The morning call., 1892-12-22
DODGED ITS JAWS.
The Laundry Trust Missed
Something.
SAN JOSE A CITY OF REFUGE,
Metropolitan Shirts May Soon Flap i'm
the Balmy Breezes of the Santa
Clara Valley.

The hydra-heade laundry trust has gone
through town just as it proposed to do,
lashiug its tail and looking for little ''laun-
dries" that were not taundries, but commits
sion men who had worked up business
and kept IS per cent or so of the money.
1t has eaten most of them up, but few
got away in the brush, and theyare Inclined
to see if they can't elude the monster for a
while yet.
1t looks as though the trust was not going
10 get the last dirty shirt in San Francisco
to whiten and shine at the new prices, for
some of the old ''laundries" that didn't own
mangie, or even bottle of indelible ink.
propose 10 do business at the old stand and
at the old prices.
The new order Of things is TO 60 into effect
January 1. Most Of the old commission
men have accepted what the trust offered
them for their one-horse wagons and their
business and have accepted jobs as drivers
of their own wagons. They didn't see
anything else 10 do when the trust said
Take this or get out of the business quick"
There were three or four. however, who
| scratched their ieads and stirred up a bril-
| liant idea. They remembered that there
was place called San Jose. and that down
| there were laundries that could wash sew
| eral shirts at once
The commission men couldn't do any
| laundres in San Francisco and Oakland
| would take a rag from them after January
! !, but some of them had worked up large
| and profitable patronage that was worth
| keeping.
Why not ship their work to San Jose or
| Santa Clara? II is only two hours run,
and ii could be sent there as quickly as TO
| some of the big launduies here and in Oak
land. 1t would be all matter OF trans
portatlo rates.
Well some of the fellows who have not
been gobblef up vet are figuring on rates.
and II they can secure concessions from the
railroad or express companies that will leave
them fair profit they propose to hang onto
| their business.
The trust left crack open when 1t got
| dictatoTial, and now the managers are say
ing, why didn't we think of that?"
San Jose now has chance to be our
washtub, and as likely as not when we
visit the lovely Garden City we may see
| our embroidered silk nightshiTts and our
| Imported wiDe-cOlored socks fiapDing in the
| baimy, invigoratiDg, roSe-scented bTeeZes of
| the beaut full Santa Clara Valley. where
| every day will be washday by AMI by.
If the scheme does not prove BILE it
| will afford another object lesson In Califor-
| MIA local transportation rates.
In the East laundry work is sent regu-
| larry and profitsbly three or four times the
| distance to San Jose. often AT especially low
| rates.
II any of the little pseudo lauudries suc-
| coed in carrying out this plan the trust may
| get down off its thirtytwo-hand horse and
say pleasantly. This is a nice day, MIR.
| Washington. How much do you want for
your businrss?" instead of saying again
| gruffiy. Now, take this OF git"
One enterprising fellow. an intelligent son
of Ham, who calls his little place some sort
\ of quick laundry" has found another
| way OF defying the trust and holding on TO
| his large business. He has gone into part
nership with man who has contract for
| all the washing of one OF the big hotels, and
they are establishing an independent laun-
al am going TO go right ahead with my
| business as usual and at the old prices"
| he said yesterday. land l am not going to
try to gobble up the trust or run il out Of
| business.
"IlI send mans washing to New York
| and lend him shirt while il was gone
before I'll let anybody run me out of a
business iha. I've spent ten years in work
ing UP.
81 am not going TO send any work to San
| Jose, but I've heard some talk about il and
| don't know any reason why IL couldn't be
| done II decent rates can be had. | was in
| the laundry business in Boston for nine
! ears and we used to send work right along
| to New ork-2S0 miles or more-to the
| Troy laundries there.
| Yes, | believe most of tho commissio n
men have sold out 10 the trust and taken
| jobs as agents Some of them were making
from 500 10 SIS month, too. 1t all de-
peDds on a mans ambition and what he's
good for. Some men are like cattle-they
have no money-making ability and they re
satisfied TO get enough to eat
Il like TO be Independent and don't
want TO let anybody run me and my bust
ness. If try TO do business with the trust
| I've got to take what they offer me aud say
'thankee, sir L can't say, I've spent years
working this business up. and It's worth
more 10 me- Then il they buy me out for
whatever they see ft TO give me and they
do give me a job. don't know how soon
some fellow will want to put his wiie's
nephew in my place and I'll be told that
amt wanted any more. THIN I'd be hunt
ing a JOB at digging cobblestones. But
then L amt looking for fight, and as
say, | won't try to run the trust out OF
| business"
| 1t looks as though the trust would find a
good many little things. and perhaps some
big ones, to worry II before II succeeds in
washing all of San Francisco's dirty clothes
at lower cost and higher prices.