The record-union., 1894-03-24
THE COUPON BUSINESS.


It is the right of every newspaper man
agement to conduct its business as it sees
fit. AT the same time where that con-
duct tends to mislead or to lower the esti-
mate of the calling it is the fit subject
for free criticism.
Latterly perfect craze seems to have
seized upon a very large number of news
paper homogeneous for the giving" so
called, of half-tone prints, books in parts,
cheap editions of complete volumes. etc.,
through the agency Of what is known as
the coupon" That is to say, few
squares are fenced in by border in the
columns of paper. numbered and
dubbed coupon" The reader is in
formed that the newspaper management
will make a present to whomsoever
will cut out one of the coupons and
mail it, with ten or fifteen cents added
(and stamp for postage in most cases.,
of book, part Of book. group of
half-tone pictures, music volume or a
copy Of a cheap edition of a book, list
of which books IS often published.
This method of enabling newspaper
readers to obtain books and pictures is
announced as special privilege; that it
is really gift to the reader; that the
goods are supplied at nominal cost; that
these are ''the opportunities of life
time." etc. We quote from one of the
announcements:
Our readers can now avail themselves of
this opportunity of lifetime by cutting from
our coupon advertisement the coupon CORE
spending TO the number or part they wish to
possess, and by handing it in at our counter,
together with ten cents, they will be presented
with the number the coupon calls for.
Coupons mailed to us will be honored by re-
turn mail when they are accompanied by
the ten cents and a two-cent postage stamp.
Aside from the fact that this elaborate and
charming work thus comes to each OF our
readers in the shape of practical gift-the
cost being scarcely that of the handling, what
little cost there is can be so distributed as not
70 be felt Cut and send your coupons now.
The faSter they come In the more we shall feel
that our readers know a good thing when
they see it, and fully appreciate our efforts 70
provide them with the best of everything.
This is not legitimate newspaper busi-
ness; it is not gtUing to the newspaper
reader; it is simply money-msking
scheme for the newspaper management.
On precisely the same level the news
paper Office might as legitimately buy
grindstones by the wholesale and sell
them to its readers at retail. The coupon
is a bit of thimble-rigging to blind the
eyes of the reader, and nothing more.
The newspaper proprietor would deal
more openly if he would announce that
over his counter he sold books, pictures
and gr1ndstones.
For-we have bushel-basketfll of cir
culars from publishers of prints and
books proposing these schemes-these
articles sold by coupon" are purchased
at q low figure from and by solicitation of
the publishers of worn prints and cheap
books.
For instance, plates and books sold by
coupon at ten and fifteen cents are fur
nished to the newspapers at from five to
seven cents each, so that the newspaper
proprietor, instead of "givine" to his sub
scriber anything, is making clear profit
of 100 or more per cent. out of the sub
scriber.
True. it is said that the latter could not
in any other way procure the goods at so
low figure, but even if this be conceded
which it is not--it in no wise redeems
the business from q low level of mislead-
ing.
The manufacturers of chewing-gum do
very much better; they give to each per-
son who buys stick of the gum for five
cents, precisely what it has sold for all
along, a very handsome half-tone picture
oftthe same character as those disposed Of
in groups by the newspaper on the cou-
pom plan.
newspaper men are not satisfied with
the legitimate in their business, with the
fair and defensible system of clubbing
with other journals, which is wholly un-
Objectionable, they should go out OF the
business, and go to peddling pictures and
cheap books and grindstones and sewing
machines and the like. Or they might
sat uu retail shops for the sale Of these
articles bought in job lots-often worked