New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-16


Jud % Hilton never known to mix with ms
wholesale trade. and Mr. Libby spent
most of his time in the office. Inc
methods of conducting the business of A. l. stewart
& Co after Mr. Stcwats death also received ciItl-
| csm from many merchants.
| The first great error of Judgment on the part o
Messrs Hilton and Libby was, in the opinion OF
those we informed. the removal of The Who'll SAFE
department of Stewart * Co. uptown. by 'hI'
st - that branch of the business was taken away
from the iohhing centre of the citg, and the houses
more accessible 10 buyers as they offered Inc same
quality of goods AT low prces.sccued the bnk OF
In & firms wholesale business; The attitude o1 judge
Hilton in extending Jewish people from the Grand
Union Hotel in Saratoga also lost his drygoods
house large part of Its CUSTOM III the opinion OF
his fcOw-merchanis. The loss TO his jobbIng ne
parfIneut alone was varo,isy estimated NJ from l .
10 40 per cent of the whole business. The
general opinion was that this also hurt the
house greatly in it's retail dep rtment, which sui
fered further by the withdrawal Ct custom in con-
sequence OF dissatisfaction with Judge lilitonS
course with respect TO the Woman's Hotel M
other mistake of the Hilton management was snd
by dry goods men 10 have been its establishment OF
branch house in Chicago soon after Mr. stewards
death.
L. NJ BATEsS OPINIONS.
Levi NJ. Bates, of Bates. heed a Coo'y' VI W.
! $40 Broadway said to a TRIBUNE reporter: Inc
| announcement of the proposed liquidation OF
Stewart & Co.'s affairs has excited surprise III
! the dry goods trade Their business had been per-
ccptIbly waning ior years. and their retirement was
! looked upon as only matt0r OF time. think 'hat
! il began to decline "A few years previous 10 MI
! Stewards death This / believe, was he
cause in the latter years OF his NE MT
Stewart had not been able to give his business the
same personal attention and direction that he gave
| to it i'll earlier years. nay Is an; an IN IN
! any drygoods house. Customers like to see the
| head of house about It's ore, taking an active
interest in the business and when such Is the ease
II goes far 10 establish tne coincidence OF the IRA f.
MI milton never was able or never cared 10 m1ngle
directly with his traders Then Stewart d Co.'S
business naturally fell of with the modern great
Increase of competition Mir Stewart's peculiar
business methods adapted to earlier DAYS, and,
indeed, he of his fortune before the tclc-
graph and steamship had come into general use.
In the days o. the sailing vessel goods could be I'M
ported from Europe only about twice a season.
that is. the bulk of the goOds-n spring and IN
autumn. The house then which bought mp the
control of any particular line of goods had great
| advantage over competitors, because II the goods
took with people they could not he brought over
by other houses IN time for the same season. Now
the railroad, the steamship and the telegraph nave
DESTROYED that exclusv ness in trade and increased
the number OF compel tors and the means of COM
petition. Many persons diNliked MIR. stewards
peculiar ways, and were drawn away from him
after the war ended.
"it was regarded as a great mistake Mr.. Bates
continued, "when Jude Hilton removed the
wholesale part of his business uptown. BY so 90
| ing lie lett the centre OF the cty where
| the JObhing trade was concentrated. People
would nO up 80 far To the Store when there we're
other houses more convenient of access which could
offer equally tractlvc lines of goods stewart *
| CO.'S and cOu.d sell them as Cneapiy. stewart u
Co. were the pioneers III taxing tneir retail busl-
! ness uptown years AT that tline that step
wa, regarded as "A very wise one, out The mistake
made, Tor TIE retail trade, III not gong s!lli
| further up"
"Wnat induced Judge Hilton to move the whole
sale business dptOwn = asked the reporter.
Two reasons tor that steP might be as
| crbed ar: Bates replied. he MLtnag Ineht
ing that concentration Of the two branches OF the
business under one roof would save expenses.
! hen, when ihe removal was MAZE, The houses Job
blns uaue was diInnls hing, and 1t may have been
thodglI that change OF Locality would dement,
IT, judge Hilton probably believed %i1, vd t@Ii
carry along It's customers. But names are Of lltte
account III retaining business. People care Tor the
quality and prices Of goods. Several of their mills
! nave recently been sold Dy Stewart * 20. | sup
pose they sen the otners, bun IL must DE Al "A
| considerable loss, The Chicago branch mousse may
| nave been a good thing for the firm II gave II
| large outlet Tor us eOods. cannot htzard an
| opinion as to whether the house has been losing
money the business il retained here Is no rea-
| son why IL should nave zone so WIN proper Dusl-
| ness management. The general drygOOds trade OF
lac has been very proh5aPie The house has a lac
| tory al Little Falls, Herklmer County,
eral wears; The loss on that must he
considerable. Iestmate the value of all the prop
cry connected with the dygOOdS business Of
| steward Il co. Just before Nh. stewart death at
about so, 100000. on course, there has been
| large shrIukage since"
| .!Dld Mr. HItOn's course with regard 10 tie Jews
| at his Saratoga motel lose him much trade" III
| quired the reporter. ~
should say that re lost by 1t IRON 80 70 10 per cent
Of lis joD1,ng trade. Not only would the Jews not
| paironiz- tie house. but they avoided goods which
fr11p ll l. it.tfO
Mr.. Dates was re lcent about expressing any
! opinion regarding the business capaclt, OF Judge
Hilton, desire 10 speak OF Mr.. linton, lie Sald
"OnIy in the klndlest way. as lawyer OF hish
standing. AID | suppose ne possesses 3blhiy as
| genera business man. Mr. Bdies dld not thlhk
| mat The sale OF the stock OF Stewart ~ Co. would
deprcs, prices OF dry goods. ii could be dIopOs Il
OF gradually without much reduction IN Laes IN
| SIX months or year. lie dad not expect That any
| person or hrm would succeed ihe house.
| WHAT JOSEPH II. WELLER THINKS.
| Joseph II. Weller, of reft, Weller Il Co., No. 1913
! Br adway said that he had for some time antici-
pated the withdrawal from business of A. T. Stew
art * Co. The withdrawal was regarded in the
| drygoods trade as "A foregOne conclusion when the
mistake was made of taking the ioboing business
uptown and away from the iObbiBg district. /, was
too iuconvenient for buyers to so far uptown un-
less they were attracted by special bargains.
| THE iobbing business Of Stewart q Co. has been
so small of late" Mr. Weller said, that our house
did not feel their competition at all last year Their
bushes, has steadily been on the decline since MIR.
| Stewalts death. II fell OF immediately and has
! kent ON gong down. While Mr stewart lived the
| ride knew Who was hc head OF the house. and thar
| j. everything III our business. Customers like 10
| meet the members of firm, and, even when they
| don't see them, to know that they are
about the store personally looking after the bust
| ness judge Hilton was never seen among his
trade and Mr.. Libby stayed IN the oilce all The
| time No one kn W who Vas the active head of the
| house. When Mr.. stewart died people lmmediatel,
| lost confidence IN bis firm, for IL was known tudt
MIR Hilton had had no dry goods education or expe-
| Renee Every step taken by the present manage
| ment has been a mistake. The first year after Mr.
| Stewards death the wholesale department was re-