The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1936-12-24
ADVERTISING RAcKErEERs coNT1NE SELLING WARES

1t has long been the custom of advertising ~racketeers and
get-ricl-schemers to operate in the fall of the year in a state
like Mississippi where we have good cotton crops and money
is thought to be plentiful. This year, because perhaps of such
a good cotton crop, the racketeers are extending their activi-
ties over a period much longer than usual.
The '3Thrift Club racket has just hit Winona and from
present indications their next stop might be Durant and Lex
ington. Here's hoping this information will prevent their
scheme from succeeding. Full details on the outfit can be
learned from reading the editorial printed in the Winona
TIMES under the caption THE CHOSEN FEW. For your
information we reprint it in full:
Mr.. Merchant don't get too hot and bothered about the
Thrift Club" yet. You may not be even among the "Chosen
Few" According to reports coming rather direct from the
"high powered hot air salesman this is to be a very select
organization-only one merchant Of each line may join. Ii
you have not been approached on the subject yet, it is possi-
bic you were not picked as a big sucker (f), and after first
choices refuse to join you may be selected as seconds to fill
the vacancies.
just who the 'lucEy ones 20 to receive the golden op-
portunity of donating $500 are have not been made public
yet.
If you are among the ''chosen few be humble, be CRATE
full for this golden opportunity and have your $500 handy
in cash, and thus prevent a reconsideration of your invitation,
and you be thrown back with the poor unfortunate common
herd upon which this great honor did not fall.
We understand that Winona is not the only place marked
up for suckers by the Thrift Club organization. That
the entire State is to be divided into districts and each district
is to have several counties in it. Mississippians have fallen
for a number Of RACKETS, but we can not believe they will
fall for this one.
Getting back to Winona and Montgomery County We
are further informed that Winona stands ace high with pro-
moters of racket schemes and the Thrift Club mere viii be
under the direction of the same party who recently pr. over
a business Mems Booster Cuba get rich quick 90 racket
in the city. in which the RICH part of it did not materialize.
when the Winona Business Mems Booster Club
scheme was presented to a meeting of business men in the
Mayors office, the precaution was taken to have all checks
countersigned by a local business, and thereby throw around
this proposition a safeguard that was good business and timely.
There were forty business concerns cooperating. We have
personally interviewed most of these and find of this number
that the majority state positively that it was a complete flop
as far as having in any way increased their business. That if
the same proposition, or a like one. should be presented again
they would not care to take the time listening to it for they
would not be interested One merchant even went so far as to
say that one fool enough to be landed by '"Hot Air Adver-
Using Salesmen's Racket would wind up broke-and he is
a good merchant and makiig money, but he uses local news
paper advertising and printing to tell the people of his mer-
chandise.
With the results of the campaign now before you, Mr..
Merchant, are you ready for another similar scheme under the
guse OF Thrift Club"
Many a dollar has been invested by merchants of vari-
Gus cities from a picture drawn by a high powered salesman
presenting a GET RICH QUICK SCHEME, BUSINESS PRO-
MOTION SCHEME, NNUMERABLE RACKETS. Many of
them have gone over with the merchants holding the bag
However, the merchants are too wise now and in most cities
they put on their own cooperative activities without outside
assistance.
Ii the Thrift Northumberland is promoted it
will elbow up like a balloon full of hot air. Mark this
prediction.
We do not know where the Thrift Club promotion
scheme originated but it has been suggested that it might have
been IN Natchez. We may go down to Natchez and will IN
vestigate.