The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-23
Advertising the Truth.

The Governor of New York has signed
an act of the legislature which is designed
to put stop to untruthful advertising in
that state. 1t provides that any person or
firm that knowingly makes or disseminatos
any statement or assertion of facts with
respect to his or its business affairs, espe-
cially concerning the quantity, the quail
ity, the value, the price the method of
production or manufacture or the fixing
of the price of merchandise, or of profess
sionsl work; or the manner or source of
purchase of such merchandise; OF the mo-
tive of purchase or sale, intended to have
the appearance of particularly advanta-
geous offer, which statements and asser-
tons are untrue or calculated to mislead
and deceive. shall be guilty of a INSIDE
meanor.
It is possible that this new law will
have some good moral effect upon GER
tain class of advertisers Individually
small. probably, but who, collectively, sue
coed in fleeing the unwary of a good
many dollars. There appears TO be no es-
pecial provision made for the enforcement
of the law; no office of censor of adver-
tisements is created by the statute, hence
untruthful advertising is added TO the
long list of misdemeanors which the reg
ular officers of the law are expected to
look out for. Possibly the trainers Of the
law argued that rival tradesmen would
act as censors upon each other, and thus
the law would be carried out.
II is, however, a pleasure TO be able to
express the opinion that the percentage of
advertisers who depend upon false repre-
sensations TO sell their goods Is very
small. The merchants and dealers who
make the bulk of business In the adver-
Using columns of the newspapers in the
great majority of instances employ moth
ing but the truth in their announcements.
Leaving out of the question the moral as
pect of the case, which undoubtedly has
as much weight with merchants as with
any other class of people, it is the best
policy for advertisers to tell the truth. All
merchants who have made a success of
business through advertising will affirm
that statement. 1t is mpracdcable TO
build up a big and prosperous business
upon falsehood. The patronage that is
being sought for viii not permit itself TO
be imposed upon for any considerable
length of time. The established business,
or the business which hopes to become
firmly established. must tell the truth in
its advertisements. Policy demands it.
The small fake advertiser exists of
course, but not in as large numbers as
was the case a dozen years ago. Every
reputable publication in the country cxer-
cises a virtual censorship over It's adver-
tisements, and will not give space to any
advertisement which is tainted with sus-
picion of fraud. This has done much to-
wards diminishing the army of catch-pen-
MES and advertising confidence sharps
Between the two classes of advertisers
mentioned, the reputable business house
and the advertising confidence man, there
is another class a small one, made up of
merchants seeking short cuts to fortune.
Their code of ethics is indescrlbable. Their
whole idea is to get there" by any means:
and they do not mind lying in their ad-
vertisements any more than in their per-
sonal transactions. New Yorks new law
may have the effect of making persons of
that class more careful. Persons of this
class. however, do not do a great deal CT
advertising They do not like much pub
licity.