The Portland daily press., 1901-02-27
TRADING STAMPS.
Business Men Want Them
Abolished.
Interesting Hearing at
Augusta.
Formidable Array Of Legal Talent
on Both Sides.
Prominent Portland
Merchants Testify.
Claim Sc heme is Humbug and
Unfair.
Claim Sc heme is Humbug and
Unfair.
ESPECIAL TO THE rREss.1

State House, Augusta, February 26.-
There was q lively hearing tonight be-
fore the judiciary committee on the bill
to prevent the use of trading stamps. A
large delegation of Portland business
men were among those present. Hon.
GEORGE Nj. Seiders appeared as counsel
for the Maine Trading Stamp company
owned by Henry 5. Osborne. Others
who opposed the bill were Carlos Heard
OF Biddeford, representing the Smith
dry goods company and Is others; Fos-
ter g. Hersey, representing Oren Hoop.
er's Sons of Portland, and Thomas Whits
and other merchants of Bangor also APP
p,ared In opposition.
Judge Louis G. Stearns of Bangor and
Hon. Charles f. Libby OF Portland, rep
resenting Portland merchants, sppsare1
In favor of the bill. Judge Stearns
opened the casa for those in favor OF the
bill he declared the trading stamp
system TO be cunning device to inter-
vens between SELLER and buyer. He said
that 1t contained an element of gamb-
ling The prizes given are generally
vases. butter dishes, rocking chairs and
the like, and are not of real value to q
poor woman who by dint Of hard work
manages to save up s. worth OF stamps
All the profit there is In the transaction
is made by the complny. Men do not
think OF saving stamps. but women and
children do, and there's where the per-
nicious part of the scheme comes In.
The dealer is obliged to pay the oompa-
ny per cent OF the sale price of their
goods for stamps to give out to their
customers. The firm that does not enter
into an agreement with the company is
injured. Pass law that viii nroteot
honest traders from unjust competition
and we Will take cAre OF the ques tion
OF Its oonstltutionAlity.
Hon. Charles T. Libby read petitions
from ]. X. Libby 81 Co +, Biddeford. and
n other merchants of that city, also
from the Biddeford, Bangor and Angus
ia Board of Trade, and from merchants
of Paris Portland, Fresport, Rallowell
and many other places In favor OF the
pending bill.
A. Ii. Bradford OF Eastport, Frank
Bonser of Kennebunk, Vim. Ii. Dunn of
Portland and Samuel W. George OF
Haverhill, Mass, the gentleman who
introduced this Antl-tradlng stamp law
in the Massachusetts senate In 1897,
spoke IN favor of the bill. Mr.. Dunn
said tina. 1t came to a question with him
of giving up stamps, cheating his ous-
toners, or going out of business.
Mr.. j. Il. Libby, who does business
in Portland, Biddeford. Brunswick and
Boston, said that he looked upon the
trading stamp as a scheme, n skin game.
fraud and deception from start to hn-
ish. "It is a skin game because 1t skins
profit right of the top OF the mer-
cnant's business. Many merchants In
the state will thank this committee and
this legislature If they will lift this
thrali from them. 1t is the old story OF
trying to get something for nothing.
Many a workingman's wife has been
humbugged by this sohsIne which comes
to Maine from the state of wooden nut
megs. 1t is wrong for these men to offer
prizes for my customers TO go to ether
stores. IL amounts to boycott, never
object to honest competition, but there
should be law to prevent this hum
buggery which has no place in Maine
trade"
Questioned by Lawyer Libby, witness
said that no merchant in Maine could
do a legitimate and q paying BUSINESS
and yet pay 3 per cent to trading
stamp concern. The merchants Of Maine
are much stirred up against this scheme,
Asked about q chair advertised by the
concern for one book, he said shat s1.9s
was about what he got for the sams
thing.
Judge Foster asked Mr.. Libby II he
had never heard the department store