Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-01

FAKE OIL SCHEMES.
"GoId Brick" Man Was Only a
Crude Rlunderer. Director Of
United States Geological Sur
vey Advises Investigating.


AS a means of getting rich quick the
sale of worthless oil stock is supplant-
ing the sale of goddess gold mines, and
for smoothness the Wallingfords Of the
Oil stock business are making their
predecessors, the gold brick men and
the a mining promoters, appear
crude and incompetent. Uncle Sam has
put out of business more han oil
stock swindler for using the mails to
defraud the public, but many of them
are too clever to violate the letter Of
he law. They sail as close to h wind
OF misstatement as they dare, publish
ing carefully worded advertisements
which convey totally false impressions
without actually making false state
ments. One Of their favorite tricks is
to lead people to believe that the
property they are booming has been
Endorsed by the government oil experts.
AS might be imagined, the men who
really make examinations of oil lands
for the government are by nc means
ton. DR.. George Otis Smith, director
of the United States geological surve
said in a recent extended Interview:
Nothing is doing the oil business
more injury than widespread sales Of
worthless oil stock. and nowhere is
deal with such promotions. 1t is in
teresting to note that most Of these
takers try to make it appear that the
geological survey has Endorsed their
properties n predicted that oil will
be obtained from them. As a matter Of
on private holdings and its reports as
to oil fields which it has examined are
never given to promoters or to anyone
else in advance Of publication. II peo-
pie who are solicited to buy oil stocks
on the strength Of alleged indorse-
Il vNnr< hN tH~ -~-,NA l--S-A
on seeing publication in which it is
distinctly stated that oil may be found
In the field that is being promoted, or
would write to the survey at Wash
tngton inQuirfng IL there are such pub
locations. the loss Of their savings
would be avoided.
Past Masters in Fraudulent
Advertising.
1.-THE cleverness of some of these pro-
moters is nothing short of marvellous.
Recently a pamphlet has come to my
attention advertising so-called oil prop
critics hear Moorcraft, Wyo, and
stating that the lands owned by this
particular company are surrounded by
q naval petroleum reserve. AS q
made and does not intend to
make a naval reserve in this part OF
Wyoming. Certain lands in the vicin-
ity were at n time temporarily with
drawn pending examination as to their
oil character, but after biologists OF tn.
survey had examined them the entir.
area was classified as 'nonoiI in Feb.
ruary.
More recently a widespread adver-
Using campaign has been carried on in
the newspapers by a company claiming
to own oil lands east of Denver. Thous.
ands OF dollars must have been expend-
ed In full-page advertisements worde6
with consummate c~leverness. Prominent
n the headings is the statement, Read
what your Uncle Sam thinks about it.
Throughout the advertisement are a
agraphs most skillfully framed to con-
vey the impression that government,
biologists have examined this propert,
and reported upon it favorably. al.
though nowhere is such q statement
directly made. So carefully are these
paragraphs worded that after hayine
read them once or twice you are almosj
willing to take oath that government
biologists ai1 enthusiastic over these
lands as q rich Oil territory, when. as 8
matter OF fact. no government geologis,
would risk 10 cents on their oil posi-.
ot..!ttes. Notice. for example,. tn,
cleverness Of this:
Fine Juggling Of Words.
":All Of our operations are based o,
our thorough investigation Of tn
GATED States government report OF
the Denver basin. The goyernment.t
! M geoloSists o&ghe 70 b reliable au.
thot1ty on what ~ In this region. The
~ unparalleled. They have no Ax q