New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-12
St. Louis Flew False Colors
At Advertising Convention

and now Ambassador TO Russia. As an
expert in Investments, I wonder how
/ much money lIr Francis would advise
client 70 put into an oil scheme which
shouts aloud in his paper, millions in
. Oklahoma OIL: Why 800 for Sl.00 Is
! Possible Up 10 few months ago
! The Republic would accept almost any
thing But the National Vigilance
Committee report by its special coun-
SCI. Richard II. Lee, on Ford Tractor,
which. I am inclined 20 believe. has
/ been the most widely educational docu-
ment on fake Advertising ever put out
/ IN this country, set the papers man
agenent TO thinking along financial
lines. Since that telling exposure 1t
has been much more careful than be-
fore. Of the other papers, The Star
, IL reasonably careful on financial add
vertising, and The Times careless or
worse. Tho latter paper accepted Ford
Tractor after due warning had been is
sued 20 the newspapers.
But 10 is IN medical advertising that
the local press exhibited its true
character 70 the visiting experts Of the
A A. c. ". One might almost believe
that the newspapers, while making
much Of the Truth emblem Of the A. A.
! c. W, took a perverse pride in show
ing how little they really thought OF It
as compared with the dollars Of quack-
cry. The Post-DispaJch splurged forth,
on a page devoted TO A. A. c. w. mat
ter, in a three-column exploitation Of
. Tanlac, that most notorious OF booze
fakes, which was doubtless a good
thing for the nostrum, but hardly so
good for the newspaper By way OF
2 l. l.. - o. IA.
Pulitzer paper set forth the claims OF
Nuxated Iron, Pink Pills, Ron OPTIC,
Duffy's Malt Whiskey, free" rheu-
matism cure, secret drink cure,
fake vitality restorer, an aGtl-fat nos
, trum and sundry lesser medical faker-
les. The one redeeming feature is that
all were plainly and honestly indicated
10 De advertisements, as required by
law.
The Republic. Ambassador David P.
Francis's paper. rises above the law.
Many and various are ambassadorial
privileges and exemptions, but | have
never heard that exemption from the
Federal postal regulations Is one OF
them. Nevertheless. Ar. Francis's daily
obliges the uuack DR.. Pierce, Of Buff
falo. By publishing the qusck advertis
ing OF his quack "Anuric" as news
item. Other choice excerpts from The
Republic which greeted the eyes OF the
convention visitors were the Chiches-
ter and the SandcTson abortion pills
which. OF course, do not carry out
their implied prcnises), Dr.. Lewis
Raker's method Of selling medicines
through a pretended health advice col
umn, piles cured without the knife,
rupture belts, many OF the nationa.
queckeries and III not exactly medical.
at least verging on the worst OF medi-
cal territory an Advertisement OF sex
knowledge. male and female.
To the dscredit OF The Globc-Dem-
ocrat must be set down Bon Optic. Nux-
ated Iron, the Texas Wonder, Duhy's
Malt Whiskey and a batch OF rupture
and IT cures. The Star qualities as
proper St. Louis product, with Lydia b.
I Pinkham, s. s. S. and a knlfeIess pie
cure. while The Times outdoes all the
rest in otfeusiyeness 5y carrying the
lure Of a Mems Specialist and the
/ -onorrheal Big G.. IL Is pretty pow
erful stencil that rises from the adver-
Using sewers OF combined 81. Louis
. journalism.
The A. A. c. ". convention has come
ard rome. The Truth" erblems have
come down. The hotel rates l,t IS 20
/ he hopedI have done likewise. ST..
, Louis IL It's norma! and not 100 rcputa-
bic business self again. Yet II Is hard
ly rossible that the influence OF a
Great gathering, such as Jhat Of the A.
4. c. W. filing the eye, ear and mind
Of the city for nearly a week, can fai!
10 b.. felt and, in some measure, 70 en-
dura. The city is due for an awaken
Inc Of the business conscience. Il has
promising campaign under way In
. the work OF it, Better Business Bu-
reau. II has number Of high class.
withdrawing merchants, some Of
whom arc still bound TO the old super
stitions, while others are moving for
ward i'm the van Of progressive, clean
advertising. It's newspapers are bad,
IL is true. But they are cleaner than
there ware in one department. financial
Advertising. which gives reason for
hope that they viii yet clean up IL
o-be- respects. 4 sturdy civic opti-
mism and there are good fighting op-
tinists I'm ST. Louis--might look for
ward 20 the day when the city shall set
up the Truth emblem again, not as the
empty complainant OF welcome 20 a
foreign organization, but as its own
sign and hallmark.
And, havSng set up the emblem, live
up 70 IL.