notorious that millions AMI
thousands of millions of dollars of stocks
are sold every month under the lawful form
of the Stock Brokers' exchange, which can
be sworn to differ in no moral or material
respect from undisguised gambling. 1t is
not necessary to enter minutely into the
distinction between right and wrong in buy
ing or selling stocks.
1t is enough to say, that he who buys
stock as bonafide method of investing his
funds. looking for dividends, or for some
benefit from the interest represented by the
stock, buys legtimately and without blame.
But the whole scheme of buying stocks for
no other purpose than to make money up
on the bet that they will rise or that they
will fall, is a scheme of gambling Men
that do it are gamblers. All the soft names
on earth cannot be dissolved to make a var
nish strong enough to cover the real wick
edness. Men resent the imputation. No
man likes to be called gambler But the
way to avoid the title is to avoid the thing.
In this gambling game the whole COM
munity have more or less participated
Some devote their time to it. Since my
day, remember. l think, one concern to
have failed four times-it fails to-day, is on
its feet tomorrow, in as good credit as ev-
er. For when the business is fraud, and
the customs of it are dishonesties, it does
not take man long to repair any little
cracks, in his reputation.
Merchants are forsaking their legitimate
business and dabbling in this pool Their
clerks, following their example. gamble
tos. Simple men, seeing these marvels of
success, venture their hard earnings, and
go to gambling likewise The lawyer fol-
lows suit; and that there may be no want
of moral sanction. ministers of the gospel
are found not few, am informed, secret
ly buying and selling stocks.
Now, when the company themselves are
gigantic spectators by fraudulent and dis
honest means; and when the stock of the
company goes up and down the street, car
rying in its hand bowl drugged with gam
bling. and crowds run to drink its intoxi-
cation, is it strange that, at length, the
head is sick, the whole body faint, and that
the commonwealth lies at length upon the
ground, wallowing like one possessed, foa
ming and rending itself?
1t is supposed that there are one thous-
and million dollars invested in railway pro-
perty. Can this mountain of power b, u.s.
ed against good morals, against CONNER
cial produce, and the country not reel and
stagger?
Can this prodigious weight be cast rude
ly hither and thi;her upon the deck. and
the Seel lie level? There is not an honest
man in the land. patiently conducting le-
gilimate business, who is not in the power
of these irregular forces. There can be no
permanent security if fnanciers can, at
pleasure, draw up such enormous elements
of power, and hold them suspended, like
water spouts, to burst and food down des-
olation the moment they are touched with
misfortune. And If commercial men will
not draw tight the rPins of morals upon
these unprincipled men, they will have their
own neglect to thank for mischiefs which
will have come upon them in some sense
by their counivance.