The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-30
MERCHANTS ON THE ALERT
BOUND TO RID THE CITY OF TRAD ING STAMPS AND COUPONS.


 Committee Not Adopted-Plenty of Dis cussion by Those Present-NIatter Re- ferrcd to President and Directors.
 The matter of abolishing the trading stamp and coupon systems In this city is thoroughly engaging the members of the Retail Merchants association. An other special meeting for the considera- tion of this matter was held last night in the dining room of the Tontine hotel. About one hundred of the leading mer- chants of the city were present. The session was lengthy and spirited, but the desired ends were not accomplished and there is no assurance that they will be speedily. Several plans were pre- sented, but many objections were found to each of them and consequently none was adopted.
 Before reading the minutes of the previous meeting Harry Leigh moved that all persons not members of the as- sociation or representing members of the association be asked to retire. It was seconded and carried. This mo- tion was aimed at the newspaper men, but President Howe decided that they were representatives of members of the association and consequently should De permitted to remain.
 The committee appointed at the pre- vious meeting to devise some plan whereby the men engaged in trading stamp and coupon business could be forced to retire from the field reported, through the chairman, MT. Kirby, as follows: Tt is voted that the officers Of the Retail Merchants association bring the matter before the city attorney and leave it in his hands"
 Edward l. Atwater stated that the re- port was vague, and as something of importance might develop during the course of the meeting, on his motion the report was tabled, and then follow ed flood of oratory, both for and against carrying the matter into court. Mr. Kirby stated that several promi- nent lawyers in the city had been con- suited by the committee and they were divided in their opinion. Some thought the association had a good case and could win others not.
 President Howe stated that through out the city much had been said both regarding prosecuting and prosecuting. "We,' he said, want to persecute the companies themselves. We are not here to draw any lines between those giving stamps and those not, but we do want to draw the line against these stamp concerns. This meeting Is not called because there are any soreheads or be- aic,"o nf 1r Win any of the merchants. If there is law in Connecticut that will punish these men am for finding it and pushing the matter to the limit. There should be no attempt to persecute any one except those who have foisted this pernicious business upon us"
 Harry Leigh said: q don't believe in prosecuting. If they have been smart enough to devise a plan, and have got us in it, let us get rid of them in some other way than in courts of law. They have been honorable with me and I want to say that I won't fight them. If you fight them you will fight me-" He suggested the plan of putting prices down to the lowest notch, so as to make the business of those handling stamps so unprofitable that they can't afford to give the stamps.
 Mir. Atwater said that he did not con- sider it advisable to enter into any plan that would compel the merchants to go to law unless necessary. He thought the Merchants association was strong enough in itself to take up such mat ters. He was of the opinion that the stamp system had been beneficial to some of the smaller concerns and they had been enabled to compete with the larger ones. Devise" he said, some plan that will benefit the merchants and not some third person"
 JeweIer Goodman again advocated the idea of having interchangeable stamps among the merchants them selves, and read lengthy explanation of a plan devised by Ansel D. Beckwith of Norwich, which Is designed to com- pete with the coupon system. This plan is to furnish all the merchants of the association with stamps at nomi- nal cost. These stamps would represent cash and would be redeemed as such by all merchants and then redeemed by the association, which would act as a clearinghouse.
 Harry I4eight said he was ready to sign an agreement not to give away any prize premiums, stamps, coupons or anything else of that nature, if all the members of the association would do so. ''If," he said, 'it is drawn up so that it can't be broken. the stamp and coupon business is bound to be killed"
 The report of the committee, which had been tabled, was then taken from the table. and after some discussion, was on motion referred back to the committee for further consideration.
 MT. Kirby, of the committee, report ed for them by saying that they had thoroughly considered the matter and that their report contained the only so- Iution to the question. The committee was then discharged with thanks.
 It was finally decided to refer the matter to the president and board of directors of the association, with the instructions to form plans best suited for the doing away with the use of trading stamps and trading coupons, in the city, without recourse to law.
 S. s. Adams was made a member of the association.