Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-01-25
DOES NOT WANT TO FORM A TRUST.

DOES NOT WANT TO FORM A TRUST.
General j. ParIse Posties Protests Against
a Gross Misrepresentation of Some Re-
marks Made by Him.
Morning News, Thursday.
TO the Editor Of the Morning Netos--
SIR; In your issue of this morning you
have an editorial article in which you
say: 1--WE have been waiting ever since
last Friday to sec what our Democratic
contemporaries would have to say con-
corning the proposition which General
j. Parke Postles made to the members
of the National Morocco Manufacturers
Association in Philadelphia last Thurs
day"
Then you go on to quote part of
what said on that occasion as follows /:
at becomes us as business men to try
honestly to arrive at some of the diff
culties besetting our trade and to seek
out as well the solution of those diff
culties. To my mind one of the great
obstacles to the successful conduct of
our business is the abnormal demand at
present for the medium grades of stock
| from which it is possible to make fine
shoes. OF medium and low grades of
| othhil lIG ohlno VIC Ouu pCll luuu
we can get at any time; Of the finer
grades it is impossible to dispose at a
| profit.
"rhe only solution of this difficulty
that see is that we snail agree among
ourselves to raise the prices of the grades
that are in demand and make them
dearer to the public. Then, if we get
| paying prices on the medium grades we
can reduce the prices on the superior
stock and put the latter into SERVICE"
You then go on to say: This sug-
gestion has oil its face proposition to
form trust to put up the price of those
| grades of skins which are in demand,
SO as to bring better profit to manu-
facturers," etc.
| Now had seen an article Of similar
tenor in one of your contemporaries,
supposed to have been written by a
former attache of the Morning NeDs;
also communication in the Philadel-
phia Press, supposedly from the same
source. considered the source of these
articles, as | presume your democratic
contemporaries" did also, and did not
deem any notice of same necessary.
But how you, Mr.. Editor, or any
honest and intelligent man could from
my remarks which you quote, arrive at
the conclusion that it was proposition
10 form trust to put up the price of
those grades of skins which are in de-
mand," ETC., is beyond my comprehen-
sion.
Had you quoted further from my re-
marks where stated that | only made
this as suggestion, not requiring any
formal action, but for the purpose of
impressing the facts upon the minds OF
the members Of the trade so that each
for himself should see the necessity of
taking such action as would remedy the
evil complained of 1t would have so
completely knocked the bottom out of
the argument of your article that on the
whole hardly think the article would
have been published.
The facts are that in this business we
fix line of prices on the various grades
of stock in accordance with our ideas of
their comparative values. The low
grades being much below cost, and the
prices advancing through the various
grades, till the best grades are reached,
which OF course are priced much above
cost, the effort being TO secure an aver
age price which will give us a margin Of
profit.
Now it is manifest that when the buy.
ers of our goods shall have demonstrated
TO us, by readily buying our medium
and lower grades, and refusing to buy
our better grades, that their ideas Of
their relative values and ours differ sc
radically, there can be but one remedy,
if the business is to be continued; and
that remedy is the REIMBURSEMENT Of
prices, by reducing the prices of the
better grades and advancing the prices
of the medium and lower grades suffi.
GENTLY to preserve the average price at q
point which shall secure a margin Of
profit
That was my suggestion, nothing
more, and nothing less, as think full
report of my remarks on the occasion
will fully prove.
If in this any one can honestly find
any proposition to form trust Or any.
thing of any such nature, then l can
only say that pity the want of intelli-
gence of that person.
That an irresponsible scribbler should
have written and procured the publica-
ton of the screeds above referred to is
possibly not surprising and is hardly
worthy of notice; but, when reputable
public journal editorially makes partial
quotation of any ones remarks and
bases upon such quotation misleading
statements and draws unwarranted con.
illusions in the attempt to make little
cheap party capital, 1t seems to the lay
mind that it is guilty of an act which
to say the least, is beneath the dignity
of reputable journalism.
Respectfully, j. PARKE PosTLEs.
| WILMINGTON, January 18th, 1894.