Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-03-01

aeainst the American Book Company Of
wickedness and extortion of every conceiva-
BILE kind are nothing less than the insane raw
ings of mailman.
AS TO A TRUST AND MONOPOLY.
The following are quoted as gems from the
Norfolk Pilot:
"a trust may be defined as an unjust and
Illegal organization effected for the purpose
of crushing out competition, and of exactina
from customers, in the absence of COMPETE
ton. exorbitant and unreasonable prices. -
~'One of the greatest and most corrupt mo-
nopolies ever known in this country
'Gorgon-headed vampire of all the trusts
that has fastened its beak in the very bosom
of Virginia. lsT
"Foul cormorant of a corporation
"Rapacity of greedy and extortionate
monopoly
sGigantic monopoly and monster
'Frontless, brazen, and cynical impu-
dence."
"Mal-OdOrOuS and mercileSS.'
OCdly GU NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
All this is certainly tragedy become comic
We are, indeed, corporation, but one duly
organized, legal, lawful, and law abiding
It is not shown or proved that we are unjust
We have not exacted "exhorbitant and uncon.
scionable prices. I'VE are selling books cheaper
than our predecessors, and cheaper than oul
present competitors. We employ labor at fail
prices; we buy and sell at fair prices, no
buying goods or obtaining market under
false pretences. and always honestly and
promptly paying our debts. We earnestly
by all our skill and means endeavor to pro
duce it, and supply it to the people. The
country is still free. Those who like oul
books and want them. buy them.
We have not even made beginning in
s.crushing out competition" This is plainly
and painfully enough shown by the showers
of SANDER and abuse our competitors are be
slowing upon us through such of the news
papers as will afford them this advertising
We are not gorgon-headed" nor a IVAN
pire," and we have no "beak." Neither are
we 'cormorant," nor ''monster," nor a
"scaly boa-constrictor.' In fact, we are JUS
plain everyday folks; not undertaking t(
reform other people, but minding our owl
business, and letting things alone that we
know nothing about, and endeavoring to pub
lish and sell good school books.
We are not sorganized to control the
school-book business but to pursue it and
promote it; not to injure the schools, but to
supply them with the best books and build
them up.
In the same breath we are charged with
raising prices, compelling the public to pay
more than ever before, and with reducing
prices to crush out the competition OF smaller
houses. We respectfully submit that it il
impossible we should be doing both these
things at the same time.
THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR PRICES.
4 Up to $780,; when the American Book Com
pany was formed, it had been the universal
custom of all school-book publishers to lis
their books at what were known as whole
sale trade" prices. The prices by mail, post
paid, were uniformly the wholesale list
prices with one-sixth of the price added tt
provide for postage. No concerted attemp
had ever been made to control the retail
prices at which school books were sold to pu
pills. Amid many and conflicting interest:
such control could not be accomplished. In
many localities from SO to Is per cent. wa:
added to the wholesale list price by the loca
dealer this formed a Just cause of complaint
of exorbitant retail prices.
The American Book Company, as soon as
it was organized for business, determined to
relieve its patrons from the burden of thes,
too high retail prices, and they hoped in thi:
movement the public would recognize de
termination to serve their interests. Tit
greatest discount previously given to larg,
dealers and Boards of Education was 162a pei
cent. They announced that their future dis
count to large dealers, and to Boards OF Edu
cation authorized to purchase, would be in
creased to 20 per cent, on condition that deal
ers should cooperate to furnish their book
at retail to the pupils at the wholesale lis
prices.
The one and leading aim in respect tt
prices, which has been constantly adhered tt
by the American Book Company from thai
time until now, has been to insure, so far a!
it is in its power, the placing of its publica
tons in the hands of actual consumers, at the
trade list prices. One of the most potent in
fuences to effect this change was to advertise
everywhere that any of its publications would
be sent free by mail on receipt of list price
abolishing the One-sixth additional to the lis
price which had previously been required t.
pay postage.
To accomplish this great object, the max
ing of our former wholesale prices the pres
ent retail prices, we have not only made tn
discount of 20 per cent. above named; but il
special cases we have incurred very consid
cradle expense to arrange with large job
beers of books or with repositories establish
ed under direction of law, OF with Board
of Education, to insure better distribu
ton of our publications in every re
gion. no matter how remote or difficult of &C
cess, lat prices which should not be beyond
our published wholesale prices.
In establishing this new retail rate, tn
American Book Company, in the ways ex
planned above. has secured to the people {
practical reduction in the retail prices OF
school books of from 33 to Is per cent, fol
which action it would seem to deserve credi
and not abuse.
VARYING RETAIL PRICES IN DIFFERENT
STATES ARE DUE TO VARYING LAWS AND
OTHER CONDITIONS.
In different States and under different laws
various methods of reaching this one and the
same general end in respect to prices have
been made use of; but amid all the differen-
ces, these two leading statements are abso
lutely true:
l. We have given to the prime purchasing
agencies in each of the States where we have
State contracts, substantially the same high.
est discount and special concessions for hand
ling and distributing our books.
2. While it is manifestly impossible fol
this company to follow each one of its books
into the hands of the consumer, absolutely
insuring it shall reach him at certain price,
it has eXerted all it's influence and power to
bring about low. just, and uniform rates in
the manner above described. And whatever
differences in retail rates may at present pre-.
vail in different parts Of the country, cannot
with anv consistency or iustice he cha ropd to