St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-11-01
ANOTHER FRAUD.
How Local Advertisers are Sometimes
GuI1ed.


GuIIed.
1t is astonishing how easily local
business men fall into the traps set for
them by advertising sharks, men
whom they do not know, never saw
before and never will see again. Some
of these advertisers accept everything
that's going, good, bad and indiffer-
ent, while with others the scheme must
be altogether irregular and unbusiness-
like to attract attention and patronage.
The latest scheme of this sort that has
been sprung in this section is the 1883
souvenir" a rather pretty little pamph-
let of 16 pages. The only value the
thing ever had for the general public
was in the four pages given up to rail
road time tables, which were out of
date and therefore worse than worth
less within a month after the publica-
tion of the book. The fellow that
gathered in the ads promised his pat
rons that $4,000 of the pamphlets
would be circulated; that they would
be distributed on every train passing
through the places where advertisers
were located that ticket agents along
the roads would pass them out to tick
ct buyers, ETC., etc. Ten dollars
page, enough to run small ad in the
Caledonian six months, was charged
for space, and some who never felt
able to advertise in the local papers
accepted the terms and passed in the
money. Probably 800 at least was
taken out of st. JOhnsbury by this
sharper, who, by the way, was shrewd
enough to secure payment in advance.
Now, how did it work So far as
the advertisers have been able to learn
only enough of the pamphlets were
printed to circulate among the vic
tins. Railroad men, who travel over
the routes where travellers were to be
buried under by the daily visitations
of these pamphlets, declare they never
saw one of them; station agents along
the roads tell the same story and now
there are many mOurners recalling the
adage about the foolish man and his
plausible fellow appears, paints his
scheme in glowing cOlors, promises i'm
possibilities and the victim bites. We
incline to the opinion that this helps
the local papers in the long run, but
the run sometimes seems pretty long
to the publisher, whose columns are al
ways supposed to be open for the in
sertion of pleasant "locals" concerning
these advertisers, and who is expected
to bend all his energies to boom the
interests of the town that they and
everybody else may thrive.
In this connection here is bit of
evidence in point from we'll known
and successful local business man
have tried all the various methods of
advertising. have CHILLED" the town
with flyers, put up posters on the street
corners, bought "space" in numberless
advertising pamphlets and cards, but
my experience has been that an adver-
tisement in the Caledonian the year
round pays the best. That people
read it I know, for when l call atten-
tion to special bargains it brings in
Quirers to my store and trade to my
counters. l am all through with pat
ronizing these catch penny affairs and
if have any extra money to put into
advertising beyond my regular space,
1 shall put it into the Caledonian.
Friend, go thou and do likewise!
The Nicaragua Canal Hearing.
A hearing on the Nicaragua canal
bill was held at Montpelier in the SEN
ate chamber Tuesday morning. The
Journal says: Senator Bates explain
ed the plans of the company and theil
reasons for applying for charter. He
stated that General GrOut informed
him that no reason against its passage
had been urged in the United States
congress and that it seemed to be q
practical measure of national impor-
tance. He showed the great saving OF
distance which would be accomplished
by the projected canal. He could see
no reason against granting the act OF
no discredit to Vermont to charter the
company. Her own citizens are en-
gagged in the enterprise and their char
acter is such as to give the scheme a
presumption of good faith and also o
vitality and success. Mr.. HaZen, by
whom the bill was introduced in the
house, said that the parties interested
brought it to the legislature by the ad
vice of Senator Edmunds, who sait
that charter from Vermont would b,
just as good as one from the United
States and would save time. ColOne
Joyce of Rutland spoke at length OIL
the measure and advised the com NIT
tee to go slow. November was fixet
as date for another hearing, whel
some of the directors will speak for the
measure.
A Warning to Debtors.
Peck's Collecting agency is a schem,
in which many of our local business
men have Joined to see if some of thei
bad bills cannot be collected. Th
idea is, as we understand it, not t.
press worthy debtors who happen t.
, be "short" and act like men about il
but to go for "dead beats" without an
mercy whatever. Through this agenc
the payment of bills will first be de
manded hv mail after the nrdinar