Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-12

who disseminated false and Untrue adj
/ posters, and not the newspa pefs and bill
posters themselves. The original bin
contained a provision by which news
papers or bill posters would come with
in the statute, but this bill now reads:
with intent to sell or in any wise dis
pose Of" so that it has eliminated news
papers. | understand there was a good
deal of complaint to the Governor from
the newspapers. but this bill does not
touch them at all if they are honest
noticed at the time of the Governors
veto that there was quite a. line of news
paper men here that day. and one OF
them approached me and | said to him
that this bill did not affect newspapers
As ! said before, they must have misun-
derstood the application of the bill or
they wished to secure some advertising
which this bill was drawn to keep out.
| do not like to accuse them of the lat
ter, and so will be lenient and say that
they did not understand the bill.
Secondly, the Governor vetoed the
bill ON the ground that IT would be a
detrlment to modern ADVERTISING But
again the bill says: (Which advertise
ment contains any assertion repre-
sentatlon or statement of fact" 1t was
not meant to apply to Il merchant who.
IN his enthusiasm was willing TO set
forth, in his opinion, the desirabilt
of purchasing his goods. as they call it
in law. putting But ii simply means
to strike at those people who made d-
rect statements of fact We know that
newspapers are full of them.
The Governor also objects to the
word misleading. statement from
a very eminent authority on these mat
tiers, | will read. because it is put IN
better language than | can put il: "fn
cases which have been tried in New
York So far under the local statute. it
has been found that some OF the adver-
tiselnents which are doing the most
harm could not be said 10 be absolute
Iy false, but nevertheless would IN
duuhtedly have msed the vast ma jor-
ity of persons who read them An in
stance Of this in the advertising Of
goods under some name knoWa only TO
those intimately connected with tha
trade, which name is totally unknown
to the public. and when used. mislcads
the public into the belief that the
goods are What they are not. Under the
Statute Us worded at present. it u
possible to stop that sort of advertis-
ing as clearly misleading.
The whole trend of modern decision
and modern legislation is to protect
the consumer and very eminent
iuGge in the United States court IN an
opinion recently handed down. Judge
AlGrich of Boston. said: The whole
trenI of modern decision is IN the di-
rcction of making it clear. whether in
respect to food, drugs or wearing app
parel. that the placing of adul crations
and limitations upon the market, viii
the purpose of deceiVing the members
of the public who buy, rs they do oft
enthnes, upon casual inspection. into
buying something for what it is not, is
a business which IS not countenanced
by law"
This quotation IS in the case OF Estes
vs. Ford, 100 c. C. 4. 25S, in the circuit
court If appeals.
so that this bill. coming as il did
from the Advertisers League. and aIsn
supported by Mr.. Dow and MIR Wish ct
Portland. prominent newspaper men.
and recommending IL as they did. and
such a law icing in force m such
states as New York Massachusetts
ard Washington, and was being intrn-
deced into over p Legislatures in the
country at this time the committee
felt il was in the line of progress To
report this bill fayorably. and because
ii would hurt no honest man. In these
days of modern business stress and
strain a man has some right % beheve
what he reads in the newspapers ineJ
reg: I'd to ADVERTISEMENTS, and DE pro-
tected in his belief.
All along the line these matters % =
legislation are coming up to make tnf
lives OF the average man, woman and
child, happier and safer and mege.ss
comfortable. We are passing sssfn1
laws. every day, and the coIltN1
believed that this law made Tor
vancement and progress and thersf49 n!
reported it favorably.
| do not wish tosllrge That WcS pass&
this bill over the GovcrnoTS kefs,s {lts*
cause If the Governor uses tlla 81
arm Of veto, it requires a very SxF4
case to ask the members of tie Lea
laturc to pass beyond that. Y under =
stand that the Senate has already
brought upon it the wrath of the gen.
1leman from Augusta, Mr. Eewbeft,
who is the next important man in the.
state. at least in his own opinions anu
we do not want to be too unpopliars}s is Z (
Mr. RICHARDSON of Penobscossa.
Mr.. President, as | think ! am rEssss
sponsible for the introduction Oh this
Act and took some part in starting tlissMsR
agitation which produced the firsE%
massachusetts, bill, introduced to thsEs
committee on legal affairs, | feel IN
self defence that | should say some-
thing in support of the measure, even
if have no desire to ask the Sen
ate to pass the bill over the Cover
nors veto.
A year ago the publication of the
advertising pages of our periodicals
was primarily started by newspaper
men. and there are no better men IN
any trade. These men are working
judiciously to pass laws in the various
states which will enable committees
of their association to successfully
prosecute advertisers who make un-
truthful statements.
That the Senate may appreciate the