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Show Be Sure They Need Your Help Out-of-state deaf peddlers and impostors are becoming be-coming active in practically every town in Utah, and have become a problem for the honest and respectful deaf people of Utah, as well as of the United States. They are known as "beggar-peddlers" or "sympathy-peddlers" "sympathy-peddlers" who make this kind of profession permanent, perman-ent, through the help of the kind-hearted public. They sell needles, key-chains, -bandages and other worthless worth-less articles which sell, if at all, for more than they are worth, while for the most part, they are not really sold. People put money in the 'hat" but do not take the trinkets. Manual alphabet cards, which can be obtained free of charge for asking from any deaf person, are being sold by peddlers. It was said that a few years ago, five persons with good hearing were arrested in one state for posing as deaf people and soliciting funds with printed cards. These peddlers travel in their own cars from city to city, from state to state, at the expenses of the kindness given by people and stop in a city where the public is not aware of their intention of "cleaning-up" with aid of introduction cards and trinkets. There are some nation-wide and local organized groups working independently and are working in different cities on their own accord where they can stop and go. It is said one made $4,600 in 16 weeks, one $75.00 per day, one $40.00 in 3 hours of work. Utah is becoming known among deaf peddlers as ' an easy place to make money, which goes against the pride of all honest, hard-working deaf people every- where. Your tax money is spent in maintaining the School for the Deaf in Ogden, Utah, and Gallaudet College, the only college for the Deaf in the United States, in Washington, D. C, to educate deaf persons and to help make them respectable citizens of Utah and the United States. Many deaf people have filled your expectations of them by. becoming an asset to the public, and have good jobs, families and homes. Furthermore, Fur-thermore, the Community Chest does not have any funds for deaf people. Deaf people, the same as other citizens, contribute to the Community Chest, Red Cross and other authorized charities. As a whole, deaf people are proud of these facts and want to be equal with hearing people in standards of living. The profession of begging and peddling is not advocated by deaf people. Number and activities of deaf peddlers and impostors can be reduced to a minimum with help and cooperation from the public in refusing money to deaf peddlers and imposters, regardless re-gardless of their claims of having peddlers' licenses. We, the deaf people of Utah, as well as of the United States, ask the public to refrain from giving money to deaf peddlers and imposters. Signed, RODNEY W. WALKER, Pres. of Utah Ass'n of the Blind, JOHN W. PALMER, Pres. of Salt Lake Div. No. 56. March 30, 1949. |