The Huttig news., 1907-11-02
GRAFT AND CRATER
ONE LITTLE HOMElY WORD
 THAT CONVEYS MUCH.
MANY HUMBUGS IN DISGUISE
Human Nature Much the Same in All Ages-Peope Easily DeIuded Into Making Poor Invest
 mentS.

Cant phrases have been invented, and words more noted for their force than elegance, have become popular as expressive of common things. In all that is slang, it is doubtful if there is any better word than graft" Long before Chaucer indited what would now be called pigeon English" witty Greeks and Romans indulged in their l aesthest1c forms of vulgar expression, and there can be little doubt that good old Socrates impressed Plato and some of his other pupils with pungent idioms, and in turn was called by Aris- tophanes an impious old grafter.
 It is quite evident that graft has a place among euphonius words, and conveys an idea plainly and tersely. The famous Barnum, who said some thing about the people anxious to be humbugged had a pretty good idea of human nature, and made the most out of his knowledge. The business man of to-day does not ignore the gullibili- ty of the masses, and yearly millions of dollars are spent in printers ink to convey to the people various kinds of information that will stimulate the letting go of dollars for the benefit of the grafter.
 Pick up copy of any current Sun day newspaper, farm journal, religious publication, magazine or other period tcal and look over it's pages! Graft is evident in each and every one. It is p0Uprnd hn Of o-t; ;cti vertising. Thousands of cure-alls, won- derful discoveries, great bargains from bankrupt sales, exceptional chances for investment and Lord knows what not, beams from the pages to catch the eyes of the person who has not re- ceived sufficient lessons in the school of graft. The people like to be fooled. There seems to be more or less av- arice in the makeup of most men, and women, too. The getting of something of value for little or nothing is a con- mon offer to gather in the dollars for the benefit of the grafter.
 For a few years a young man with ambition and liking for work strug- gled along in the mercantile line in idl SS SSnll al WSSIefu City. lie Q6- | cided to enlarge. He needed money. | A splendid scheme presented itself. | Why not get dollars needed to carry on big business from the people? | They needed chance for investment. | He was just the fellow to help em out. He organized a big cooperative concern. He advertised broadcast. | Told of the wonderful possibilities of l his business, and To! the dollars rolled | his way by the hundreds of thou sands. Soon the government ended | his game. He was charged with using | the mails to defraud. Hundreds of | thousands of dollars were lost by | those who invested in his "coopera- tive society" Many similar schemes | are up for consideration day after | day. The people never tire of them. l Just like buying lottery ticket. There | is chance to win, and as long as the proposition looks good, the grafter fourishes.
 The wise man, be he farmer or doc tor, stockman or storekeeper, will avoid jumping at such chances for in- vestment. Look out for the coopera- tive organizer Beware of the grafters who want to interest you in their busi ness affairs, and at the same time hold the combination to the safe.
 D. M. CARR.