Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-01-15
4 STA.TEI!M.IEI 4. !! N. ENT Il.l
1u Reply to An Article By Mir.
 Gus Blass, of Little Rock

The following appeared in last Sundays GRApHIo:
 IS IT ANOTHER FAKE?
 The local management of the Great Red Store has announced another great clearing sale in order to close out and quit business in Pine Bluff. It will be remembered that this same house about year aoo made a very similar announce ment. but after working the scheme ; for all it was worth suddenly altered their oft-declaimed deter mination and decided to continue business here. The second amour cement of this nature is therefore received by the public with a large degree of justifable skepticism. # People are wondering if it is another advertising dodge. Abraham Lin eoln is credited with once having said that "you can fool all the people some of the time, and some < of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time. But the aforesaid institu- tion is not as wise as the great old commoner from Illinois, hence has not yet learned that you cart t humbug the people more than once.
 We invite a close inspection and reading of the above.
 It will be observed that nowhere therein is the name of Mr. Gus Bluss, the propritor of the Red Store, mentioned. On the con trary the piece refers entirely to the local management of the in- stituton.
 It will be remembered that about d year ago this same house amour eed that it would leave Pine Bluff, but subsequently, that determine ton was changed and the institu ton remained. It was but natural, therefore, in view of the history of that house in this town, that the second announcement of Gus Blass x Co, of their intention to remove their stock Of goods to Little Rock should be received by the public with great deal of incredulity These announcements, whether true or untrue, are calculated to greatly damage the commercial intrests of our city and cause people not familiar with the circumstances to believe that this is a dead town. Such announcements also work great hardship upon our resident and permanent citizens, who cannot resort to the practice of adver- tising an annual removal sale.
 The GRAPHIC is ever a sentinel on the watch tower to guard the commercial interests of this city. When, therefore, the announce nent was again made by Gus Blass A& Co.,, last week that they would quit business in Pine Bluff, specula- ton was rife as to whether it was a bona fide announcement or whether it was another advertising dodge to catch the unwary Indeed, for a while it was the talk of the town, and the GRAPHIC, in the "pieceo above quoted, simply put into cold hard type and black ink the com mon tall" and speculations of our people, for which we offer neither excuse or apology. The GRAPHIC is under no obligations whatever to Gus Blass & Co.,, and it in no manner felt constrained to sheild that firm from the suspicion which their announcement naturally created.
 Notwithstanding the original "piece' in no manner mentioned the name of Mir. Gus Blass, of Little Rock, and shielded him be hind the local management" he E nevertheless saw proper to construe 1t as an "attaclxp on his honesty and integrity, "a construction entirely foreign to the piece which Mr. Blass would not dignify by designating it an article"-and replied thereto with communion tion to an evening contemporary which was nothing short of a personal assault on the editor oi the GRAPHIC and in which he at temps to hold the editor of this