The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-09-03
FRAUDULENT.
HOW THE PEOPLE ARE sw,NDIED
by Having Worthless limitations of
Standard Proprietary Remedies
Palmed off Oh Them.

IT., n 81 UGH H A
III MEn been said on
~ ggW the subject of
TlI ~ Substitution"
Ag.N MS as practiced by
| ~ hlfa7 inscriptions
~ 1TWN manufa cturers
~ Alr.sS of certain SO
w ~ called patent
W. medicines in
imitation Of we'll known standard
remedies, and as aided and abetted
in their nefarious practices by some
dealers throughout the country, since
the attention of the public was called
to the matter by Mr.. A. Frank Rich
ardson, of New York City, in an ad-
dress delivered by him before the
National Editorial Association at its
recent meeting in St. Paul. AS bear
on that subject we publish the follow
ing from The Journalist, New York {:
The bald facts of the matter are
simply these and they are serious
enough to command the thought of
every publisher in the United States.
A number of the largest advertisers
are contemplating the possibility of
being forced out of newspaper ad-
vertising and being compelled to resort
to some other means to bring their
goods before the public.
They are being forced to this by
"substituHon.
No sooner does a manufacturer es-
tablish reputation for proprietary
article as a specially by its excellene
and create a demand for it by liberal
advertising than he is the prey of the
s'substitute' fend. Druggists are
supplied with cheap and nasty COM
pounds put up in similar packages,
bearing similar labels and having
similar appearance on which they can
make double or treble profits. Take
for example the case of we'll known
and popular tonic. 1t is made Of
honest materials and with all the adj
tanges of large plant devoted exclu-
| cialty it costs sixtycents net per bottle
| to place it in the hands of the druggist
The manufacturer contents himself
with modest profit of less than fif-
teen cents bottle and the druggist
sells it for dollar and quarter clear
ing fifty cents on every bottle he sells.
But that does not satisfy the druggist.
The substitute man comes along with
mixture of water, burnt sugar and
havoring extracts, which costs less than
five cents, bottles, labels and all. He
sells it to the druggist for fifteen cents
and that worthy is thus enabled to
make clear profit of eighty five cents
on the fraudulent substitute as against
fifty on the genuine tonic.
And the substitute man doesn't
advertise.
He doesn't have to. The manu-
faCturer of the genuine article saves
him that expense. You enter the
drug store and ask for a bottle of
Jones Tonic owe have a tonic Of
our own which wa consider better than
Jones and it costs twenty-five cents
less per bottle" remarks the man of
drugs, and the chances are, in many
cases, that you will take the substitute.
Not because you want to save the
twenty-five cents but because you are,
for the moment, deluded into the be-
lief that the druggist is prompted
solely by an affectionate interest in
your welfare. If you went to your
grocer and ordered quart of straw
berries and he should urge you to take
peck of potatoes instead because
they were more healthful and cheaper
you would feel differently, but the
druggist assumes that he has privileges
which the grocer does not enjoy.
If the public, your readers, Messrs.
Publishers, could be convinced that
| when they go into shop and ask for
Cu,icura, Hoods or Ayers Sarsapa-
rilla, or Carriers Little Liver Pills,
SCOTS Emulsion, or Beecham's Pills,
the druggist who tries to sell them
Curicuta, Jones Sarsaparilla, Browns
Little Liver Pills, or Smiths Emulsion
is offering direct insult to their in
teliigence, that he is insulating pretty
broadly that they do not know what
they want, that the druggist is not act
uated by any tender interest in his Gus
TONER'S welfare, but by greed for dol
lars, and finally, above all, that reliable
druggists are not guilty of attempted
substitution it would make vast
difference in the feelings of the men
whose business you have been paid to
push.
The honest newspaper will do all
in its power to further the interests of
its patrons.
1t is not the advertiser, alone, who
is affected by this redistribution. The
advertiser is, it is true, swindled out
of the customer who has been paid for
by his advertising, but the purchaser,
the average reader, is the person who
suffers most. He gets, in the place
of the honest article he asks for, a
worthless imitation, something made
to sell, not to stand the test of use.
1t is not honest competition that
the manufacturers are complaining
against. Mr.. Brent Good, tor example,
would not have the slightest objection
to my going into the manufacture of
Little Liver pills. SO long as | made the
pills honestly and conducted my bust
ness on fair business principles. He