Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-07
A PETTY But COMMON FRAUD.
Selling Substitutes" for weii-kno~u Ar
ticles.

Selling "substitutcs" for Well Known Ar
ticies.
Prom the New York Tirne.
Much uniayorabie comment has recently
been aroused by a swindling which is being
practiced upon the public by some retail drug
gists-
The practice complained against is the sale
by the druggist of q substitute" for the pro-
prietsry article which the customer may have
asked Tor. 1t is a very common thing for re-
tail druggists to reap. in this way. the results
OF the advertisement and excellence of some
well-known article. customer asks for some
medicine which he may have heard highly
recommended, or which may haye been used
before in his family; at any rate. he wishes that
particular medicine, and any one would sup
pose he had a right tohave his desire gratified.
Nothing IL more common, however, than fos
the druggist To say: We'll 1 have sold INV
last bottle of that. but here Is something OF NV
own make which Is very nearly the same thing
much cheaper and fully ne good" uhereupon
the customer. unaware Of the general practices
OF the druggist, almost always falls into the
trap. The druggist IL. of course supplied with
the article required, and would have sue
rscded IN finding 1t bad the buyer insisted on
having il.
The prevalence Of this method OF .ubstitut-
ing an unknown thing for one that has been
put on the market at perhaps a great expense.
aud IN the sale of which the retail druggis, has
already probably often made his regular profit
has called forth more than mere remembrance
from the proprietary medicine people. The
abuse has included not only the ATTEMPT 10 up-
derm;ne well-known medicines but also 10
push aside familiar soaps, perfumes and other
articles, which have been protected by pateut.
Tor some particular quality OF constituent
The movement 70 put a stop 20 this sort oi
thing is joined in, therefore. by all the inter-
ests mentioned, and II Is likely will take deh-
mite shape for self-protection.
This matter was called particularly 10 the at
tention Of the public recently by an address
delivered in ST. Paul before the Editorial As
ISOLATION by A Frank Richardson Of this city.
In an interview a short time since he said:
People have no idea how extensive this sys-
TEN OF petty swindling has become / ad-
visedly say swindling, because that is Just what
II is. Take all the concerns whose preparations
have become household words They have be-
come popular for two reasons First, they
possess merit, and second, hundreds OF thou
sands OF dollars have been spent in advertising
them. Millions OF dollars are invested in their
business. The druggist has some unknown
article which has not sufficient merit to bear
the expense of becoming known ana palms OF
the worthless preparation on his conhding Gus
toner"
But even the statement of the retail drug
gist. IN hundreds of cases. is not true when be
says he has preparation of his own. There
are manufacturing establishments which make
specially OF putting up substitutes" These
substitutes they sell 10 the druggists through
out the country with a label and wrapper very
similar 70 the original, but with the name u
the retail druggist on them