Arizona silver belt., 1897-01-14
ROOMS AND THEIR PROMOTERS.

ton of merits, an imitation of values, and premonition of disaster.
 Rooms have not beeen confined to the west, however, nor have its most pernicious effects been witnessed in mining districts. Kansas. Southern California, Washington and some of the Southern states furnish examples of the deplorable effects of booms; aud the vast sums of money sunk in real estate and commercial schemes over. shadow losses resulting from the wild est and most calamitous mining ven lures in the West.
 Neither Is the Western press chiefly responsible for the misrepresentation of mines and mining districts, the effect of winch has been so prejudicial to the mining industry, but rather certain Eastern papers which for pay are will ing to prostitute their colums to furthering speculative enterprises, without even Q pretense at investi- gsting the merits of a proposition.
 The mining stock exchanges are also prolific of evil by melting the gambling spirit. What an awful revelation it would be if the records of the San Francisco stock exchange, during the period of mad excitement on the Com. stock, could be gathered and pub lished !--fortunes dissipated, hopes destroyed, lives wrecked, reason de, throned, forgeries, suicides and mur- ders committed-the price of the few colossal fortunes which are today being dissipated by ignoble scions of dishonest sires.
 Again, there Is the so called mining expert, or promoter, whose chief stock in trade is unlimited gall, which he employs to his advantage by foisting mining properties of doubtful value upon his credulous acquaintances at distance, and when & venture proves failure the camp is denounced, and the culprit who defrauded them seeks for other victims.
 The local newspaper, as rule, is in- spired by commendable motives, and endeavors to give the facts in regard to mining operations, as nearly as 1t is possible to obtain them. The reporter is hampered in this by two classes of mine owuers or informants; the one whose aim it is to magnify every dis- coyery or occurrence of ore, while the other either refuses information or through ultrs-conservatism or modesty fails to express the fnll value of claim or importance of mineral strike The newspaper man can not often verify the reports given him and 50 must rely largely upon the character and reputation of his informant and his own general knowledge and judgment
 Again, exaggerated reports of min ing districts frequently emanate from newspapers published in other parts of the same state or territory, more fre- queptly in an agricultural community. and therefore more easily imposed upon. If these outside newspapers would go to the columns of the local mining papers tor news, instead of try ing to be original upon subject they know little about, there would be less cause for complaint. A Phoenix paper which has large circulation recently stated. editorially that Globe WAS en. toying unexampled prosperity; that two transcontinental railroads were building to this point, and that ere long the output of copper from Globe district would rival the production of the Butte. Mont, mines. To anyone at all conversant with the facts, these statements are simply ridiculous. Globe is acknowledged to be rich mineral distrIct, although her large de- posits of copper are as yet but slightly opened, and it will be many years be- fore Globe can compete with the large copper camps in the United States, and has no pretentions of rivaling Butte, which turned ont three-fourths Of all the copper produced in Montana last year, or 38 per cent of the entire copper product of the United States.
 The effect of gross exaggeratioD is harmful. The real mining men and investors of the present day are, as a rule, well informed of the merits of the mining camps of any note and are not deceived by such misstatements, but the large number of the unemployed seeking work are misled and induced to rush into Q camp only to find tho labor market glutted and their chances for seeking employment else where.
 The tendency of newspapers in min ing districts is toward conservatism in the publication of news, for they have learned that booms are ephemeral aud prejudicial to the best interests of district. A newspaper that is honest and fearless in it's expression, and cn deavors to give only facts in regard to the operation of the mines, is factor for great good in the community, and many a mining camp owes large share of its prominence and prosperity {