The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-04
TO DRIVE OUT BIG STORES.
oHICAGO's WAR ON THE DEPART
NEWT SHOPS IN THAT CITY.

sr,u p.,,.-, as,,t IN Cali Tor the Enrorce-
mont or tho Ord,nnnce Forbidding the
stores 60 Operate as at Present-The HIS
tory Of the movement TO Cheek Trade There.
CHICAGO, Nov. s.-wsr has been declared
against Chicago's great department stores by
the smaller traders OF the city. inc department.
stores, they say. threaten to ruin every small
tradcsman in Chicago by n system OF selling at
cut rates, tho concentration Of many lines OF
business under one roof, and tho reduction
thereby OF tho cost o. operating the stores
Some Of the larger stores In Chicago have
from 90 to $50 departments. and custom
crs may buy in them almost anything from
a diamond necklace to a ton OF coal. 1hey
operate groceries, meat markets, banks, oaroer
shops, dental offices, and soil dogs, piros' oioy-
Giles, horses and harness; they make PHOTO
graphs, give music lessons and run employment
agencies whore domestic and other help may 90
obtained. In fact, there Ia no industry unknown
to the Chicago department stores. Their - par
gain days have caused the small retailers
countless heartaches. and as the uptown
merchants have watched their customers go by
for tho bargain counters, they decided That
something must DO done.
With this end in view they formed the COOK
County Business Mems Protective Association,
and branches wero organized in the three large
divisions of tho city. The membership swellod
to about 6,000. Tho association tried to stop
the department store evil by legislation. A bill
was prepared. the provisions of which were
that no man. or firm, should conduct
more than one line Of business under. one roof
and within, four walls. II. graded the art OF
merchandising into about sixty groups. Grocers
were TO DO allowed to sell some articles which
did not strictly come under the head OF
groceries. Butchers were to have similar small
privileges, but they were not. to go beyond
Under the provisions Of this bill such firms az
Sicgcl, Cooper & Co, The Fair, and A.; N. 10th.
$I6O, 900 annually in license fees. besides going to
the r expense of erecting partition walls
to inclose each branch OF their business. A mass
committe &c Of 800 was appointed, which made q
trip to Springfield. headed by n brass band. A.
Springfield the committee was left in tho cold,
for the Legislature refused TO pass tho bill,
Two ordinances were then prepared and pre-
The ordinances prohibit the sale of meats and
provisions and wines and liquors in the same
e s,GSlish anS io1 II w Msrr6 dry goods foT ,S Snd of ksndTeS
coming shortly the traders say: 1t ISL Is in
Committees will be appointed Who. will Z,
about among the cstabli shments of alleged
and gather evidence against them. These SAM
committees will then appear in the courts a
ppbseryancc of the measures has been set at from
$25 to 5000. In case OF conviction the associatiol
will lay claim to half the amount of the fine, TIT
| OliCT phll inns ~ alp Nv S"oN
The association already has q sponsor In thu
office of the Corporation Counsel. and 1t is thu
intention to engage the services OF u lawyer 1
work in cooperation with him. No suits hav
been begun as yet against the department stor
proprietors, although the ordinances are vic
lated in every department store daily.
It is intended TO organize in wards and max
the branches of the Cook County Business Men
Protective Association q powerful factor j
politics and in shaping legislation. The Exc
utive Council will appoint, one member OF tn
association to serve as the director for enc
OF the following purposes: Organization, pull
licity, authorizations. child labor, trade an
labor relations, relations to the profe'
forcement of laws, and political actor
Members of the organization will cooperate l
competition with the big stores; they will hav
bargain days" and advertise in the new
papers, and will make war against food adu
t~eratiop, and will try to secure the en- forcemer
of statutes and ordinances designed to "protct
the lives and health of tho public against II
monopolies and misrepresentation Of the d
pnrtment stores
Meantime the department stores continue
their violations of the ordinances, which the
declare won't hold water"