Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-02-24

A ouletus on Program Advertising.

A ouletus on Program Advertising.
TO advertise, or not to advertise?
That's not the question But how, and
when, and where?
Whether tbs better In the business
spirit to suffer the slings and arrows Of
outrageous graft or to take arms against
sea of grafters and. by opposing, end
them.
But to change from the Shaksperian to
the Byronic, had dream that was not
all a dream. / saw being not in the
hue OF youth nor standing upon a hill of
mild declivity but one who butted into
business offices. And he did solicit COR
demand) advertisements. 1t was the old
old, story of the program for "A fraternal
order, and the solicitor with the counte-
nance devoid Of guile did not talk so much
Of giving value received as of helping "A
local organization. Inferentially, at least
he gave advertisers to understand that
they might be boycotted If they did not
use advertising space. And the business
men, hoping not to give offence. or with
desire to help the order bought space
and paid for IT,
But accidentally the curtain went up
and revealed the scheme in the limolight
The program promoters had paid a small
sum-about the price Of one page of ad-
vertising- the fraternal order for the
privilege of getting out the program. and
then under the panoply of the order start
ed out to rake in the coin for the many
PACED program. on which they might get
net profit OF hundreds OF dollars
When the advertisers tumbled to the
confidence game their wrath arose They
held Indignation meetings and they
threatened direful things. Lawyers were
consulted and the case was laid before the
states attorney who is now considering
whether he will bring criminal action on
the ground that the money was obtained
under false pretences. There is also talk
Of bringing civil suits. and some Of the
advertisers who have already parted with
their coin refuse to give copy for ad-
Nertisements. The program, by the way,
was to be printed out OF town--as the
solicitor said there was no printing office
here with facilities for handling the job,
but he was promptly told that Brattle-
boro has a larger and better equipped Job
printing office than any other town in
Vermont.
The agitation has been the means of
leading the business men of the town to
unite In an agreement not to patronize
program advertising This agreement.
which has been signed by about 100 firms,
and which follows closely the plan adopt
ed by the business men of Bellows Falls
recently. reads as follows:
In consideration of the fact that So
hcitation for advertising on programs
has become so common ms to be IA nui-
sance, and believing that 1t is OF no ad-
vantage as an advertising medium, we
the merchants and business men of Brat
tleboro, hereby agree that we win not.
In the future. purchase advertising space
on the theatre, church, society or school
programs or booklets "
II will probably be a surprise to the
public to know the extent To which this
species Of graft, against which Brattle-
boro dealers have now rebelled. has pre-
vailed. 4 leading merchant says 1t has
amounted of late to 500 a year for his
firm. Formerly a contribution OF two
dollars apiece sufiiced, but now the figure
is five dollars to ten dollars And the So
licitors, instead OF modestly asking for a
contribution, have grown into way of
peremptorily saying, in substance: 1t will
be the best way for you to give this"
we all tumbled over each other" this
dealer said, for a chance to sign this
agreement, and l guess some of us would
have given five dollars for a chance to
sign it," No wonder.