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Show STOCK GAMBLIHG. There is lees gambling in mining stocks than heretofore; but tbe falling off in the business cannot ba attri bated to a deadening of the indicia tion to engage in this clase of specula tion. Tbecauae is rather to be found in the want of money with which to tempt fortune. Perhaps a man ought to have the privilege of doing as be pleseei with his own money, and the public no right to complain il be squanders it in mining stocks, lays it away in government bonds, or puta it in houBes, horses or any other k nd of property; but the propriety of sup pressing stock gambling as immoral by enacting laws against ft will bear discussion. The law interferes with faro, the "little game called draw," and the various other games of chanco which come under the general head of gambling. Yet none of them is m ire enticing, or more demoraliiing in its effects, than that carried on in the mining stock boards. Mouey is lost no more readily, nor gained fasur in one than in the other. They aro all games of chance, with the odds in favor of the "dealer" or in- lide man. If a person puta bia money i on fl card in the faro layout, he is ni liable to win as ho ia if he put- it upon a partii uUr 3t jck. Both invcs'.m mti are wb -i y speculative, and entirely, illegitimate as business transactions, i Aa groat harm ia as liable to result from the one as the other. Therefore, j if the law-making power baa tbo right to interfero with green table; gambling, it has as good right to put its heel upon that of the stock exchange. ex-change. If stock transactions could be, or ivere conducted leuitimately, ; the prices being rezul:;'.eJ according to what mi ,ht honestly be regarded j as fair values, the case uuJ been-p lirely diflerent. Bal tae business baa i long einco been deprived of every feature of fairness and legitimate speculation, if such a contradictory 1 term may be used. Prices are fix"d and controlled by a tew ineu on the inside, who manipulate matters to ,tuit themselves without regard to actual value or the rules of honey. They put up the price o! a worthless mne, and lower that ol a val labia one. whenever it suits their convniruoe to do so-At so-At best a lare element of chance enters into miaiug investments. No man cm tell when a IdJi will "run out" or enlarg;'. Tue-ie are risk), however, that he is bjund to taie, and the profits, should there h,j any, usually prove large enough to compensate com-pensate tor the danger. With stock , il.imn- it ia .brt" rent, t'.i Bine jmay piy a handsome dividend t.m month, and without any indication of a failure of the ledge, or for that matter, Wii-i no perceptible docraase in the product, next month an assessment assess-ment will be levied. Tuese are not legitimate chances, but are cilled "manipulations" o. "deils." In faro they would he termed "boding." are nothing more cor less than steals. How much money Salt Lake has lost in stock speculations no one .knows, but she has contributed her portion to the greed of the sharpers of $&a Francisco. Had the sum been expended in legitimate mining in Utah, the investors would unquestionably unquestion-ably have ten dollars to show for the one they can now exhibit. We wish tbe great falling off in these irausac tions could be attributed to the loss of infatuation in this class of speculation, and not to the want of money, which latter is the real cause of the deprea fon in the stock market. |