The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-11-02
GRAFT AND CRATER
ONE LITTLE HOMElv WORD
THAT CONVEYS MUCH.
MANY HUMBUCS IN DISGUISE
Human Nature Much the Same In
All AGes-People Easily Deiudsd
INTO Making Poor Invest
mentS.

Can phrases have been invented,
and wp.as more noted for their force
than elegance. have become popular
as eHE essiye of common things. In
all that is slang. it is doubtful II there
is any better word than graft" Long
befor, Chaucer indited what would
now be called pigeon English" witty
Greeks and Romans INDUCED in their
aesthezt'. forms of vulgar expression,
and there can be little doubt that good
old Socrates impressed Plato and
some ui his other pupils with pungent
idioms and in turn was called by Aris-
tophanes an impious old CRATER.
1t is quite evident that graft" has
place among euphonius words, and
conveys an idea plainly and tersely.
The famous Barnum, who said some
thing about the people anxious to be
humbuss"d had 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
coaVe' 10 the people various kinds of
Inform that will stimulate the
lettinG ~ of dollars for the benefit of
the CRATER.
Pic up copy of any current Sun
day new Spaper. farm journal, religious
publica'iOn, magazine or other period
ical and look over its pages. Graft is
evident in each and every one. 1t is
covered under the guise of artistic ad
derful discoveries, great bargains from
bankIult sales, exceptional chances
for Investment and Lord knows what
not, beams from the pages to catch
the e "s 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
womeH too. The getting of something
of vaIuo for little or nothing is com
mon offer TO gather in the dollars for
the benefit of the CRATER.
For = few years young man with
ambit.0n and liking for work strug-
gled along in the mercantile line in a
large central western city. He de-
cided to enlarge. He needed money.
A splendid scheme presented itself.
Why not get dollars needed to carry
on a 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
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
he mails to def-add. Hundreds of
thousands of dollars We're lost by
those who invt sted in his "coopera-
tive society" Many similar schemes
are up for consideration day after
day, The people never tire of them.
Just like buying a lottery ticket. There
Is q chance to win, and as long as the
p'oposition looks good. the CRATER
huurishes.
The wise man be he farmer or doc
Tor stOckman or storekeeper, will
avoid jumping st such chances for in
veHtment. Look out for the coopera-
tive organizer. Beware of the grafters
who want to interest you in their bust
ness affairs, and at the same time hold
the combination to the safe.
D. NJ CARR