The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-01-19
PLAGUilS.
Continued from Page 81

b6nutu US " BdllltI IL up anu uHt IT, anu
there were companies formed that have
withstOOd ali commercial changes, and
continued year after year in the prOsecu-
tiOn of an honorable business. | have
just as much respect for the man who
has made $4,000 by oil as 1 have for
him who has made it by spices. Out Of
twelve hundred petroleum companies,
how many do you suppose were honestly
formed and rightfully conducted? Do
you say six hundred? You make large
demands upon ones cTedulity; hut let
us be generous, and suppose that six
hundred companies bought land, issued
honest circulars, sent out machinery,
and plunged into the earth for the right
full development of resources. TO form
the other six hundred companies only
three or four things were necessary:
First, an attractive circular, regardless
of expense. 1t must have all the cOlOTs
and hueS of the earth and sea and heaven.
Let the letters flame with all the beauty
OF gold and jasper and amethyst. 1t
must state the date of Incorporation and
the fact that all the subscribers shall
get the benefit of the original undertake
ing. While it does not make so much
pretensiOn as some other companies, it
must be distinctly announced that this
is safe and permanent investment"
The circular must state that there are q
gOUdly number of flowing wells, an
others which the company are happy to
say have very good smell of oil THE
books Will be open only i've days, as
there are only a few shares yet to be
taken" Connected with this circular
was an elaborate map; drawn by the
artist of the company. Never mind the
geography of the country. One map
must have a creek running through it,
so crooked as to traverse as much Of the
land as possible and make it all water
front. Then the circular must have
good names attached to it. How to get
them. The President and Directors must
be prominent men ;if celebrated for piety,
all the better: The Gstimable man APP
preached says: 81 know nothing of this
company" Well" says the committee
waiting on him, I'VE will give you $500
worth of shares" Immedittely the es-
timable man begins to know about it,
and accepts the position of President.
Three or four Directors are obtained in
the same way. Now the thing is easy.
After this you can get anybody. OTdi-
nary Christians and sinners felt il a joy
to be in such celebrated society. Another
thing important was that the company
purchased three or four Walls of oil to
stand in the WindOWS-soue In IT, crude
state; the rest clarified. Genuine oil
from VenangO county. Another i'm
pOTtant thing: There must be a large
working capital, for the company do not
mean to be idle. They have derricks al |
ready building, and there will be large
monthly dividends Let it be known
that there were companies in some cities
who, claiming to have capital of $780,
OOO, vet had that capital exhausted when
they had sunk one well costing SJ,OOu.
But never mind. The thing must be
right, for some of the Directors were
eminent for Tespectability. You say it
is certainly important that there be
some land out of which the oil was to be
obtained. Oh, no! Why be troubled
with any land at all? 1t is an expense
for nothing. You have the circular and
a glowing map and vials of oil in the
window and flaming advertisement in
the newspapers. Where is the Church
of God that she allows in her member
ship such gigantic denominations. Shall
the Church Of God have nothing to say
about this price of blood? Is sin to be
accused because it is as high as heaven
or deep as hell? The man who allows
his name to be used as President or
Director in connection with an enter
prise that he knows is to result in the
sale of twenty thousand shares of an un-
developed nOthing-GOd will tear off
the cloak of his hypocrisy and in the
last day show him to all the universe
bTaZen-faced gambler. His house will
be accuTSed, Gods anathemas will flash
>
hOOfs of his silveT-bitted gTays; and the
day of fire will see him willing to leap
into burning oil well to hide himself
from the face of the Lamb.
The guilty range to-day undistuTbed
through society and will continue to do
so until the Lord God will bring them
to an uneTring settlement, and proclaim
to an astOnished universe how many lies
they told. What shall such one say in
tho GaU Of gppOnnty SDppPb lpSq
Before that day shall come | warn you.
DisgOTge, you infamous stock gamblers!
Gather together so many of your COM
pany as have any honesty left and join
in the following circular:
"We, the undersigned, do hereby re-
pent of our yillainies, and beg pardon of |
the public for all the wrong we have
done them, and hereby ask the widows
and orphans whom we have made penni-
less to come next Saturday, between ten
and three o'clock, and receive back what
we stole from them. We hereby con-
fess that the whole enterprise was a
swindle."
Signed by the subscribers at their office
in the year of our Lord, 1882.
Then your conscience Will be clear
and you can die in peace. But have
no faith in such a reformation, When
the devil gets such fair hold on man
he hardly ever, lets go. To the young L
turn and utter a word of warning.
While you are determined to be acute |
business men resolve at the very thres- |
hold that you will have nothing to do |
with stock gambling. There are now
hundreds of printing presses busy max |
ing pamphlets and circulars for schemes |
as hollow and nefariOus as any have |
mentioned. There are Silver Mining |
Companies founded upon nobody knows |
What-to accomplish whaJ nobody cares. |
There will be ever Canada Gold Com |
panies. There will be ever Copper Min |
ing Companies. There will be more |
Mutual Consumers Coal Companies, |
who, not satisfied with the price of Ordi- |
nary coal dealers, will resolve themselves |
into Consumers Associations, where the |
thing consumed is not the coal, but |
themselves the companies that were to |
be immaculate setting the whole COM |
munity to playing the game Of Who's |
got the money!" Stand off from all |
doubtful enterprises. Resolve that if |
in a lawful way you cannot earn liv
ing, then you will die an honest
man and be buried in an honest sepul-
cher. There are two OF three reasons
WHY YOU should have nothing to do with /