The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-08-27
SUBSTITUTE SWINDLE.
Dishonest Druggists Who Palm on
Homemade Goods.
Hew IN UHsuspeeting Public u In-
Posod Cron by Unprla siplSd
Dexaers IN ffousoholA
IADmed1e

Mr. A. Frank Richardson, Of New
York, has done the public good service
by oelliug attention in his recent ad-
dress before tho National Editorial as
soc,atton at st. Paul to tho petsy but
extensive frauds practiccd upon custom
ers through what is known as the sub.
stitute swindlc. The modus operandi
Of these dishonest deals, says the Chi
cago Tribune, may be briefly explained.
There aro many standard articles which
havo attained to a large sale and wide.
spread reputation by their legitimate
merits and the liberal advertising of
their proprietors. Certain unprincipled
druggists and small dealers have taken
advantage Of these circumstances to
counterfcit 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 "substitutcs," which are
made so as to closely resemble the orig
inals in materials used, in the name,
and In the general appearance of the
boxes, bottles or wrappers. As an In
duccnent 30 these small dealers and
the better to enable them to carry out
the swindle, their names frequently are
printed on the packages by the manu-
facturers, and the falsc caption "our
own mako" Is often added. II is cosy
to see how the sw;nGlc is worked. A
customer goes into store ard asks for
n popular remedy. Tho dealer says that
he has it, which is probably n lie, but
recommends the customer to buy
preparation put up by himself, which
he claims to be equally good, and
which, he says, he can recommend, be-
cause, no prctends. nc has compound
cd it himself" and it is his Gown make"
and, besides, while the desired article
may be fifty cents q bottle, ho can sell
his own preparation at twenty-five
cents. Nine times out Of ton tho ous-
toner, relying upon the statement of
the druggist, will DO induced by
motives Of economy to tal1c tho sub
stituto, which, of course, 10 worthless
and which may be dangerous. The
dealer Is enabled to do this because he
buys very cheaply from tho manu-
facturcr, and thus tho two get tho ben
oft of tho advertising of the genuine
material and divide largo profits. Thus
an unsuspecting public is swindlod.
It Is needless to say that tho druggist
or dealer who will descend to this con-
temptible business merely because he
can make q larger profit upon tho sub
stituto than he can upon the genuine
article Is a common swindler, and none
the less swindler because the trick is
devised SO cunningly as to save him
from prosecution nnd deserved punish
mont. It Is fraud upon manufacturers
who arc making legitimate article
and who have spent thousands Of dol
lars to bring it before the public, and
fraud upon customers who arc triclxed
into buying bogus article which is
worthless, If not something worse. It
is time that this contemplate business
was stopped, and it can be If the press
Of the country will ventilate and ex-
pose it and if the public will refuse to
patronize druggists who palm off these
nostrums upon it Customers should
demand the article they have every
reason to believe Is the bost, and if q
dealer begins the old story recommend
ing preparation he has made himself,
which he knows to be puro because he
made it, which has his namo on the
wrapper, etc., it should be sufficient
cause to refuse it promptly and go else
where for their goods- 1t is tho lowest
and meanest form Of common thievery,
and If the public will join hands with
the press it can be broken up. It is
certainly for the interests of tho former
to do SO. as it Is the principal suffeper.