Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-12-15
Get rich QUICK
is OLDEST BAIT
Hope of Getting Something for
Nothing Springs Eternal in
Human Breast.
MANY WILD SCHEMES TRIED
Story of Romance, Hardship and vio-
Ience, of Adventure, Despair and
GuIIibiIity, With Sudden Trips
Abroad Made by Promoters.

ABROAD MADE py SromoterS.
Boston.-Ever since the beginning of
things men have been trying In one
fashion or another to achieve their
fortunes over night, to recover the
Midas touch of the fabulist, to get
rich .quick."
Sometimes they have succeeded.
Sometimes they have nurtured their
hopes only to come back to hard re-
atty with hard bump. Sometimes
in their haste they have been swindled.
From the days of the sailing of
Jason upon his long quest of the
Golden Fleece, from the times Of the
aichemists of the middle ages, who
puttered out their lives among dusty
tones, seeking with tired but hopeful
eyes for the key to the enigma of sud-
den wealth-the touchstone which
should transmute lead to gold-to the
days of mushroom fortunes In "inter-
national reply coupons" isn't such
far cry after all, James III. Powers
writes in the Boston Globe.
1t is a story of romance and hard
ship and violence, of adventure and
despair and sometimes absurd gulli-
bility and sudden trips abroad made
by promoters with gripsacks stuffed
with cash.
Mad Rush for Gold.
In America the story really begins
with the mad rush across the prairies
and the mountains I'm 40 to the gold
fields of California. There had been
other "gold hunts" before this, but
none of them developed such a nation
al fever as resulted from the announce
ment of this discovery of nuggets
"weighing as much as half a pound
apiece" that percoiated through the
East and started that famous uproar.
Enthusiasm rose to unbelievable
heights. Families started out from
Massachusetts, New York and other
eastern seacoast states without even
bothering to sell their houses. BY
horseback, farm wagon and by ship
the migration got under way. Parties
of prospective mlllionaires chartered
scbooners and sailed all the way
around the Horn 10 their excitement
And upon the retina of the inner
eye of every one persisted the dream
picture of marble halls" and a
"span,r and the Imagined luxury of
doing nothing IN particular, while
obed:ent lackeys lowered about for
ever after, like the genii of Aladdin's
lamp, awaiting orders
The California gold rush enriched
thousands, though ut the price of vast
hardship and sacriioe, Thousands Of
others 1t ruined, when they became
stranded in wilderness, 5000 miles
from settled civilization, on their NJ
fafed claims. The best thing about
IL wasn't the wealth 1t produced at
all. but the fact that it began the
de..aite expansion Of the United
States.
Capt Kidd and the Klondke.
"Somethlng for nothing" many
years later. drew thousands more
Americans down In the Oklahoma ter
ritory when the government an
steads to be rushed" on certain
date. All the man who wanted TO
become a property holder had to do
was to be on hand when the signal
was given.
Government officials lined off the
:stapt, as-if it were q 40 yard dash of
today. Fences were built and every
claimant had to be behind the bulwark
ready. Then. at given signal. down
went the barriers and the swarm OF
fortune hunters piled into the plains,
pellmell. to stake their claims and be-
gin their new careers. and be happy
eyer after
So. too, In the latter part of the
last century, when the Klondike be-
came a word of magic. Just as In the
DAVIS of 40, there was a wild rush for
gold the prospectors being, In the
main, men who, were doomed to fail
ure, although hundreds Of them won
from the frozen rocks and river beds
the fortunes upon which not Few
American families base their ability
10 purchase new seven passenger
car every year.
One OF the oldest apd the most per-
sistentiy, attractatf lures OF egolden
afrluence, tliat AMNits the fortunate is
the mythical buried treasure Of Capt.
Kidd. the pirate, familiar to every
schoolboy and to the. schooboys OF
Boston In particular F1
For the two centuries or more that
have elapsed since KIDD swung at the
pibbet In Execution Dock, England,
expeditions have been continuously
gotten up with the purpose of finding
his buried booty. All that has been
recovered to date has been about
$4,000. most OF which was found at
one end OF Gardger's island. The nu'
merous search parties, according to
some estimates, have spent total OF
about 100000 In the effort.
To Pay 90 Per Cent Year.
Along with the popular quests for
~gold In the raw or IN hidden caches,
there have also been. scores of clever
schemes Tor ehrichilg people through
marvellous new discoveries and
through manipulation. Massachusetts
has had its full share of such ven