New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-02

This dress at 500 is worth S40,' when
certainly is not fact, but opinion. and
as such is open to criticism. Finally,
were it not for the Immaculate hfty-
year record of 0'Connor, Noifatt q Co.
and my indisposition to bring down
upon my head further charges or
"tcmerity" from the righteous Mr..
Costello | might point out that any
store which can hibRydHy afford TO
mark down it's goods by half must
charge pretty stiff rate in the hrst
instance.
In the local newspaper field The San
Francisco News feels itself aggrieved
ut my brief remarks concerning II. ~
thinks it should receive credit for it's
campaign against the fake spirtualists
| and clairvoyants Of the region. Un-
doubtedly that was good work. But
fail to see wherein il or the other
claim that The News is responsive
toward "any movement to better ad-
vertising conditions" (presumptively
outside it's own columns) bears upon
my criticism OF the paper for accept
ing private disease" quackery, Chi
nese herb doctors and other kinds Of
blatant fakery.
Upon this point The News calls in
what would be legally termed, | be-
/ lieve, character testimony" IL adj
verts to the fact that Mr.. Eugene Il.
MacLean came directly from The Cleve-
land Press (Which | have commended
| for its progressive policy, though con-
| dcmning certain of its ads) 70 the ell
! itorship of The News. Change Of
air seems to have had bad effect upon
| Mr. MacLean's principles. If, as the
! general manager of The News asserts
/ in his letter to The Tribune. "The News
/ has steadily and consistently followed
! the policies which have made The
Cleveland Press the great success
/ which you attribute to it," then The
News is very poor hand at following
a trail.
I However. in order 70 give General
| Manager Burrowes and Editor MacLean
a fair and open chance to back up their
request for correction, offered to
submit their own comparison with The
| Cleveland Press to that paper and pub
| lish the result. | suggested that they
send a list of the medical advertise
ments in The News to The Press, ask
the latter 10 check up those which they
1 would regard as reputable and admis-
sible to The Press and send the report
to me for publication. That was six
weeks ago. / have not yet received a
reply, and hope is dead within me!
One more sidelight on San Francisco
journalism. A correspondent wrote to
Fremont Older, of The Bulletin. which
represents the very dregs OF advertls-
ing, calling to his attention The Trib-
une's list of the offences against hon
esty and decency in his paper. He re-
piled in vein so pathetic and 50 genu-
inc as TO be almost disarming:
II am sorry that you continue to be
distressed by crooked newspapers |
don't see how you can expect anything
else in a crooked and muddled world.
How long would an honest newspaper
last in a dishonest world? How long
would an honest lawyer or an honest
anybody last? You expect the lmpos-
sible. In the very issue Of The New
York Tribune that you referred 70 was
dishonest advertising. You will find 1t
in all publications"
Very possibly. No publication of my
acquaintance shares the infaliibllity
profcssed by O'Conror, Mofatt & Co.
But The Tribune does honoraDly try TO
keep its pages honest. So do many
other newspapers. Mr. Older will not
even try. He turns from the sugges-
ton in despair. That is the tragedy OF
what might well become a great daily
but is now dangerous for the ignorant
and unfit for the decent to read.
Can Seattle Do Better?
The old. troubled question of value
advertising, of course, crops up. In
refreshingly good-humored and viva
cious letter the Rhodes Company,
large department store Of Seattle, take
. I'D nv brief remarks as to its excessive
value advertising, and wishes TO know
! whether. in view of certain advertis
ing in The Tribune's own columns
which il cites: "You are not accord
ing 10 the vernacular of the street
lust abiding US" The examples citnC
in the Rhodes letter are all OF com
narrative prices, or of formerly" o.
marked down" claims, not OF com
narrative values, a very different matter
as have pointed out above. Person
ally | believe that even these former
are open to criticism and that what ar
article formerly was or was made Z
sell" at is too often but a confusion e
the mind of the purchaser. For ex
annie. as between hat five years OF
and made TO sell at" $50 and a thi:
: ing AZ IS, which is actually worth
more? Further. there is a great differ
ence between the consistent, contin
uous use of comparative prices anc
bargain claims, which is the genera
usage In Seattle, and their more con
sentative and timely employment II
end -of-the-season sales. However.
am quite willing 10 accept the Rhode:
- 4k,4 h1 hrtf
up a well defined following on its pres
ent methods, and that its advertising
brings satisfactory returns. Il mus
forgive me. however. if | cling 10 ms
belief fortified by the experience 0.
many successful stores in other cities
that II it would devote less energy tc
repeated bargain explorations and
more 70 giving exact and explicit facts
about its merchandise it would still
further increase its large trade.
Above and beyond all matters Of do
tail. certain salient facts concerning
the practice and standards OF advertls
ing have become apparent in the course
OF my transcontinental trip.
The most general. perhaps the most
important, influence for bettermeut Is
the work OF the National Vigilance
Committee OF the Associated Advertis-
ing Clubs of the World. This wors
tends steadily toward a Standardization
Of advertising on the basis Of iegiti'
macy. II is not only source Of in,
formation. but it is also sort OF
energizing nerve centre for the varl-
GUS local organizations undertaking
vigilance work. Its influence upon the
newspapers. while hardly more than
/ rudimentary as yet. is one OF its most
promising manifestations. NothinS
more effective in bringing home the
responsibility for fake financial ex-