The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-09-23
Vigilance Committee Of Retail
Merchants Body Opens
Fight to Protect Public.
PAPERS OF CAPITAL PRAISED
NHave Made More Progress in
Cleaning Up Than Those Of
Other Cities OF Size"

A ringing attack on patent medicines
and their advertising marked lively
meeting Of the advertising vigilance
committee OF the Retail Merchants As
ISOLATION last night.
The report which was prepared by DR..
L. r. Kebler. chief OF the drug division
Of the Department OF Agriculture. chair
man Of a special committee OF the as
ISOLATION. was unanimously adopted by
the full committee. and a special COM
mittee was named to carry the recon-
mendations into effect.
One Of the chief functions Of the COM
mittee Will be cooperation with local
newspapers and other publications look
ing to the elimination Of Objectionable
advertising.
The members OF the committee are
chairman. Joseph Berberich; DR.. I: F.
Mcnamara, and A. J. Driscoll.
The report states that 1T has been
observed that Washington papers as a
whole have made more progress In
Of papers in any other city Of the same
size In the United States"
Built Upon Credulity.
"a large proportion Of the so-calied
patent medicine industry has been built
up on the credulity Of the public. es-
psciaiiy the suffering sick and suscept-
BILE, by some of the cleverest and most
Ingenious advertising," says the report.
Truth and honesty were often ana
still are lost sight OF. In fact. truth
became such an unknown quantity In
many instances that various promoters
OF nostrums seemed to vie with eacn
other in the realm OF fairy tales"
The committee discusses boldly the
methods e so-called specialists" CIT
ing specihc cases Illustrating the cal
lous Indifference With which they ope-
rate.
cialists'' are particularly condemned
and the committee urges that their ad-
vertisements be entirely excluded.
Several complaints Of alleged viola
tions of the fake advertising law were
considered by the committee and re-
ferrcd to Individual members for in
veStgation and report.
Secretary Charles J. Columbus sub
mitted a report On the status Of the
pending prosecutio. against the South
wick Shops and others to be filed by
&. l.. La NigDe.
,ank Laws Sponsors.
: Jte OF thanks to Senator Pomer-
enc. Congressman Ben johnson and
Secretary Columbus for their efforts
in proc Iring the passage of the false
advertising and fake auction laws. was
adopted.
Those present at the meeting were
A. Y. Gray. Cathedral Heights Citi-
zens' Association: Charles J. James.
Petworth Citizens Associations; WASH
ington Topham. Retail Merchants AS
sociation: j. Clinton Hiatt. Columbia
Heights Citizens Association; A. J.
Driscoll. Mld-Clty Citizens Association;
II. r. George, Park View Citizens As
ISOLATION; II. Randall Webb, west-End
Citizens Association; w. o. Wetzell.
Bradbury Heights Citizens Associa-
ton; Sidney West. Retail Merchants
Association; Louis II. Millsaps. Ran
die Highlands Citizens Association; ].
Bond Smith. Takoma Park Citizens
Associa ton; l.. r. Kebler the public:
G. p. Judge. University Heights; ]. T..
Crowder. Bradbury Heights; DR.. L. d.
ton: Julius Lansburgh. Retail Mer-
chants Associations; Martin ]. Nc
Namara, Central Citizens Association
and Joseph Berberich. Retail Mer-
chants Association.