Evening star., 1916-08-08
SOUTHNICK CASE
IS TAKEN TO COURT
Date to Be Set Friday for Trial
on "FaIse Advertising"
Charge.

The date of the trial of Henry
G.. Southwick, secretary and
treasurer Of the Southwick Shop,
Incorporated, 14th street and
New York avenue northwest,
who was arrested yesterday on a
charge of fraudulent advertising,
is to be set Friday. Frank S.
Smith is the attorney for Mr..
Southwick. The defendant has
deposited a bond of $500 for his
appearance in court.
In the meantime it is expected that
vigorous campaign to stop false adyer-
tising in the District of Columbia will
be pushed by the vigilance advertising
committee of the Retail Merchants AS
sociation. which is particularly inter
ested in this the first case to be
brought under the law which the asso-
citation was instrumental in having
adopted. No date for a meeting of this
committee has been set as yet, however.
Work Of obtaining evidence against
business houses which are believed to
be violating the law is to he continued.
II evidence can be collected which VIII
justify arrests, warrants viii be sworn
out and the cases taken into court.
individuals Taking Part.
Cases for prosecution which may be
considered within the next few days
probably viii be handled by individual
citizens in Washington To date the
vigilance advertising committee of the
Ratail Merchants Association. as a
committee, has used moral suasion only,
and whether this body will wish to go
further in the matter will probably be
determined when the committee meets
While the chief topic for considera-
tion at present is the false advertising
matter the fact that the House yester-
dav passed the fake auction" bin also
is creating considerable interest, mas
much as certain auctions, considered
by many to be fakes cannot be
brought under the false advertising
law.
Says Merchants Are Delighted,
washington merchants are delighted,
I am sure, at the action of the House
in passing the fake auction bill." said
Secretary Charles j. Columbus of the
Retail Merchants Association today
we have been carrying forward
searching Investigations in the matter
of fake auctions and will proceed at
once to lay the results before members
of the Senate, with a view of securing
quick action.
."The Retail Merchants Association has
uledged itself TO unremitting labors in
The interest of pure advertising and the
elimination of fake auctions. The pas
sage Of the false adverustng bill was
matter of great satisfaction to thea s.
socia ton, and ! am sure that the mer-
chants and the public generally will
realize salutary results from the law 1t
labor on the part of committee of the
associa ton In the final conferences
with Representative johnson Assistant
Corporation Counsel Roger J. Whiteford
aided the officers of the Retail Mer-
chants Association substantially. as did
also Corporation Counsel Syme.
Advertising Clubs to Aid.
I'VE have received assurances from the
Associated Advertising Clubs of th,
World, through Chairman Sidener AMI
secretary Kenner of the national viei-
lance committee, that the Retail Mer-
chants Association would have the un-
qualified support of that organization in
the prosecution of cases before our
vigilance committee and under the law