Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-06-28
THE VAL VERDE QUESTION
Prof. Armitage Rips a Tenderfoo, Contributor on Mines and
 Mining.

WifhHks
 EDIroR or JOURNAL MINER:-My attention has been drawn to a com munication signed bv J, G. Evans in the Phenix Daily Enterprise of June 22d, under scare head lines. It crit icises the governors action in pub licly condemuing fraudulent mining operations, that rob the eastern in vestor and brings discredit on Ari- Zona.
 Some of the reasons that Mr
 Evans gives for objecting to the governors timely warning are extra ordinary to say the least, for in- stance, Mir. Evans says: "I have seen many so-called wild cat schemes prove up big paying and producing mines, etc" We are led to infer from this that no matter how rark the proposition is, if an eastern investor can be induced to put his money ini by the aid of lying prospectus, it is sll right, the promoter may strike "a big paying and producing mine. Again Mir. Evans says: There are several very promising and legitim- ate mining propositions now being presented in the east by some of our citizens. Who can tell the effect this untimely proclamation will have on thesei" l should think the effect would be to show the eastern in- vestor that the governor and people of Arizona did not countenance fraudulent mining propositions. Perhaps MT. Evans thinks it would be party 10 upset any preeonceived opinion that the eastern investor might have to tine contrary. ID the next paragraph Mir. Evans says: "The governor has raised a suspic- ion iu the mind of the eastern in vestors, and l fear has struck a blow to legitimate mining iu Arizona, the effect of which will be felt for many years" l am sorry to say the sus- picion in the mind of the eastern in estor has been full hedged for years, and if Mir. Evans would care fully read the governors warning be would ind the blow Tas not struck st legitimate mining, but at mining confidence men, and they may be- come a little more careful now that they know their schemes are likely to be exposed. The next paragraph contains this extraordinary state ment. "If a mine is offered for sale, it will be investigated and com mercial rules applied to determine its value. And So with pining stocks"
 MT. Evans says at the commence ment of his letter that he has had twenty-five years experience in mines and mining. 1 have often heard 1t said that the longer a man is in min ing the less he knows .about it. If MT. Evans makes the above state Inent after twenty-five years exeri- ence, what will he say after another twenty yearsi l have not been in it quite so long, so know that not one investor in mining stock in ten ever saw the mine they invested theiT money in, and not one in thousand ever saw a mine at all. They buy the stock on the made in the pros pectus issued by the promoters of the company. If mining stock was bought the same as mines, the gov errors warning would never have been written, and precious little mining stock sold except to big iR- vestors.
 I don't know where Mir. Evans got his twentY-years mining experience but it certainly was not in Arizona, or he would not have had to ask, ''Who is Lester Jacksonp And his among the mining men in PhenIx must have been very limit or he could easily have obtained the information. As the retained ex- amining expert for the Hearst estate there is no better known mining man in Arizona than Lester Jackson.
 All the mining men that l have met who are interested in the ad- vancement of the mining industry in Arizona are pleased with the step the governor has taken and think noth- ing but good can result from it.
 H. E. ARMITAGE.