The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-01-19
sUBJECT-"sToCKs DOWN"

Plaques of Our Cities.
SUBJ BJECT-"sTOCKs DOWN."
TEXT: Amos ill., Pas the shep
herd taketh out of the mouth of the
lion two legs and piece of an ear, so
shall the children of Israel be taken out
| that dwelleth in Samaria."
The shepherd comes to look for his
sheep, and 10, he finds a lion has been
devouring them. And he beats the lion
across the head till he drops out of his
mouth fragment of sleeps ear. So
completely had the lion done his work
| that there was nothing left but these
pieces. So, says Amos, the Israelites
shall be destroyed by their enemies.
There is lion still abroad deyouring
| the Lords sheep. 1t is the lion of stock
gambling. Many of them have been
completely deyOured, body, mind and
soul. Others are nearly gone, only a
fragment of their nature is left. 1t is
the business of every shepherd to beat
back this cruel and blOOdthirsty lion,
and, if in any case there be only one ear
left, to address that. There has not at
| any one time, during my memory, been
more money or morals lost in stock
| gambling than now. There have been
| wilder freshetS and louder explosions,
but the stiffness of this wide movement
| only makes the peril greater. 1t is a
still hunt" There are inducements
offered through the mail and by adver-
| tisements in the newspapers. There
| never before were so many trust funds
on their way to Wall street nor so many
of the unWary being entrapped. Our
cities swarm with bogus bankers and
| brokers. Widows, orphans, seam
stresses, clerks, and even clergymen are
allured to put in their all, and take out
| nothing. Circulars flood the country
| beautiful circulars, adTOit circulars,
| that warn the people against sharpers,
| but say, in substance: Now, here is a
scheme conducted on honest principles.
1t is combination scheme by which
| you will get the advantage of the band
| ing together of great many wise men,
| whereas, IL you went in alone, you
might get swindled. Come with us,
and we will do you good" The circular
contains the names of many fortunate
people, acknowledging the receipt of
| $1,000 for $500 invested. The dupe has
tens to get his money out of the savings
bank, and sends it to the combination
house, and receives paper as ornate and
| fascinating as a marriage certificate:
For value received, this is to certify
that Blank is the holder of blank shares
IN combination formed to operate in
stocks or other cash securities. State
ments of transactions will be mailed to
shareholders weekly, and at the eXpira-
tiOn of one month from date this cOmbi-
nation will be closed, and the profits di-
yided pro rata among shareholders
in the proportion that the number of
shares held by each one shall bear to
the whole number invested. No part of
profits or original capital to be with
drawn until close of combination. Re-
quests to hold a portion of profits for re-
Investment can not be complied with
The dupe can hardly wait to hear. He
runs nervOusly to the pOst-Office. He
prices better furniture, and looks out
! fine residences that he may be called tC
occupy. Visions of the great fortunes
of Jerome, and Keen, and Gould, and
Vanderbilt. Wonders if he will be sent
into dissipation through sudden for.
tunes as others have. A letter at the
| POstOtfice. So excited he can hardly get
il open. First attempts to read it up.
side down. Adjusts it. HaI Ha
Notification that the investment has
earned l = per cent. The eXhilarated
man takes another walk around to see
the house which he may be able to buy
News too good to keep. Talks over the
matter with his neighbOTs, and gets
them to go in. Another letter at the
POStOffice. Not so much excited, for
there is now something of the calmness
of assured fortune. Opens it. He
reads: "By an unfortunate turn in the
market, your investment has all been
swept away, capital and profit" This
they call over in New York the ROYAL
Bounce. l call it Infamous swindling.
The widow of soldier was sick and un-
able to work. She had 5000 beside her
pension. She read the fascinating ac-
counts in the New York papers, and de-
sired to afford better schooling for her
children, sent her money down and had
it swamped in the breakers, and into
the same ruin is going the livelihood of
tens of thousands of people, and l cry
aloud, Stand backl The Plague! Stock
gambling one of the ten plaques.
All classes of people suffer directly OF
indirectly. What is the matter with
the price of bread? Did the Lord de-
strOy the harvests with drought? No
there is plenty in this land for all the
people at cheap prices; but the gamblers
got hold of the grain market. They dc
not call it gambling; nothing so awk-
ward as that. They call it option in
grain. No grain passes. One operator
pays another $500 as an option on 10COC
bushels of grain for February or March
If it goes from $1.30 to 81 40 he pockets
the ten cents, or $1,000. If it goes down
to $1.20 he pays up $1,000 and loses the
whole. There is no gambling with
greasy cards in a rum restaurant thai
is worse Jnan GnaG. WnaJ right mas 9
man to sell that which he does not own
OF buy that which could, under no cir
cumstances, be delivered? Let me mo-
be misunderstood. l must deplOre tht
indiscriminate terms of condemnation
employed by many well-meaning per
sons in regard to stock operations. Tit
business of the stock broker is just al
legitimate and necessary as that of {
dealer in clothes, groceries or hardware
and man may be as pure-minded anC
holy Christian at the Stock Exchange
as in pTayer-meeting. The broker is
in the sight of God, as much entitled t
his commissions as any hard-wOrkinl
mechanic is entitled to his days wages
Any man has as much right to max,
money by the gOing-up of stocks as bI
the going up of sugar, rice or tea. 1t il
the work of the brokers to facilitate bu
siness, to make transfer of Investment
to watch and report the tides of bust
ness, to assist the merchant in Lawful
enterprises. Because there are men il
this department of business sharp, de
ceitful and totally iniquitOus, you hav
no right to denOunce the entire class
Importers, shOe-dealers, lumbermen d.
not want to be held responsible for tn