Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1877 — A Campaign Slander. [ARTICLE]

A Campaign Slander.

When Dr. B. V. Pierce was a candidate for State Senator, his political opponents published a pretended analysis of his popular medicines, hoping thereby to,’ prejudice the people against him. His election by an overwhelming majority severely rebuked his traducers who sought to impeach his business integrity. No notice would have been taken of these campaign lies were it not that some of his enemies (and every successful business man has his fall quota of envions rivals) are republishing these bogus analyses. Numerous and most absurd formulas have been published, purporting to come from high authority ; and ft is a significant fact that no two have been at ail alike—conclusively proving the dishonesty of their authors. The following is from the Buffalo Commercial of Oct 23, 1877 : “Hardly a dozen years ago he (Dr. Pierce) came here, a young and unknown man, almost friendless, with no capital except his own manhood, which, however, included plenty of brains and pluck, indomitable perseverance, and inborn uprightness. Capital enough for any young man, in this progressive country, if only he has good health and habits as well. He had all these great natural advantages and one thing more, an excellent education. He had studied medicine and been regularly licensed to practice as a physician. But he was still a student fond of investigation and experiment. He discovered, or invented, impor-. taut remedial agencies or compounds. Not choosing to wait wearily for the sick and suffering to find out (without anybody to tell them) that he could do them good, he advertised his medicines and invited the whole profession, of every school, to examine and pronounce j udgment upon his formula. He advertised liberally, profusely, but with extraordinary shrewdness, and with a method which is in itself a lesson to all who seek business by that perfectly legitimate means. His success has been something marvelous--so great indeed that it must be due to intrinsic merit in tne articles he sells more even than to his unparalleled skill in the use of printer’s ink. The present writer once asked a distinguished dispensing drugget to explain the secret of the almost universal demaud for Dr. Pierce’s medicines. He said they were in fact genuine medicines—such compounds as every good physician would prescribe for the diseases which they were advertised to cure. Of course, they cost less than any druggist would charge for the same article supplied on a physician’s prescription, and besides there was the doctor’s fee saved. Moreover, buying the drugs in such enormous quantities, having perfect apparatus for purifying and compounding the mixture, he could not only get better articles in the first place, but present the medicine in better form and cheaper than the same mixture could possibly be obtained from any other source. “ It may be thought that all this having reference to Dr. Pierce’s private business has no point whatever when considered in connection with the proper qualilications of a candidate for the Senate. Perhaps. But it is the fashion now, and will be for a fortnight more, with sundry journals, to make sneering allusions to this very matter. After that brief period, they will be quite ready to go on doing his work as before, and, as always before, to speak of him as a great public benefactor.’’