The morning call., 1891-08-15
GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR,

en- agitation In which the public Is deeply
| concerned has recently risen among the
| owners and manufacturers of patent medi-
| cines and other proprietary articles. This
| agitation is directed against the practice in
dulged in by certain druggists of selling a
substitute preparation" for the proprietary
article for which a customer calls with the
intention of buying
There are many standard articles-soaps
emulsions, pills, sarsaparillas, oils, extracts,
! sirups, etc.-which ave attained 10 a large
sale and widespread reputation by their
real merits and the liberal advertising of
their prOprietors. This reputation would
| seem to be the legitimate property of the
owner of any article in question, and so long
| as the SOAP oil, strip, or whatever it is, JUS
| tines the reputation, no man has right in
| honesty to undermine or divert the rewards
! OF such character from lis proper goals.
| Yet, it is alleged such undermining. such
| dishonesty, is practiced every Gay, to the in
jury Of established business and TO the det-
| rlment and damage of the public For in
| stance, man calls at a drugstore and asks
for some stated preparation that he heard
| highly recommended or that has been used
| before in his family. At all events he wishes
| that particular medicine, and any one would
suppose he had right to have his desire
| gratifed.
Oftentimes, however. no will be told. 81
thing of my own make that is just as good,
even better and is much cheaper" and too
| often the customer. relying upon the state
ment OF the druggist, Will take the substi-
tute, At first blush one may think all this
lar business methods on the part of the
druggist, but when you consider that nine
times out of ten he has right in his store tie
standard article originally asked for, that
he has been perhaps for years selling it and
on which a fair profit is provided by the men
Wn0Sa lnSinpSS GlaEc in
way to destroy, and that in many cases the
substitute given Is absolutely Intellectual as
compared with the other, the magnitude of
his offense against the manufacturer who
trusts him and the public whom he is sup
posed to selve is seen at once. 1t is per-
1ectiy right for druggists and chemists TO
concoct their own preparations and in an
honest way sell them, but it is undeniably
wrong for any one to try to push his prepa-
ration to success by stealing the reputation
that it has taken others years of time and
thousands of money TO build up, and even
worse for them to place in peril the health
and life Of their patrons. When the custo-
mer enters the store the force that guides
him is the reputation Of that particular
standard article, and il the druggist has it
he should sell it to him.
The movement to stop this species Of de-
ception, not to say swindling, is therefore of
great in portance not only to the men who
are primarily affected, but to every individ-
ual in the community, and it is likely that
the movement will take definite and effective
shape at once.
This question was very ably discussed
yesterday afterD0o in the presence of
Press man by Mr. l.. d. Morse, manager
OF j. II. Bates newspaper advertising
agency, who. has for long time given
Thought to the various phases of the qnes-
ton because OF the work that Bates Ad-
vert,sing Agency had done in extending
the regulations which are now insidiously
attacked.
After some complimentary comments on
the Editorial Association Mr.. Morse went
on: People have no idea low extensively
this fraudulent dealing is practiced. And
there is more than an offense to the moral
sense Of the community in this swindling
system; there Is actual physical danger.
Think moment of the evolution OF patent
or proprietary medicine from the time that
its formula is discovered by the chemist in
his laboratory until it has won recognition
from the world as trustworthy remedy,
with place in the homes of the land aud
in the confidence of the people. The max
ing of such medicines is an exact science.
They have been tested, and tested over and
over again by the experts of the world, and
they are prepared by scientific men. Money
might boost preparation into prominence
before the people for time, but no amount
OF money could keep it before the people.
1t must have won or its merits. Had it not
been able to effect what was promised for
ii the first time it would not be bought
second time. With this palpable truth
before you, do you not think there is danger
to the community in having such remedies
thrust aside, and for them substituted con-
coctinns prepared possibly by the veriest
tyros in the pharmacists art? Customers
should demand the article they have every
reason to believe is the best, and they
should insist upon getting it, 1t is time
this contemplate business was stopped,
and it can be if the press of the country
VIII ventilate and expose it, and if the pub
lie Will refuse TO patronize druggists who
try to palm oil the substitute noStruuIs. The
only reason the druggists have for wanting
to sell these substitutes is because they can
be made CHEAPER than the standard articles
and sold with more profit. This is the very
reason the public would want the standard
and does not want the other. Pm willing
that druggists and all other men should
make as much as they can, but let them
make it honestly without injuring their
neishbors or befooling or endangering the
community.
The standard proprietary medicines of
to-day represent the greatest the most bene-
hcent discoveries in chemistry. What they
contain is known absolutely, and so far as
their component elements are concerned
they are the safest, the most reliable of all
medical prescriptions. The day has passed
when they can be lightly discredited as nos
trums. The enlightened testimony of the
world cannot be set aside easily.
When druggist, in his apparently
thing OF his own or of another concern that
will do just as we'll as the article you have
asked him for. if You could pierce his coat
of Establishment and friendliness, you would
find in every case the reeking form of avar-
ice. 1t is not interest in you, in ninety-nine
cases out of hundred, that actuates him,
but the desire for the larger profit which he
can make upon the substitute article, and
right here let me say that any druggist who
will think moment will sea that this prac-
tice on his part cannot be pursued with i'm
munity, for If customer finds out that his
druggist will, for the sake of making a few
more cents, try to persuade him into taking
an article the worth of which is open to
question. in place of that which the patron
thought best for the purpose to be attained.
that customer can never again be satisfied
in his mind that that druggist is TO be trusted
in filling doctors prescriptions. If man
will deceive in an article lie sells in bulk,
will he not be more likely to deceive in the
article which in the secrecy of his abora-
tory he compounds from the doctors
formula, when the same motive exists-the
desire TO make money? Honesty is the
best policy for druggists as we'll as the rest
of US, and for their customers vigilance is
the price of liberty from deception and
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