The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1891-11-02
-.g-44 UlE StY-s-4--.
Dishonest Druggists Who Palm Oh
Homemade Goods.
How an Unsuspecting Public Is I'm
posed Upon by Unpr.neipled
Dealers in Household
Remedies.

Mr. A. Frank Richardson. of New
York, has done the public good service
by calling attention in his recent adj
dress before the National Editorial as
ISOLATION at st. Paul to the petty but
extensive frauds practiced upon custom
ers through what is known as the sub
stitute swindle. The modus operandi
of these dishonest deals, says the Chi
| cago Tribune, may be briefly explained.
| There are many standard articles Which
have attained to large sale and wide
spread reputation by their legitimate,
merits and the liberal advertising of
their proprietors Certain unprincpled
druggists and small dealers have taken
advantage of these circumstances to
counterfeit these goods by initiating
them just closely enough to keep them
selves out of the clutches of the law. At
Detroit and in other cities there are
houses whose entire business consists
in manufacturing limitations of these
articles, or Substitutes" which are
made so as to closely resemble the orig
mails in materials used, in the name,
and in the general appearance of the
boxes, bottles or wrappers. As an in
ducement to these small dealers and
the better to enable them to Carey out
the swindle, their names frequently ere
printed on the packages By The mapu-
facturers, and the false caption ''our
own make is often added. It Is easy
to see how the swindle is worked. a
customer goes into c store AID asks for
a popular remedy. The dealer says that |
he has it, which is probably lie, but |
recommends the customer to buv 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 compound |
ed it himself and it IS his town make
and, besides, while the desired article
may be fifty cents a bottle, he can sell |
his own preparation at twenty-five
cents. Nine times out of ten the GUS
toner, relying upon the statement of
the druggist, win be induced by
motives of economy to take the sub
stitute, which, of course, IS worthless
and which may be dangerous. The
dealer is enabled to do this because he
buys very cheaply from the mani
facturer, and thus the two get the ben
eft of the advertising of The genuine
material and divide large profits. Thus
an unsuspecting public is swirdled-
1t is needless to say that the druggist
or dealer who viii descend to This con
business merely because he
can make a larger profit upon the sub
stitute than he can upon Gtc genuine
article is a common swindler. and none
the less a swindler because the trick is
devised so cunningly as to save him
from prosecution and deserved punish
ment. It is q fraud upon manufacturers
who are making legitimate article
and who have spent thousands of dol
airs to BRING it before the public and
1 fraud upon customers who are tricked
nto buying a bogus article which is
if not something worse. 1t
S time that this contemplate business
vas stopped, and il can be if the press
If the country win ventilate and ex-
bose it and if the public viii refuse to
)atronize druggists who palm off these
lostrums upon it. Customers should
demand the article they have every =
eason to believe is the best, end if q.
iealer begins the old story recommend
ng preparation he has made himself,
Which he knows to be pure because be
nade it, which mas his name on the
7rapper, etc, it should be Sufficient
ause to refuse it promptly and 20 else
where for their goods. It is the lowest
nd meanest form Of common thicvcry,
nd If the public viii join HANDS with 4
he press it can be broken zap. It is
ertainly for the interests of the former
, do SO, as it is the principal sufferer