Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-08-11
THE STEPHENS-ASHURST BILL
To Protect the Public Against Dishonest Advertising
and False Pretenses in Merchandising

What is the "Stephens. A bill introduced in Congress by
A'"ust 6m' Senator Henry F. Ashurst of Ar-
iona, and by Representative Dan V. Stephens of Nebraska,
providing a remedy for the unfair competition of great trading
monopolies.
What is the charaete'of Chiefly in advertising at "cut
this unfair competition? prices' ~wen-known goods as a
means of inducing the public to buy unknown goods Of doubt
full quality.
What is the purpose of the To use the reputation of a reliable
eu''p"ee concerns! article as a bait to catch the con-
sumers, and deceive them into believing that all their goods
offered for sale are sold at the same low rate of profit.
Are the expenses of the No. Trade Investigations agree that
great trading "on0p0fe' the cost of doing business by these
oos r.taym .r.S..t2 big city concerns is approximately
80 per cent, while the cost of the
average small merchant is Is per cent.
HOw then the preda- They can't; they only seem to. They
."yp,1ce cuffe''u "de''ea sell things that people know at cost.
On unfamiliar goods they over
charge. The consumer is deceived by the false representation
that their mass of unknown goods is sold at the same price
reduction offered on a few %well-known articles.
What lie the effect of this It destroys the Independent mer-
unfair dOe'a'i"spraetiee7 chants of the towns and small cities,
builds up great chain-store and mail-order systems, and compels
the sale of inferior goods by all classes of dealers.
h price cutting in the in No. It means the destruction Of the
'e"'f o a puonc! usual retail channels by which goods
reach the consumers to their best advantage. It forces the
sale of unknown articles, often of cheap and shoddy quality,
instead of reliable goods which have their makers reputa-
ton behind them. 1t promotes substitution.
What will be the result Of The ruin of hundreds Of thousands
the general e*fen"on OF of independent merchants; the con-
p.ae ." SO centration of trade in vast monop-
oles located in a few great cities;
a decline in prosperity and population of the villages, towns
and small cities and the ultimate injury Of the consumers, by
placing them at the mercy of monopoies which will then be
able to extort such profits as they please for the sale Of such
goods as they choose to handle.
How udN the bill aid in sU- By preventing the unfair and dis
ing relief from CUT honest use of %wel-known goods as
m.tsad"S "~S advertising bait, and guaranteeing
a uniform price to all consumers.
WMths bill operate in any Not at all. The bill explicitly states
@ 60 s0s "o'h' that its provisions shall not apply
to any article that is produced or
controlled by a monopoly. If any manufacturer asked higher
prices than his goods were worth, the public would refuse
to buy, and new makers would quickly enter the field.
HoW can all who re inter. By writing at once to the q. s.
e"ea ~ 'e osps' aa Senators from their State, and the
totvns and small cities aid congressman % MeH Dsuact,
in having the bill passed? urging them to support the Ste
phens-Ashurst Bill, and use their influence in it's favor.