Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-12-23
Frenzied Finance.

Frenzied Finance.
Thomas w. Lawson's story Of Fren-
zied Finance now running In Every
body's magazine is undoubtedly Great
ing the most profound sensation that
the American people have ever known
from any similar expose. and although
we are still at a loss how to size 1t
all up, we are frank to say that we be-
lieve Mr.. Lawson is terribly in earn
est.
From the chapters that have appear
ed up to this time, 1t seems quite clear
that the authors motive Is to get even
with confederates who. in his opinion
treated him unfairly. He was mixed
up with the Standard Oil people-H.
H. Rogers and others, in big specula-
tion in copper-the Amalgamated deal.
Lawson did most Of the manipulating
for a cleanup Of millions. and the
others beat him out Of what he thought
was his fair share Of the divide. He
vowed vengeance, and the Amalgama-
ted story Is the result.
There is not a great deal that Is new
in what Lawson has written 80 far.
The public has had suspicion, in gen.
eral way, Of all the facts that have been
revealed; but the essential element Of
this expose Is the details, names,
times, places, amounts. etc. With a
koll ;lra 80 Or, ho
been known under similar circum-
stances, Lawson attacks many Of the
most prominent and powerful mag
mates Of the American financial world
and pillories them as thieves and
scoundrels like himself.
The hardest thing to get over in
connection with the story Is the fact
that Lawson has been engaged in all
kinds Of dirty tricks. He confesses
all along. The reason he knows the
others did criminal things is because
he was there with them as a full
pledged accessory. In most cases he
was the head and front Of the unscru-
pulous rascality he is now showing up.
A man who has been capable Of such
things as Lawson has done is likely to
restore himself to public confidence by
such a confession as Mr.. Lawson Is
making. But still it is inconceivable
that a man like Mr.. Lawson, many
times a millionaire, should deliberately
stultify himself before all the people
with whom he Is to live the remainder
Of his days for mere pecuniary gain.
Whatever may be Mr.. Lawson's mo-
tives, there Is no doubt Of the fact that
he has his enemies alarmed, as they
have never been alarmed before. Just
as Mr.. Lawson Is using the press as
a weapon of offense, the opposition Is
coming back at him in the same man.
ner. Some Of the shrewdest writer's in
the whole country are doing their
best to hold him up to ridicule and OBJ
loquy, and the most tremendous efforts
are being made to discredit him in
every possible way. Lawson has found
it necessary to go out Of the magazines
into the newspaper advertising COL
there between himself and his enemies
is involving hundreds of thousands Of
dollars for space.
This is not all. In a big advertise
ment published last Wednesday and
Thursday in all the leading daily pa
pers of the country that would take
it, Lawson sets forth that the Wall
sire It string is putting the thumb
screws on Everybody's Magazine. He
shows how the magazine cannot be
sold at 10 cents a copy except for the
advertising, and how after the circula-
tion goes beyond a certain figure, the
price per copy has to be increased to
save the publishers from loss. The
circulation of the magazine has gone
over 100000 and $4,000 worth Of ad-
vertising has been withdrawn since the
last issue. This he explains Is be-
cause Of the pressure that Wall street
has brought to bear on the business
people who were supporting the mag
azine, and Mr.. Lawson begs the pub
lie to assist in the work he Is doing
by paying fifteen cents for the mag
azine.
The advertising in the newspapers
referred to has evidently cost many
thousands of dollars; but Mr.. Lawson
claims to be footing the bills himself.
He claims that he has no financial in
terest in Everybody's Magazine either
directly or indirectly; but that he will
give every dollar he has and even his
life, if necessary to break up the terri
BILE system that is feeding on the in
dustrial and moral life of the Ameri-
can people.
There is no doubt about the fact
that this Lawson business Is going to
have far reaching results, and 1t Is
quite possible that this remarkable op-
orator will succeed in arousing the