The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-18

y y ~ y 49, y 49, .
you see struggling along: tlles street
there have come to oget."
well, what do they get ." I asked.
Il haven't Investigated that far" re-
piled the old gentleman. But what
they are promised on the preferred is
an annual Christmas dividend of per
cent on par. man who buys ten
shares of preferred at 80, viii, If the
scheme works, receive $50 worth OF
Peace on Earth and Good Will to
Men next Christmas. On the common
there's no telling what he will get. 1t
will all depend on the years. business.
Prospectus indications are that after
the interest on the bonds and the pre-
ferred stock is paid there will be an Is
per cent. dividend ON the common, SO
that ten shares OF common at s400
ought to provide the owner with
mighty stocking full of joy when
Christmas comes around again.
Eighteen per cent. on $1,000 is $3.50.
That invested in the usual Christmas
luxuries for the children would buy
eighteen hundred toys at the ten cent
store.
AT SO cents. a pound it would pur-
chase $50 pounds of candy. Devoted
to the needs of the little street gamin
1t would purchase eighteen thousand
dabs Of hokypeky ice cream. and in
taffy for the sweet lovers of the high
ways 1t would provide a good tof--and
this, mind YOU, not once only, but for
the rest of eternity. provided Mr..
Mergerbilt is not wrong in his esti-
mates. So you see, my dear boy, that
this scheme is not all for the rich nor
for the submerged. BY the invest
ment Of S469 in the common stock OF
International Santa Claus you can in
sure merry Christmas to yourself
and posterity until the crack of doom
unless you sell your stock, which OF
course in that respect puts the blame
for the failure of the scheme upon
your own shoulders"
Wei. what In heavens name is the
business of the company that it should
earn such millions as will be required
to pay these dividends and interest
charges ?" 1 cried.
The simplest in the world" smiled
my host, 1T is to lend money to those
who need it at high rates of interest.
To buy deprecated stocks that Mr..
Mergerbilt knows will be in great de-
mand week after next and to loan them
overnight when needed by short inter
ests at loo per cent advance on cost.
There is a demand for that sort OF
thing, eh?" I queried.
s'Eyen now" said my host, there
are many thousands more men need
ing money in the world than there are
men who don't need it, and as long as
there is stock market there will be
shorts running to any cover in sight
and ready to pay usury.'
"Jove!" said l. seizing the screw and
manipulating it madly Lets get
ahead a few years and see how the
scheme works"
Nay, my friend" said the old gentle
man, gently arresting my hand. Don't,
please. Remember, this is the Christ
mas season. Don't spoil your own hap
piness and that of the public by look
ing upon and publishing an account Of
the widespread misery that Mr.. Merger
bits colossal scheme is sure to bring
about"
rs 1t any worse than the Hot Air
fasco?" demanded.
NO" said he, .that is, considering
mans progress. It is no worse for 202t
than the Hot Air collapse was for 1903
1904"
And with that my host closed up the
spectrophone fer the night, put it out
of commission, and politely intimated
to me that it was time was going.
Hence am unable TO say what came
of international Santa Claus, but my
heartfelt advice to the public today or
of a hundred or more years hence Is
to stay out of any movement which
seeks TO turn peace and good will into
a commercial enterprise. 1t may seem
on it's face to be great bit OF phllan-
thropy, but after all the charity which
begins in your own home may wander
far afield and end in some millionaire's
palace. leaving your hearthstone cold
and without hope. The spirit of the
Yuletide is the field OF endeayor for
the individual, and incorporated good
will can exist only on the profit that is
without honor in its own country.