The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-12
THE TRADING STAMPS.
some Questions Regarding Their Dis
trihutien ~ a Gift Enterprise.

some Questions Regarding Their Dis
trihutten aS Gift Enterprise.
To the Editor OF The Evening Times
In response TO the contention of Mr.
Thomas W Gilmer in yesterday mornings
washington Times, l would ike 10 ask him
the following brief questions.
DO not tie merchants now under CON
tract with the Washington Trading stamp
Company, aud other companies claim and
advertise that they will give away
stamps IN consideration of, and only in
consideration Of, the purchase of some
article or thing i'm their stock?
TO not the trading stamp companies CON
Tract with the merchants To give away.
10 the public as a free and absolute gift
the choice Of variety Ct certain articles
ana things in I heir establishment, i'll corlsid-
Grafton of the presentation hy any person
of book or number OF books containing
given number of stamps?
II this is not gift enterprise what
is it?
The act of the assembly, approved Au-
gust /. 1871, defines a. IA gift enter
Prise the selling of any merchandise what
soever with pTUi:.iSe, stated or Implied,
To give any article or thin" what's ever
for. and in consideration OF. the purchase
ny any person OF any CtEer article or
thing.
The acts of Congress, sections 176 and
Ivy of the Revised Statutes or the District
Of Columbia. pronounce as Illegal the 'glIG
entprprispS'' defined in the very words
of the above act of asse mbly, and pun
ishes il by a tine and Imprisonment.
Sections I176 and l177 were not only
4. r..ux- hut
also 10 prevent them and any other gift
enterprises or schenlers from ill any
manner whatsoever evading the law by
giving away ticket, coupon or stamp in
consideration of the puichas, of any other
article or thing emitting them to some
other tickets or gifts.
MIR. Glmer contends: The stamps are
not really given away III this were true,
then all the merchants in the stamp COM
pany gift enterprise would he stating IA
falsehuod, for their cards read, I'VE give
Trading Stamps" and are only given
away with goods sold. The merchants
furthermore advertise that their prices ha We
not been incr eaSed, and that the stamps are
n free and absolute gift, over and above
the actual price of the article, and that
certain number of stamps entitle the hold
ers thereof to the. choice Of variety Of
articles from the stamp companies as "A
pure and simple gift.
Mr. Giluer says, IA support of the stamp
conpanies: the premiums are then sold
for stamps" He has evidently not read
their advertisements The stamp COM
panies claim and advertise. that those per-
sons filling the books with stamps OBJ
tanned as a free gift. from certain
merchants, in consideration OF purchasing
at said merchants stores, VIII ne given"
the choice of anything within their es-
Establishment. The stamp companies admit
and advertise that they have no goods for
sale. An of theft goods are given away"
IL this : not a gift enterpris'e," what is
it?
Mfr. Gilmer also says Customers may
ina CINE they arc getting something for
nothing but i'm one way or another they
nav for the stamps all the same" This is
the only point on which | can agree with
Mr. Gilmer. for with from twenty to
thirty efficient stamp companies doing
business in Washington and every mer-
chant i'm Washington in orc or another of
the companies II is quite evident that
the customers would indirectly pay for
the stamps by having TO pay higher prices.
S. K.