The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-01-01
MUST SETTLE IN FULL.

The exposure of the tactics and
methods employed by the directors OF
the Nehalem Coal Company. published
in the Atsorian, created quite sem
sation in Astoria. While there was a
vague suspicion that there was some-
thing crooked, and many Of the stock
holders had exposed the methods OF
the self-constituted board of directors,
the principal facts were not known by
the public until they appeared in the
| Astorian. The Astorian has no strings
on 1t, politically or otherwise. II pro-
poses to publish the facts, hit wno II
may. and If there is any crookedness
in any transactions affecting the pub
lie, the same will be published in de-
tail, as a warning to intending inyes-
tors and to keep them from being roped
in by INSCRIPTIONS promoters 1t may
be perfectly legitimate to secure sub
scriptions of stock from business men,
who have an opportunity Of ascertain
ing the facts for themselves, and who
are possessed with ordinary shrewd-
ness, but to inveigle poor widow wo-
men and decrepid old men into a.
scheme In which there was no possible
hope Of their ever realizing cent on
their investment, with the prospect Of
losing everything they possessed on
earth, meets with the dissaproval Of
every honest citizen.
No man has any legal right to hold
out inducements incapable of being full |
filled. to poor widow women who have
saved up few dollars to assist them
In old age, by picturing in glowing
terms an opportunity of doubling their
money within six months, and inducing
them to invest their savings of life
time in a company that was absolutely
worthless so far as immediate profits
or developments of the coal mines were
concerned. What made it more despic-
able was the action of the self-consti-
tuted board OF directors absenting
themselves from the city; refusing to
call meeting or accounting for the
money they had received and did not
and cannot account for. That they
received the money and it was divert
ed from the channels for which it was
intended and converted to someone's
own use, admits Of no doubt. i
While on the face of the proposal
made at the meeting, to sell the prop
erty and reimburse the minority stock
holders for the money they had been
dishonesty deprived of, may satisfy
the indignant stockholders for the time
being, there is no possible show, in the
opinion Of a number of the stockhold-
ers of ever realizing one cent from the
money they were induced to part with
by the Vaccinations OF a smooth pro-
moter. This matter is not settled, and
1t will not be until those who received
the money and converted 1t to their
own use, reimburse the minority stock
holders, the poor widows and decrepid
old men for every dollar they invested
In the worthless wild cat concern. Un-
less this is done within the time limit,
the Astorian is in possession of facts,
backed up by affidavits, If published,
will create a sensation as great as the
Chadwick fiasco at Cleveland. Sub
sidized newspapers may attempt to
shield the men implicated in the trans
action by statements that everything
is serene and harmonious. but 1t only
places them, in the estimation of the
public, as the pliable tools of dishonest
promoters.