The morning call., 1890-05-01
AN OPEN LETTER
FROM
A Disguised Citizen!

San Francisco, April 20, 1890.
MR.. FLAvIN-
Dear Sir: You are stranger to
me. although have lived here some
years, but allow me as citizen who
appreciates honesty and fair deal
ing to ONCRATULATE you on your
honorable mode of conducting busi-
ness.
1t is high time such men as you
Join hands with the public and drive
out from their midst unprincipied
dealers who are fooiing and num-
buggirg the people by their unprin-
| cipied methods.
thave been in foreign lands, have
seen much of the world, customs
and habits of various people, but
San Francisco cIothiers with a few
honorable exceptions like YOURSELF
takes the CAKE" to use vulgar
| phrase.
Two weeks ago Twas attracted by
a sign Everything Must Co; Suits
| atYour Own Price," Invent into the
store to buy pair of cheap pants to
wear as change. was shown
some shoddy pants marked down
from So to So SO; they were not
worth ST. Invent direct IKE and
secured pair for So | o worth three
pairs of those offered at the other
store where they are closing out"
at SO cents on the dollar.
Last Friday one of these stores of
| fered little suits to fit boys from q to
years old at soc per suit. went
with my two little boys, but they re-
fused to sell me the same at soc as
they had lust sold out" but if |
came on Saturday morning at 9
O'Clock they would have some in.
Of course had no faith of being
served, although they exhibited a
large pile of those very suits at the
door labeled SO cents.
| went again on Saturday m morning,
Just for fun, and asked for a suit to
tit boy of eight years of age. Was
shown them. They wrapped one up
i and demanded ST. refused to paw
ST; refused to be imposed upon.
whether the suit was worth dollar
or not is not the question. They ad-
vertised all sizes, from q to IL years,
at SOC per suit and my boy was only
the size of an 8 year old boy. They
mad the cheek to tell me again they
mad Just sold out" the larger suits
Tor SOC; the only ones they had left
were fit for babies years old, but if
! came on Monday morning at 9
O'Clock they would have some ready,
as they put 1000 of the soc suits on
sale every day. said, '1you have
hundreds of suits at the door at SOC :
why do you fool your customers that
Way?" Oh!" they said, I'VE cam
not unpack them Just now; come
Monday at 9 O'Clock. Monday morn
ing was there on time Just TO see
how far they would carry their lies
and hunbug. A new man was be-
hind the soc counter and he had the
auo acity to tell me I'VE have lust
sold all the soc suits; cleared them
out on Saturday." etc.
| Just then lady with her two bows
was giving them a bit of her mind.
They had got her down twice before
on fools Grand. She had brought
two boys all the way from South San
francisco.
| ] told them what thought and
called their attention to two signs
they had at the door, which were lies
on the face. One sign said thew
were selling off because of a hard
winter and bad outlook and over
stock; the other sign said their
stock was consignment which had
been sent to them to close off at soc
on the dollar. So they made them
selves out liars and were swindIine
and humbugging and fooiing the
| people.
Every time went somebody was
grumbling for the same reason as
myself and hold such rascals are
demoralizing the commercial life of
San Francisco and destroying pub
lie confidence, inJuring the public
morals and ought to be driven out of
society.
For obvious reasons do not wish
my name to appear in public on this
subject. Yours truly,
A. n.