The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-08-08
SATURDAY. AUGUST 8, 1891.
THE SUBSTITUTE SUINDLE.

attention to a petty, but extensive, frauc
practiced upon the public by what is
known as the substitute swlndle. This
is the way it is done: There are many
standard articles, which through eXtcn
sivc advertising and real merit, have
been brought to the notice Of and arc
largely consumed by the people. 1t is
not necessary TO name them, as the pub
lie is acquainted with their names, and
in many instances with their virtues.
Millions Of dollars have been paid the
newspapers of the country for advertls-
ing these articles by their discoveries or
proprictors. and millions moro will be
paid by proprictors Of yet to be com.
poundcd or discovered remedies and use.
full goods and wares.
Now where the wrong complained of
comes in is thus well told by the
Minneapolis Times: Certain I'M
principlcd druggists and small
dealers have taken advantage Of
these circumstances to counterfeit these
goods 10y initiating them just closely
enough to keep themselves out of the
clutches of the law. At Detroit and in
other cities there are houses whose en-
tire business consists in manufacturing
limitations of these articles or "substi-
tutes,' which are made 50 as to closely
resemble the originals in materials used,
in tho pnInn and tI,. rnnnruI unnairunsp
of the boxes. bottles, or wrappers, AS
an induccment to these small dealers
and the better to enable them to carry
out the swindle, their names are fire.
quently printed on the packages by the
manufacturers, and the false caption
.our own make is often added. 1t is
easy to see how the swindle is worked.
4 customer goes into a store and asks
for SCOTS Emulsion, for instance. The
dealer says that he has it, which is prob
ly a lie, but recommends, the customer
to buy a preparation put up by himself,
which he claims to be equally good, and
which, he says, he can recommend be
cause, he pretends, he has compounded
himself" and it is his ''own make" and
besides, while SCOTS Emulsion may be
30 cents a bottle, he can sell his own
preparation at ~ cents. Nine times out
of ten the customer, relying on the state
ment Of the druggist, will be induced to
motives of economy to take the substi-
tutc, which, of course. is worthless and
may be dangerous. The dealer is en-
abled to do this. because he buys very
cheaply from the manufacturer, and thus
the two get the benefit Of the advertis-
ing OF the genuine material and divide
large profits, nus an unsuspecting
public is swindlcd.'
y compound named Fig Sirup'' is
palmed Oft upon al unsuspecting public
for ''Sirup Of Figs" and another called
'ltcstOria" is bought by the unwary for
Castoria. The makers of these substi
tute articles get the benefit Of the years
Of advertising by the proprictors Of the
genuine without paying a red cent. 1t is
a mean. contcmptiblc manner Of swim
ding which can not be reached by the
laws, o can it be reached and stopped
only through lis exposition by the press
Of the country.
In the language Of the Times it is
needless to say that the druggist or
4 der who will descend to this contemp-
!" business merely because he car
IL. lie a larger profit upon the substitute
than he can upon the genuine article is
a common swindlcr. and none the less
a swindlcr because the trick is devised
50 cunningly as to save him from prose
cution and deserved punishment.
1T is a fraud upon manufacturers
who are making a legitimate article and
who have spent thousands of dollars to
bring it before the public, and a fraud
upon customers who are tricked into
buying a bogus article which is worth
less, if not something worse. 1t is time
that this contemplate business was
stopped, and it can be if the press OF the
country will ventilate and expose II, and
if the public will refuse to patronizc
druggists who palm off these nostrums
upon it. Customers should demand the
article they have every reason To believe
is the best, and if a dealer begins the old
story recommending Il preparation he
has made himself, which he knows ~ he
pure because he made it, which has his
name on the wrapper, etc, it should he
sufficient cause 10 refuse it promptly
and go elsewhere for their gDp1s. II IN
the lowest and mcanest form u cDmmon
thievery, and il the public will Join hands
with the press it can be broken ~. II
in certainly for the interests N the fDr
msr " do 10, AZ il In the principal
sufferer"