The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-03-19
DON'T GIVE UP
 LIBERTY BONDS
Are you on the sucker list?


 If you are it is probably because you are not a sucker but a 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 men 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 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 20 million patriots bought Lib erty Bonds.
 You are not to blame for being on the sucker list but 1t 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 a year to the support of worthless stock schemes. The people reap therefrom $500, 900 worth of-thin air.
 That is not a 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 repre- sents 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 t2 broken for tunes, impaired effort of discouraged investors and to the diversion from legitimate business enterprise of new productive capital.
 The Capital Issues Committee, charged with keeping the nations in vestment dollars on a work-or-f fight basis during the war, has made a searching inquiry into the devious by-ways of fraudulent stock promo ton. It's conclusion is that never perhaps in the history of the country has wildcat promotion been so fla grant-from coast to ooast-as bO- day.
 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 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 ''saIesmen' carefully drilled in the gentle art of selling on the first cau' and getting out of town, are abroad.
 They will tell you you were a pat riot, @ real citizen, to have bought Liberty bonds. However, you've made your sacrifice, the wars over now-and really A per cent. is no return at all in peace times-let us exchange your bonds for this excep- tionaI offering 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 accommod dation to you, you un- derstand-to accept" your good Lib
  worthless stuff.
 Happily there is @ 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 commission may well be expected to look upon the f1eecing of Americans of their Liberty bonds as decidedly unfair"
 If you own a Liberty bond you'll doubtless have an early call from one of the pleasant representatives of the sharper outfit. When you do, just drop a postal to the Federal Trade Commission at Washington and tell 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 in to this paper and we will forward it to Uncle Sam's men. It would be interesting to know how much of the $500, 0,O00,oOO a year filters to the detriment of our banks. our merchants and our legitima te business development. Also, how many of us are on the Sucker List.