The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-02-17
And All Regard for What
Is Honest and Right.
In Their Insane Desire to Get
Rich Quick
Men. Women and Children FleeCed
of Millions by SharperS.

There is a mania for gambling, |
abroad in the land, that is alarming.
1t permeates every city. village, ham
let and community.
Men, women and children rush into
it with the true gambling spirit, risk
ing everything, asking no questions
as to whether it is right or not. tbor
rowing money to invest, and trusting
everything to the word of scoundrels
in the cities, who promise everything,
give no guarantees or security, and
only throw out few dollars here and
there, to entice those who seem to
have lost all common sense and con-
science.
Women, who have a few hundred
dollars, want to make big money, and
they listen to the stories of the agents
of the city schemers, and put in every
dollar they can spare, and even bor-
row money at bank, expecting to not
only get good interest, but to make
as much as they put in.
Men are no stronger, nor more
sensible than the women. They get
a circular by mail, telling them all
about the chance to make big gains,
they send in their money, not requir-
ing cent as security, trusting their
money to entire strangers, who have
no ratings in the commercial agen-
icies. and expecting to make fabulous
gains.
| Ifan honest neighbor would ask to
borrow of them, on such terms, he
couldn't get dollar.
The question whether such trans
actions are lawful, or morally right
they put behind them as unworthy OF
consideration.
The warnings of newspapers. and
the monitions of conscience, are ut
terly disregarded.
: They put in their money. right OF
wrong. and expect to live off the
|, profits SO foolishly invested. Straug,
infatuation, Is it not a mania
Can sane people be caught with sucl
chaff?
A few, at first, get hattering re
turns. This is taken from the larg
sums gathered in by the city schem
lers, and is scattered here and ther
as bait to trap more victims.
= The number of these schemers
LEGION, they are located in all tn
;. large cities, and their victims ar
numbered by thousands
1t makes no difference what tn
scheme may be, the get-rich-quic
: crowd bite at the hook just as quic
if it is naked as if it is baited.
In one city it is percentage book
:. making" in another ''horse-racin
profits" in another "debentures,- /
another guessing contests" in al
other "corn DEALS" etc, etc, but
every case it is gambling or swil
:, ding.
One after another of these swiI
ding concerns go under, or the polio
get after the swindlers and they fle'
and the victims simply take bac
seats to let new victims take up wit
a new schemes, and the game goes ol
OF course there are local agent
connected with all these swindle
who work the unwary, betray til
I'd confiding, hunt out victims for tt
Is schemers, and get their per cent.
s, it business that any honorable ma
D. can engage in?
IL Too many say, Let them alone.
n fool and his money are soon parted
H. 'Give them rope and they will soc
10 hang Themselves; 1T is no use tr
ing to stop it; some people are bour
or to be swindled, and it is no use
III waste sympathy on them" Bl
u this is not right. There are peop
er who cannot afford these losses, wome
In who do not understand the motiv
le but are led into it by percenters, an
o. young people whose principles al
I not fixed and whose experience
ie very limited. These should have oil
u sympathy. Moreover, we shoul
IN have an interest in the welfare
II our neighbors, and should not desil
hl that any should be deceived or d
frauded. Then there is a selfish sid
I'VE all have to share the losses
our neighbors. They lose by the
investments, and We lose patronal
S. because they lose their ability
Nv patronize US, or they fail to pay VIII;
$: they owe us, because they have 10
-e their spare money.
~ But the most potent reason tn;
r. should influence US is that all tn
ne business is wrong, is demoralizir
l. and is criminal, and we should do d
ed we can to suppress it. The law throw
lie its arm of protection around societ
ce to protect it against the evils tn;
would destroy it, and here is a gre;
lc opportunity.
oC ell q.