The Cordova daily times., 1919-04-02
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1919
GET OFF THE SUCKER LIST!
Are you on the sucker list?

If you are it is probably because you are not a sucker but patriotic citizen who has known the Liberty Bond to be a good thing.
 Get-rich-quick swindles have beer the great American sport for years
 The sharpers who sell fake stocks saw their game endangered wher Uncle Sam started his great Liberty Loan campaigns.
 But they are smart-these gentle men who live by their wits.
 Instead of complaining they jump in and put themselves and all their em- ployes to work trading their fake stuff for Liberty Bonds.
 If you have a Liberty Bond or a book of War Savings Stamps you are a prospect" for fake stock Your name is probably on the sucker list of the oily-tongued sharper because over twenty million patriots bought Liberty Bonds.
 You are not to blame for being on the sucker list, but it is up to you to get off-away off--that list at your first opportunity.
 The American people are paying out some half billion dollars year to the support of worthless stock schemes. The people reap therefrom $500,000, 900 worth of-thin air.
 That is not wild guess It is the estimate given by the capital issues committee of the U. s. treasury. And, the committee assures us that it is conservative.
 Moreover, the half billion represents just the cold cash that is turned in every year by otherwise level-headed Americans seeking a milk-and-honey path to quick wealth by the fake stock certificate route. It does not take into account the vast economic loss incident to broken fortunes, impaired effort of discouraged investors and to
 
 enterprise of new productive capital.
 The capital issues committee, charged with keeping the nations in- vestment dollars on work-or-fght basis during the war has made a searching inquiry into the devious by ways of fraudulent stock promotion. It's conclusion is that never perhaps in the history of the country has wild cat promotion been so fagrant-from coast to coast-as today.
 As result of the governments great war loan campaigns, there are now hundreds of thousands of Ameri- cans converted to the idea of saving and investing. With a very great pro- portion, their investment experience is limited to the good, rock-bottom government war bond.
 The fakir is after them. Thousands of statesmen" carefully drilled in the call' and getting out of town, are abroad.
 They will tell you you were patriot, real citizen, to have bought Liberty Bonds. However, you've made your sacrifice, the wars over now and really AZ per cent is no return at all in peace times-let us exchange your bonds for this exceptional offer ing, positively guaranteed to bring in anywhere from 10 to 500 per cent in dividends before the years out-as soon as the oil well Is sunk, or the mine shaft completed, or the property developed, or the like.
 That is the brand of the stock swindler today: that he is willing as an accommodation to you, you understand ito accept" your good Liberty Bonds in exchange" for his worthless stuff.
 Happily there is government agency today on the trail of the stock ssharp. It is the federal trade com mission, empowered by congress to prevent unfair methods of competition in interstate commission. The com mission may well be expected to look