New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-28
RATHER PLAIN TALK.
A CARD FROM sTEINWAY & SONS.

MSS OF THE FIRM
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR In your Issue of January 23 appeared another
etIusion from A. Weber. the self-styled innocent"
pianomaker, who seeks notorlety by coupling his
name with that of Steinwav & Sons. We deem it
due to the pnbc to state that are engaged in no
attempt 10 'brcak down" this innocent Weber,
he alleges He is too insignificant a competitor to
affect our trade, ranking as he does but sixth or
seventh in this country in point of production. He
whines about attacks" upon him, when for more
| than a year our silence and forbearance have
allowed him to publish his falsehOods exalng him
self by be!itlmg us. Mr.. Webers attempts to
befog the public, and to divert attention from his
misdeeds will avail him nothing. What are the
factsi
Mr.. Weber never exhibited at any Worlds Fair
previous TO the Centennial Exhibition of 1876. He
there commenced and has since persisted in system
of fraud and Misrepresentation hitherto unparalleled
in the history of the panO-forte business in this
country, Towards the close of the Exhibition Mr..
Weber commenced distributing on the Centennial
Grounds circulars claiming the highest award"
Thcrcup0n Director-Gencral Goshorn issued orders
to arrest Mr. Weber and his employees and on Octo-
Der z 1876 one Of his employees VS. actually
arrested and another escaped arrest by fight The
fraudulent circulars were ooDiscated by the Cen
tennla Guards.
On October p, 1876, Mr. Weber caused to be
published spurious interview with one Of the
Judges which, although branded as wholly fictitious
and protested against by the judge himself, Dir.
Weber has circulated and still circulatcs and makes
the basis Of all his Advertisements In this article
Mr. Weber, FOR the first time gave his false version
of the figures or ratings made by the examining
Judges on his own and the Scinway pianos. He ar
rogated to himself ninety-iivc ont of possible
ntp nd Qp1c ed to he
ninety lone out of a possible ninety six, when, in
reality as will be shown below, not only the re-
verse, but than the reverse was the case. In
the same month he commenced publishing report
or award, attaching the names Of the group Judges
to it, well knowing that they lad never signed or
sanctioned IL.
Mr.. Weber and his agents gave tho most extrava-
CANT publicity throughout the country to these
falsehcods. The judges. unwilling that their names
should longer be quoted as authority for these
cheats. and in order to protect the public against
further imposition, finally joined in anolliciai pro-
test dated July 2s 1877, which protest was pub
lished and fled with the Centennial Commission.
The examining Judges also under the samo date.
signed certificate stigmatizing as false the figures
aud ratings published by Mr.. Weber.
On January IL 1873, the Executive Committee
OF the Centennial Commission, ut their meeting in
Philadelphia having before them the protest and
letters of the judges unanimously adopted rcsolu
ton strongly recommending to the full commits
sion mt its next meeting, to cancel Mr. Wcber's
altered report and substitute the tho judges
gave to him.
Tbisi the innocent" Webers record at and since
the Centennial. lie is the only one of the whole
1000 exhibitors whose frauds have been so out
rageous as 70 cause tho arrest of an einpoye pro-
tests from the judges Of his group, and condem-
naiory resolution from the Executive Committee Of
The commission. No one enyies INN his Disgrace
full dis .incton.
Mr. Webcr's pretcnsions 10 rank as iirst-class
maker are simply absurd. He buys his actions and
many other important parts of his pianos in
the open market of the same dealers who
furnish these articles TO the well known bogus
makers of tins city. While other reputable manu-
facturcrs srch a. Decker Bros. Chickcrng, Knabc.
stock etc. appear patentecs of inventions in the
records of tine Patent Office. Mr.. Wcbers name is
not found there for he is innocent" Of even an
| aticmpt at an invention. lie cannot designate a
| single feature or improvement made or originated
| by him. which distinguishes his pianos from the
common cheap instruments of Inferior makers.
Strinway Il sons are the inventors and patcntces
Of many valuable improvements in pianos, which IA
the Steinway system have obtained worldwide
celebrity, and have rcNolutionlcd the entire art Of
piano building These Improvements are to-day
copied by the most prominent makers of Europe,
and whatever If merit there Is IN Webcrs pianos. Is
due 10 his poor and cheap imitation of the Stolnway
inventions These inventions received the highest
recognitions at the Worlds Fairs in Lonuon,
1867: Paris. 1867; and Vienna 1873 and were
cnphaticay indorsed and fully described i'll the
official reports of the Judges at the Centennial Ex
position.
"a. al & haN nftll-
hshcd their splendid Centennial Reports and
Awards which cOnccde to them alone, . Highest
degree of excellence in all their styles of pianos"
The Judges. III view Of the many falsehoods adycr
tiscd by Mr. Weber in addition to protest against
him. rs 10 set at rest all doubts 10 whose pianos
were considered the best have given To Steinway *
| Sons the exclusive compliment of an official certit-
cate as follows:
This is to certify that the pianofores OF Mcssrs
Stcuway Sons. comprising concert an" lIlor grand,
square and uprlgh exhibited by mem 1T the cenlen-
mai Exposition at Philadelphia III 1876. presented the
constructions and al ponts Of excellence they received
highest average OF ront and accorinrly our nnal-
Highest degree oi excellence III all their styles
W. n Tno SsE ' T. r,vnr TH G%G f. nuGAnD
GEH nT.Lo" J. ioSErm nSnr
f.. a. p. BARNARD.
The examining judges. under the same date, ceri-
fy over their signatures that the figures and ratings
80 extensively published by Mr.. Weber, and for
which hc has never attempted to produce the
slightest authority beyond his own assertions. are
wholly false. This certificate sho IS that Steinway
& Sons pianos were rated first in every style, and
received an average Of Oslo out of possible 0G,
while Weber received an average of o0a4 only out
of possible o. his square pianos ranking but third
and his parlor grands fourth.
As to tn" scurlilous filings of Mr.. Weber relating
to Steinway q sons pretended " loss of prestige"
1t is only necessary to mention the fact that STEM