Excerpt from the Mining Investor, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Vol. XXX, No. 11, p. 367, May 11, 1903:

'The miner who digs a fortune out of the ground has the satisfaction of knowing that he has not robbed a soul, even though becomes a thousand times a millionaire. Then, too, there is another factor to take into consideration. The man who makes his fortune on the board of trade or the stock exchange, or in building a gigantic business, adds nothing to the store of the world's available wealth. The world, in other words, is no richer because he is richer. He is richer rather because someone else is poorer. The miner, on the other hand, whether he digs out ten or 100,000 dollars, adds that much to the world's wealth, and with the added wealth he contributes just that much to the possible amount of the world's comforts and pleasures.

As I look at the matter, there are a few producers of wealth. The many live on the few. The only man comparable to the miner is the farmer. He gets what he has directly from nature, but he produces a perishable wealth. While he meets a want, his contribution to the world's wealth, therefore, is not permanent, like the miner's. The gold miner is today the king of wealth of the country, and I honor him above all others. It is no dishonor; it needs no apology to emulate his example or assist him in his efforts. There is the whole story in a nutshell.

- The Reverend Robert McIntyre