Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-05-02

l. " ESbA L .M- ~ L
would be of great value to certain
corporations if they could learn it in
advance Of general publication. A
congressional investigation brought
| out this mans connections. He was
drawing down, in retaining fees from
big corporations, sum in the neigh
borhood of $4,000 year, an excel
lent income for any newspaperman.
Publicity Ruined His Job.
Naturally, throwing the light of
publicity on this mans efforts made
him of no further use to these corpor-
ations, at least in the same capacity,
ard the newspaper with which he had
been connected soon let him go. But
in the meantime he had accumulated
nice little nest egg, enough to per-
nit him to start perfectly honest
business in which he is reported to be
doing nicely.
To return to Latin America, the in
cident related n few paragraphs above
was trifling compared to the "clean
up made by another man in Wash
ington in much the same way. A
certain one Of the American republics
was anXiously awaiting formal and
favorable action by the state depart
ment on an important matter con-
cerning that republic. Quite by chance,
this man learned that the state de-
rartment had fully made up its mind
to this course, but that action would
not be immediate. Accordingly, this
man got in touch with the presi-
dent of the Latin-American republic
through the proper channels, and
made a deal with that government
whereby he would get a considerable
sum of money-it was s:id to be $780,
000-for influencing the American ad-
ministratiOn to take the desired action.
Then this man sat tight, sending oc-
casional cablegrams to give the i'm
preston of doing something and wait
ing until this large plum dropped into
his lap, which it did in n few weeks
after the arrangement was completed
Another trick which has been turn
ed from time to time in Washington
is done by outsiders, men whose
names are high in the business and
financial world. That is planting
false news to influence the stock
market, and cleaning up on the con-
sequent depression or imitation of par
ticular stocks. Once it was done in
this way: One of the members of the
staff Of the Washington bureau of one
Of the press associations was sent for
and the information given him that
the oil wells in q certain rich fell
nothing but salt water in short
time. This was the confidential re-
port OF experts who had examined the
field, the reporter was told. He was
also told that under no circumstances
was he to divulge the source Of his
information. The man who gave out
this information is nationally known
and generally respected.
The reporter didn't like The sound
of the tale, and while he was debat-
ing with himself in the hotel lobby,
he saw one of his conferes from a
metropolitan daily entering the hotel.
He found out this man had gone
straight to the man he had just left.
Evidently it was by appointment. He
became more suspicious. An hour
later another newspaperman came,
evidently to keep an appointment
with the same man.
The consequence was that the wise
young man from the press association
refused to handle the story. How
ever, one or both of the other men
used it, the stock was depressed con-
siderably by the rumor-and presum-
ably the crowd on the inside" who
had gone short of this stock made a
killing.