Marshall County independent., 1901-02-01
BILL. PASSES Hot Sc.
THE HOUSE PASSES REPRESEN
TATiVE METSkER'S TRAD
ING STAMP BILL.
The Vote stood * to * in Favor of IT.
Psssase-it Now Goes t" the senate A"-
dress Delivered by Representative Nets
krr BEFORE the FINAL Vote Na> Taken.

Indianapolis, Jan. 3l.-The bill to
abolish the use of trading stsmpa. in
troduced in the house by Represents
tive Metsker was passed by the house
Yesterday by vote of IS for 10 iS
against. The bill now goes 20 The sen
ate Ii IS thought that II Is certain T."
pass in that BODY. Some OF the ablest
ATTORNEYS in Indiana have given it as
their opinion that the bill, when il he
comes law. Will be constitutional
law.
Mr.. Metsker in discussing the bill fret
explained the plan by which the trad-
ing stamps are used and then spoke
substantially ss follows.
II believe that this bill should pass
on the ground OF public policy on the
ground that the trading stamp device
ls species of the l1ttery, fostering the
gambling spirit of the public and edu-
eating adversely 10 the highest stand
ard of morality, and on the ground that
they are thu Instruments for unlawful
merchsntIIe combinations aiding and
encouraging trusts IN the retail bnsi-
Ness.
Even If these schemes were not NOR
ally wrong, even II they did not appeal
To the gambling instincts the get
g-fOr-nothlng' nature OF the
people. the law makers OF the state
should take speedy action against them.
the mere fact that with the coming of
the TradiDg-stsmp men who have
spent wears 10 the building up Of a
straight-foTwsr an honorable and a
legitimate business, men VINO have III
many instances expended thousands of
dollars in establishing their trade, are
almost 10 a day deprived of the patron
age that they have hODestiy earned.
The mere fact that the old competitive
system that has in all times past been
instructive 10 the nature of human be
ings aud that has stimulated the ambi-
tious OF all while they carve out their
destiny-the mere fact, | say, that this
old competitive system is broken down
by trading stamp devices aud succeeded
by retail monopolies. ought 10 be suili
cient argument In itself 10 convince
either legislator or jurist that decisive
restraints should be applied 10 the trad
ing-stamp and kindred devices
a. do, f.af
timate business interests be protected at
the expense or any and all schemes
rather thsn that the schemes be perpet
mated at the expense OF business enter
prises and business investments.
"Win business mans trade from
him by conforming 70 the laws that
have for all time governed competition
that shows prudent business calcula-
ton, that is manifest enterprise. But
conceive plan by which you can blind
the public TO all competitive induce
ments and take the established trade
of another such a plan In operation
may be considered Inventive, it may be
considered snrewd, but consider it as
you will, 1t is wrong in that it takes
from another without compensation
and by illegitimste means, and the man
who uses such q vantage ought TO face
a penal statute. The trading-stamp
scheme Is Just such plan, and it
strikes its blow at the competitive sys-
tenn by appealing TO and educating a
gambling spirit or inclination on the
part of the public. The nlckel-in-tbe-
the lottery ticket carries with il the
same argument; all direct themselves
u the same human instincts and the
same human weaknesses. Indiana al
ready has laws that restrict the quack
physicians, and even more stringent
laws are demanded in the interest of
the public health. Now, Mr. Speaker
and gentlemen of the house, it seems to
me that as much interest should be
manifested IN protecting the moral
health of the public; the same restraints
applied to the contaminator of the
moral as are applied to the contamlna-
tor of the physical health.
Merchants Don't Accept stamp. Voiun-
tsrily.
"rhe trading stamps are virtually
forced upon the merchant who uses
them and hence law that abolishes
their use-s law that bars what is
nuisance to him. but which he Is forced
TO accept as a matter of seli-pTeserya-
tion in business sense-csunot be
construed az interfering with his con-
stiiutional rights or liberties The
merchant who accepts the trading
stamps for use in his business. does not
accept them as u matter of choice he
accepts them because failure to accept
them Is certain to injure him more
than will be his injuries by using them
"a study Of the methods adopted by
the trading stamp manipulstors in Sc
curing contracts with merchants to
handle the stamps reveals the fact that
q species of black mail cbsractertizes the
argument that is advanced to the mer.
chant, as rule. The merchant is fret
scQuaiDted with the scheme and readily
pressives that the lottery features are