Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1897-11-17
HoodOoing Sales.

OF all Gods cattle, roaming at
large on the face Of the earth, the
backcapper is the worst, says the
Mining World. He wages war
against the prosperity of the com
munity in which he lives and per-
forms the dog in the manger act
whenever an opportunity presents
itself. He is found more or less in
all vocations, but the field in which
he delights to revel---in which he
can kick his heels the highest and
snort the loudest--is the mining in
dustry. Here his diversified talents
for SANDER and misrepresentation
find ample scope. Knowing that
capital is timid, especially when
seeking Investments upon large
scale, as is usually the case in min
ing deals, he recognizes his golden
opportunity to gloat He oils up
his hoodoo, sees that every part Of
it's delicate machinery is in perfect
order, and then gets a focus on the
would-be purchaser. Usually he
brings down his game, and with a
large invoice of satisfaction in stock,
proceeds to hunt for another victim.
His most glittering triumphs are
registered when the sale of min
ing property is almost consumma-
ted, and when its reputation is as
sensitive to SANDER as the good
name of a pure woman. 1t is then
that ne approaches the buyer with
the statement that he hopes the
seller will do well in letting 90 OF
the property, for he could do moth
ing with it himself, on account of
reasons known only to those on the
inside. With language Of this type,
covert insinuations that may mean
little or much, he frightens capital
into indefinite delay and finally per-
haps succeeds in preventing the
deal. Thus a loss is inflicted upon
the seller who lacks the money
to work the property-upon the
buyer who misses the opportunity
of n lifetime to quadruple his
wealth and upon the community
that loses the industrial value Of a
producing mine.
The backcapper is actuated by
one of two motives-the hope that
he can defect capital from its
avowed purpose into channels more
profitable to himself or to intlict in
jury upon the would-be seller. The
first move he tries to justify on
business grounds; the second he
never acknowledges. Human ex-
perince has shown over and over
again, that no man ever added a
substantial prop TO his own bust
ness interests by pulling down those
Of his fellow man; and to infiict
loss upon others to the detriment OF
the community, is like derailing a
passenger train to get even with the
conductor.
There are few mining districts in
this state where the deadly back
capper has not operated with sue
cess. Many districts have surren-
! dered to the virus of its hoodoo and
gone into retirement. While the
wildoatter is busy trying to swindle
the would-be investor, the back
capper is equally busy, in a more
quiet way, trying to prevent the
sale of desirable properties. Each
is, in his own way, a pest. Both
are enemies to the communities in
which they operate and should be-
come the targets for popular disap-
prevail. With higher standards in
the mining industry, the wildcatter
and the backcapper will be forced
out of the field, and the waters of
oblivion will close in over the tribe,
for, like Othello, their occupation
will be gone.
Couarnigp 10 M lppuar Mocfar