The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-03-19
GET OFF THE SUCKER LIST

4 w GAAC TREASURY uCp6I
Are you on the sucker list
If you are it Is probably because
you are not sucker but patriotic
citizen who has known the Liberty
Bond to be a good thing.
Get-rich-quick swindles have been
the great American sport for years.
The sharpers who sell fake stocks
saw their game endangered when
Uncle Sam started his great Liberty
Loan campaigns.
But they are smart-these gentle
linen who live by their wits.
Instead of complaining they jump
ed In and put themselves and all their
employees to work trading their fake
stuff for Liberty Bonds.
If you have Liberty Bond or a
book of war savings stamps you are
la 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 a billion dollars a year
to the support of worthless stock
schemes. The people reap therefrom
$500, 900 900 worth of-thin air.
That is not wild guess. It is the
estimate given by the capitol issues
committee of the u. s. treasury And,
the committee assures US that it is
conservative.
Moreover, the half billion repre-
SCENTS just the cold cash that it 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 for
tunes, impaired effort of discouraged
investors and to the diversion from
Legitimate business enterprise of new
productive capital.
The capital issues committee, which
lis charged with keeping the nations
investment dollars on a work-or-fght
basis, has made searching inquiry
into the devious by-ways of fraud
! ulent stock promotion. It's conclusion
is that never perhaps in the history
OF the country has wildcat promotion
been SO fiagrant-from coast to coast
las today.
As a result of the governments
great war. loan campaigns. there are
now hundreds of thousands of Ameri-
cans converted to the idea. of saving
i =
proportion, their. investment exper-
fence is limited to the good, rock
bottom government war bond.
The fakir is after them. Thousands
of statesmen" carefully drilled in the
gentle art Of selling on the first
calf and getting out of town, are
abroad.
They will tell you you were a pat
riot, a real citizen, to have bought
Liberty Bonds. However. you've made
your sacrifice, the wars over now
and really AZ 20 is no return at all in
peace times-let US exchange your
bonds for this exceptional offering
positively guaranteed to bring in any
where from 10 to 500 per cent in divi-
dends before the years out-as soon
as the oil well is sunk, or the mine
shaft completed, or the property de-
veloped, or the like.
That is the brand of the stock
swindler today: that he is willing
as an accommodation to you, you un-
derstand-to accept" your good Lib
erty Bends in exchange" for his
worthless stuff.
Happily there is a. government
agency today on the trail of the stock
sharp. It is the Federal Trade Com
mission, empowered by Congress to
prevent unfair methods Of competi-
ton IN interstate commerce. The COM
mission may well be expected to look
upon the fleeing of Americans of
their Liberty Bonds as decidedly sun
fair"
II you own Liberty Bond you'll
doubtless have an early call from one
OF the pleasant representatives Of. the
sharper outfit When you do, Just
drop postal to the Federal Trade
Commission at Washington and ten
them about that visit and send them
the attractive literature that is hand
ed you, together with the name and
home address of the salesman" Or
send it to the Star and we will for
ward il TO Uncle Sans men.
1t would be interesting to know
how much of the $500. 200, 900 a year
filters out of Ocala to the detriment
OF our banks, our merchants and our
Legitimate business development. Also
how many of us are on the sucker
list.
Let's keep our loose change at
home!
British and American naval oftic-