The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-06-28
New YoRK, June 10.

There is genuine sensation and much
indignation among Hebrew families, bro
kers and Christians over the expulsion
of the rich banker, Mr.. Joseph SeLgman,
from the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga
under orders from those who control the
A. I. Stewart estate, that no Jews be al
lowed to receive entertainment there. In
Wall street many influential Hebrews
called upon Mr., Seligman to express their
sympathy for the insult he had suffered
Ex-Mayor Wickham, Sam WilkesoD, of
the Northern Pacific Railroad, Pilot Com
missioner Blunt and others wrote him
letters. In fact it has created a regular
howl all around town.
The facts in the case, briefly, are as fol-
follows On the evening of the l4th in,
stant, Mr.. Joseph Siligman, accompanied
by his wife and two children, started for
Saratoga by boat. Owing to an accident
to the machinery just this side of Albany
they were detained some time, reaching
Saratoga late at night and without bag
cage, Mr.. Seligman had been in the hab-
Il Of stopping at Grand Union for several
years, and naturally went to that hotel.
The clerk seemed much embarrassed.
He said 81 am sorry, Mr.. Seligman, but
the orders are peremptory that no Jews
shall be received as guests in this house.
If any were to be received / assure you
that yourself and family would be among
the number, but the instructions are i'm
peratiye to make no distinctions" Mr..
Seligman asked whether this rule was
enforced because of any lack of proprie-
ty, or of cleanliness, or of honesty among
Hebrews, to which the clerk replied;
'Oh, by no means; last year business Mt
the Grand Hotel was very bad, and the
hotel was sought after more by the Jews
than by any other nationality, Judge
Hilton ordered that this season no Jews
be admitted He hopes thus to obtain a
large attendance of guests" Mr.. Selig-
man and family went Immediately to the
Clarendon and obtained excellent accom-
modations. He then wrote the following
letter to Judge Hilton:
CLARENDON HOTEL, SARATOGA, June 10.
Judge Henry Hilton, care Me88r8. a. T.
StelVart, NelU York:
DEAR JUDGE-My family have for many
years patronized the Union Hotel at Sar-
atoga, but were informed yesterday by
your managers that orders from head
quarters to exclude all Jewish families
from the list of guests this season, alleg.
ing as reason that there existed pref
udice among Americans against people
of that persuasion, which had injured
the Union to that extent last season that
headquarters proposed to "roost them
out" namely, to tell them all, without
exception, that all rooms, except garret
chambers, were engaged. Now, permit
me, dear Judge, in your own interest,
and in the interest of Mr.. Stewards val
liable estate, the lions share of which
you seem to have acquired, to say that
you are adding to the many serious mis-
takes which you have committed since
you inherited that estate, by refusing ad-
mittance to the Union Hotel to large
class of people, irrespective of their re-
spectability, wealth and proper bearing,
merely to pander to vulgar prejudice,
under the mistaken notion that by so do
ing you will fill the house with other ma
tionalities, You will find yourself mis-
taken. You are no judge-of the Amer
iCan character. The civilized world is
beginning tc De more tolerant in matters
of faith, OF creed, or birth than you be-
lieve or would have them. They despise
intolerance, low cunning and vulgarity,
and will not patronize man who seeks
to make money by pandering to the pref
udices of the vulgar,
regret that you are running the I'm
ion at loss. l regret that you are ma
king no headway in your wholesale de-
partments in New York and in Chicago,
that even the Ninth street retail store,
so popular and prosperous under the
man agement of the late Mr. Stewart, has
lost its best patrons. A little reflection
must show you that the serious falling
off in your business is not due to the
patronage of any one nationality but to
the want of patronage of all, and that
you, dear Judge, are not big enough to
keep hotel, nor broad enough in your
business views to run dry goods store.
You have tried competition with eX-
perienced and popular houses in the
manufacture OF carpets, of woolens, and
Of silks and scores of articles of minor
importance, and you have succeeded in
none, and never will, and l would most
respectfully volunteer an advice, which
/ charge you nothing for (although you
charged me 1000 once for advice which
was worth nothing that if you want to
save the rest of the once valuable estate
of Mr.. Stewart, that you advertise large
auction and sell your merchandise and
hotels to the highest bidder, and no mat
ter at what sacrifice youg get rid Of them,
you will come off better than by holding
on to things which you cannot intelli-
gently manage.
Trusting you will avail yourself of this
friendly and disinterested advice, re-
main, dear Judge, yours very truly,
JOSEPH SELIGMAN.
Judge HlltOn's Defence.