St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-01
The Substitute swindIe.

Chicago Tribune.
A. Frank Richardson, of New York,
has done the public good service by
calling attention in his recent address
before the National Editorial associa-
ton at St. Paul to the petty but extern
Sive frauds practiced upon customers
through what is known as the substitute
sWindle. The mOduS operandI of these
dishonest deals may be briefly ex-
planned, There are many standard ar
ticles, such, for instance, as Pears
Soap, Scott'S Emulsion. Carter's Little
Liver Pills, Hoods Sarsaparilla, Nor
gan'S SaDolio. VOLTS Acme Backing,
ST. Jacobs Oil, Ponds Extract, Syrup
of Figs. and others which have attained
to a large sale and widespread repu-
tation by their legitimate merits
and the liberal advertising OF their pro-
priet0rS. Certain ~unprincipled drug
gists and small dealers have taken adj
vantage of these circumstances to cOun-
terfeit these goods by initiating them
just closely enough to keep themselves
out of the clutches of the law. AT De-
trolt and in other cities there are houses
whose entire business consists in manu-
featuring limitations of these articles, or
substitutes" which are made so as to
closely resemble the originals in ma
terials used, in the name, and in the
general appearance of the boxes, bot
ties or wrappers. AS an inducement to
these small dealers and the better to
enable them to carry out the swindle,
their names frequently are printed on
the packages by the manufacturers, and
the false caption ''Our own make" is
often added. 1t is easy to see how the
SwiDdle is worked. A customer goes into
a store and asks for SCOTS Emulsion,
for instance. The dealer says that he
has it. which is probably a lie, but rec
Onmends the customer to buy a pre-
paration put up by himself, which he
claims to be equally good, and which.
he says, he can recommend, because, he
pretendS, he has compounded it HIM
self" and it is his town make" and be-
sides, while Scott'S Emulsion may be
so cents a bottle, he can sell his own
preparation at 25 cents. Nine times
out of ten the customer, relying upon
the statement of the druggist, will be In
duced by motives of economy to take
the substitute. which of course is worth
less and may be dangerous. The dealer
is enabled to do this because he buys
very cheaply from the manufacturer,
and thus the two get the benefit of the
advertising of the genuine material and
0AN u So PAOhtOs III On ODOOb
ing public is SWindled.
1t is needless to say that the druggist
or dealer who will descend to this con-
temptible business merely because he
can make a larger profit Upon the sub
Stltute than he can upon the genuine
article is a common SWindler, and
none the less a sWindler- because the
trick IS devised so cunningly as to ave
him from prosecution and deserved
punishment. 1t is a fraud upon manu-
facturerS who are making a legitimate
article and who have spent thousands
of dollars to bring it before the public.
II a fraud upon cuStomreS who are
tricked into buying a bogus arti-
Gle which is worthless. If not some
thing worse. 1t is time that this con
temtlble business was stopped, and it can
be If the press of the country will venti-
late and expose it, and if the public
Will refuse to %patronlZe druggists who
palm OH these noStrums upon it. Gus
toners should demaud the article they
have every reason to believe is the best,
Il If a dealer begins the old story re-
commencing a preparation he has made
himself, which he knows to be pure be-
cause he made it., which has his name
on the wrapper, ETC., it should be suffi-
cient cause to refuse it promptly and go
elsewhere for their goods. 1t is the low
est and meanest form of common thiev-
cry, and if the public will join hands
with the press it car be broken up. 1t
is certainly for the interests of the for
mer to do so, as it is the principal suf-
ferS