Morris tribune., 1915-10-01
EFFORT TO EVADE
Law WORRIES sun
Trains Mud Guns on Tribune in
Effort to Shield Outlawed
Collection Scheme

SIN his last issue Editor Morrison of
the Tribune paid the Sun the compli-
ment of trying to throw cold water on
the Automobile contest which has
just been started by this paper. In
urder to make his point he makes
several untruthful statemenst, which
we desire to set right. He begins by
making the broad statement that "con-
tests are illegal" On the face of it
that is untrue. morris Sun.
The above is the first paragraph in
a column of personal villifcation and
abuse of the Tribune editor. Just
what possessed the Sun to write such
stuff is puzzling. 1t cannot be ex-
planned upon any other ground than
that desperate man will attempt
most anything.
In the first place the Tribune has
never made any references whatever
to the Suns particular contest. AS
far as the readers of the Tribune are
concerned they may never have known
of the Suns efforts to evade law
against subscription contests. The
Suns claims that We have "paid the
Sun a compliment, etc" is a Lee
nightmare introduced only to bolster
up scheme to get girls chasing over
the country pan n-handinlg their friends
in manner the Minnesota state laws
say is a .misdemeanor. Anyway if
the claims were true the Sun shows
very small appreciation of "compli-
ment.
Two weeks ago the Tribune called
attention to state law prohibiting
contests, and gave several reasons for
the necessity of this law. 1t called
attention to the advent IF the econ
test manager" who has made it a
business to "throw fever" into the
ranks of the contestants and, if pos
sible, get them to "put Up money"
in order to win. This brought the
contest into disrepute and when the
law was prohibiting contests was
passed in 1913 perhaps ninety per
cent of the editors of the state felt a
relief. In concluding the contest arti-
Gle two weeks ago the Tribune ven-
tured the opinion that the prepondera-
ting majority of newspaper men in
the state did not feel like breaking
this law either out of pecuniary gain
or force of circumstances. No refer.
ences were made to the Sun. The Sun
had guilty conscience and, it is said,
a guilty conscience needs no accuser.
Hence the mud bath we got.
HERE IS THE LAW.
The Sun declares that the statement
"contests are illegal' is broad and
untrurhful statement. Chapter "a,
general laws of Minnesota, passed in
1913, provides:
"Section ALI gift enterprises as
hereinafter defined and all trade prac-
tice carried on in connection Herewith
are hereby prohibited and declared to
be unlawful.
"Section Whenever any person
for the purpose of inducing the public
to subscribe for or buy any newspaper.
magazine or periodical, for a valuable
consideration, offers and advertises to
give premium gift or prize, or offers
and advertises ANY CONTEST
WHATEVER, whereby premium,
gift or prize is to be given to any
person or persons procuring such sale
or subscription, the person so UNDER
taking and carrying on such scheme
or contest and offering such gift,
premium or prize shall be deemed to
be engaged in a "gift enterprise, :"
unless such premium. gift or prize is
absolute and does not depend upon any
chance or contingency whatever.
"Section 3-Violation is a misde-
meanor. ANY person who engages in
gift enterprise such as is defined in
this act or who offers and advertises
the same in any manner. shall be
guilty of a mi sdemeanor. ;"
The Tribune sets forth this law
simply to prove statements absolutely
correct since the Sun sees fit to so de-
liberately falsify the records. The
rest of the newspapers of the county
are doing nobly in raising the news
paper standard and it is doubtful if
any but the Sun would villify their
neighbors to push the fortune of con.