The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-12-20
A DAMNABLE DEAL.

SAaSA AN "o~'o
publican of the 9th INDUCES in some vigorous
language in regard to the deal which has re-
Gently tunbled Robinson Consolidated sock,
and with it brought distress to holders oil
stock in ether mining properties. 1t says;
sOne of the worst deals that has ever thrown
its poison into Colorado's mining interests,
is the one which is now disgracing the Rob
inson mine. The mine seems TO be the vic
Linn of q strange fatally which has given our
State some of the most wretched sensations
in her annals. The terrible contests for the
possession of the Smusgler claim during the
life of Robinson, and the pitlful manner Of his
death, were items Of miserable import IN
their day, and they overshadowed the pleas
ant fact that colorado possessed so rich a
treasure in her boundaries. The stock mad
been at Sl3 and tumbled to 81. The RepuO-
Ncdn saws: The reason Of this tumble was
the Statement. uhich went TO New York from
this city to tie effect that the mine had I'M
ouestiolably prayed out. The authorities
for this statement are Joe Mcdonald, Snpsr-
juterdent of the mine, and "Prof." Ash
| burner. who examined the mine and had as
saws MADE" Wilson Wsddingham, \ heavy
stakeholder in the mine, is also supposed to
have been in the deal, He bought at ST, and
i sunnosed to have unloaded when the stock
Touched Sl3. The Republican is particularly
severe on the .'mining sharks of California and
the East"
The effects of such ~disrepntable deals and
maaipulatious of stock by conscienceless op-
orators, and the floating of wild cat mines oy
needy adventures, and all OF that klhu OF
business, only reacts to the injury OF honest
mine owners and reputable men doing busl-
sess in mining communities. The effect OF
this Robinson Consolidated deal has been
felt even in Butte. There can be but one
opinion uponss this subject. The sale OF a
worthless mine is a direct and positive lhJu-
nv 10 the man who has Heritorious property
10 dispose of or to seek the aid of capital in
its development. Reputable journals every
where in the country unite in denonnclng
these schemes that bring the business OF
mining into discredit. They derive their
support from upright and decent people, who
Inevitably suffer if some oftheir class are robb-
ed, even though the robbery is perpetrated al
some distant point. If some swindlipg mer-
camille concern should buy goods under false
pretenses in the East, and unload them Dei're
the creditors could protect themselves, the
credit Of every merchant in tho community
would suffer. How much more, then, "oald
this credit suffer were the business men to
tacitly or openly aid and abet the swlndle
This is Just what some people expect to be
done in regard to sinister mining properties.
If ANYTHING is said about them the howl is
raised that injury is being done to the nsining
interest.
HAPPILY, the ones making the most noise
about these imaginary injuries are
the ones least entitled to respect. Min
iRg communities know them ms inctively.
They are the moneyless adventures who live
by their talents IN the outer edge OF lesitl-
mate enterprise. They are fast and loud,
gathering up what they have not put down
and carrying eff what they have not produced.
They are ever ready to stock a mine as long
as they can find dupes to pay for it. 1t is
to their cOHplete suCcess tnaI they
have an organ, friendly, if Lot owned by
them. Hence ari. es the occasion in the
wsrld for those exceedingly active and wasp
ish black and tan newspapers that dance be-
fore the pablo for a email slice Of the man
ipulation robbery, and show their teeth when
their masters business is unfavt rably spoken
of. A very small block of the stock enables
them to swagger in public resorts, frequent
places of ill-shape, and continue a congenial
existence which is neither creditable 10 them
nor valuable to the public. They are the
,uerillas of business, the go betweens for
acting as harpiss operating about
he underlined region between disreputability
md d~ecency, and preying upon public mis-
There has been so much of distress
and robbery, aud imposition connected with
he bus ness of corporate mining, that q very
and general sentime Mt is abroad in
he land for a radical change in these mat
ers.