Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-08-03
REVOLUTION In CIGARS.
important Facts Made Known to !ht
Smoking Public.
An Interview with Mr. Tan sill, Of IL
w. Tansill & Co. - lie Explains the
Origin aud Development OF His Inn
mense lBusiness-R elates tile Causes
Of His Phenomenal Success.

Denver Colo Republican. July Z.
So many causes have been assigned
for the success Of the celebrated Tan
sill's Punch cigar, TINT a Republican
reporter, learning of Mr.. Tansill's SO.
iourn at the Albany, called on him to
ascertain for the benefit of smokers Il
true explanation Of these causes. Mr..
Tansill expressed q readiness to com
municate on this subject, and the re-
porter piled his questions.
Have you any objection, Mr.. Tan
sill, to giving the readers of the Repub-
lican an inside view Of the success you
have attained in your busincss?"
well, no. l can't say that | have"
was the reply, "Sincc | have no patent
on my methods Of conducting business
and no secrets to withhold from the
public, | I'M perfectly willing to crafty
commence with: After the great Chicago
fire of II, / became convinced that
there was n large and increasing de-
mand, n tidal wave, as it were, for a
'iot 100 hNo ttlb Vigil iioN w NV
duce such n cigar and to market it profit
ably was the problem to solve.
Il was a young man mt the time and
full of ambition. After carefully study
ing the condition Of the trade, | settled
upon a plan to accomplish my object.
But before / give it to yOu, let me eX-
plain the situation as it existed at that
time. The average retail dealer in
those days never thought it possible to
sell n tive-cent cigar mt less than 100
per cent profit. while the average whole
sale dealer or manufacturer made "A
profit varying from $40 to $50 per 700
on that class Of goods. Such iiye-ccnt
cigars, of course, were made of very in
ferlOr domestic stock.
NOW L conceived the idea that by re-
ducing both profits and slightly increas-
ing the price, and at the same time max
ing a cigar that should contain the
choicest Havana filler, and then placing
1t III the hands of prominent retail deal
ers all over the United States. with an
exclusive control or agency for the same
for their towns or neighborhoods, they,
through tho superior quality OF the
cigar, which at once commanded n
largely increased trade, could afford to
sell it at n reduced percentage OF profit.
In other words, first raised the price of
the goods to the retailer, and at the
same time / reduced my own profits
more than one-half. This difference en-
abled me to furnish an Havana filled
cigar that could be retailed for i've
cents.
Then | personally travelled over the
United States and established my agen-
cies, relying chiefly on mail orders,
thereby dispensing with double drum
ming" and the jobber's profit, thus eff
fecting n great saving. charged moth
ing for my services and sold my goods
at less than one-half the profit made by
my competitors. In taking this step /
trusted solely to the intelligence of the
smoker and dealer for my recompense.
Had ! not done SO the name of 'Iansill
Punch cigar, like the names 81 my
thousand im~itators, would have been
obsolete long ago"
HAS your faith in the intelligence OF
the smoker and dealer been sustained?'
Eyes, far beyond my most sanguint
expectations. And rs the business has
grown from year to year, | have appro-
priated a percentage Of my profits for adj
vertising. ! might add in this connec.
ton that / have just placed contracts
for advertising 'Tansill's Punch il
nearly 1000 daily and weekly newspa
pers, with combined annual circulation
of over 500, 600, 600 copies. From
this it can be seen that my faith III tn,
merits of my goods and in my methods
Of selling them is stronger than ever
before"
Has your plan Of doing business me
with the approval Of the mcrchant?'
MY success emphaticnlly answers
your question in the affirmative. Could
you hut read our correspondence, yor
wOuld then realize how II agoncr anC
goods are appreciated by both dealer
and smoker. As TO the vGlueot oul
agency, will give you an illustration
Nine years ago w. VI. Dale, u Chicago
druggist, WIS trying to establish
trade on a tive-cent cigar. To accom-
plish this he was paving S38 per 1,00C
for his leading five cent brand and re
failing but 200 of them per week.
gave Mr.. Dale the agency for "Taasi!ll
Punch for his ncighborhood, and hi
trade steadily increased from ysAr t.
year until 1t reached the enormous
number Of q, 600 'Iansill's Punch pc
month, while his aggregate sales, oil a
retail, mind Won, Of that single branC
have largely exceeded 10000 900 cigars
j could cite yOu similar Illustrations IL
almost every part OF the United States.
Then ! understand, Mr.. Tansill, tina
your Plaza is to sell a tirst-class cigar a
q small profit and rely upon the large
volume Of your trade for the rGsults?'
81 49, a