y the facts, the whole
medical advertising business to be disreputable, dishonorable and
unjust, in that it is detrimental to the health and welfare of the race,
the only protection it could possibly need would be protection against
any movement which had for its object the interest of the people who are
its victims. This is exactly the key to the workings of the P. A. of
America. When one begins to know something about the patent medicine
evil, his sense of justice immediately asks why "something" has not
been done to crush it. When the reader understands more about this
octopus, he will learn that its tentacles are far-reaching and that it
has a mysterious and efficient way of crushing in its incipiency any
embryo movement directed against it. It would be a long story to give
the facts in detail--they are all a matter of record--the easiest way to
explain the procedure is to give an illustration of how the machinery is
worked.

Let us suppose a Congressman conceives the idea of introducing a bill in
Congress to compel newspapers to refuse advertising matter that is
obviously false and that misrepresents facts, and cites, as an example,
a patent medicine advertisement. The agent or lobbyist of the
association in Washington immediately telegraphs the intent of the bill
with the name of its author to the home office of the association. The
gentleman in charge of the executive department of the home office looks
up the facts regarding the political connections of the Congressman,
wires to the papers published in his district suggesting to them the
advisability of using their influence to change the Congressman's
opinion. The newspapers do as they are bid (though there are a few who
have refused to do this kind of work, but only a few); they may intimate
to him that he is committing political suicide, or they may adopt other
tactics. The result, however, is that the representative usually sees
the point and permits his bill to die in committee. The quacks are not
satisfied with this single effort to ensure the death of the bill. The
matter is taken up with other Congressmen through their home papers; the
whole machinery of the system is set in motion. Their attention is
called to the bill. They are told that the public does not demand such
legislation, and that, if this bill passes, it will deprive of many
thousands of dollars for advertising the papers which are friendly
toward the political future of the particular Congr