The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-19

THE GET-RICH-QUICK COMPANIES.
One of the things that are beyond
explanation is that swindling compa-
nies, which have their headquarters, in
the large cities and send out circulars
respecting their respective businesses,
are able to find so many dupes and
have such phenomenal success. These
companies are being exposed in the
newspapers all the time, and in these
days of cheap newspapers it would
seem as if every man, woman and
child capable of reading would be so
we'll informed respecting all kinds of
swindles that it would be impossible
for swindlers to find victims. The only
persons who make money out of the
swindling companies are the managers
and owners of them. The New York.
Press published a cartoon on Tuesday
that expresses the situation in regard
to them exactly. 1t is that of d man,
walking away from an office whose
doors are being nailed up, having a
valise and his pockets filled with bank
notes and another bundle of bank
IiOlGS llGu Ill d Adnu clldps 40 uC
moves away his face expresses the
contempt he feels for his .dupes. On
the door of his closed Office there are
these signs: There's d sucker born
every minute" I'VE pay 500 per cent.
to ourselves"
Our dispatches have been full for
several days of accounts of the closing
of turf investment companies, better
known as get-rich-quick companies.
They advertise themselves by means
of circulars widely distributed. They
announce that they have plans for
making enormous profits on money en-
trusted to them for investment. The
one closed in st. Louis few days ago,
and in which thousands of people had
invested money, announced in it's cir
culars that it never made less than 5
per cent. week.
Companies of this class have been
closed in St. Louis, Chicago and New
York within the last few days, and the
principals arrested. 1t is a question
whether cases can be made against
them in the state courts for want of
evidence, their victims hesitating to
come forward to testify against them,
but it seems that they are to be turn
ed over to the Unied States authorities
for using he mails unlawfully. There
does not seem to be much doubt that
they can be convicted on that charge.
A curious feature of the business of
these concerns is that they make a
specially of appealing to preachers,
| doctors and women to invest in their
get-rich-quick schemes. 1t is said
that the concern that was closed in st.
Louis had the names of thousands of
| clergymen and doctors. AS far as
could be determined there were among
the victims many members of these
professions.
The desire to get rich quickly is gen.
eral. and it seems to grow stronger
with each generation. Surely man
of average common sense knows that
there is no legitimate business or un-
dertaking that pays regularly per
cent. week-that is, no business that
is being offered to the public. If any
| one had a scheme-a legitimate scheme
by which he could make honestly as
! large q. per cent. as that, he would
not be advertising for investors to put
their money into it. He would have all
the money offered to him that he could
use. 1t is probable, however, that it
will never be possible to convince a
| percentage of the people in pretty
nearly every community that these
swindling companies are not legitimate
and honest concerns or that, If swim
| ding concerns, they cannot be beaten
by the exercise of a little shrewdness.