El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-27
DOOM OF
THE STAMPS
Druggists Declare Against
Them And Others Will
Follow
is A TRUST SCHEME
So Prominent Attorneys
Think--A Meeting Of In
terested Merchants
To Be Held

There has been much discussion
comment aud complaint among Ell Paso
merchants regarding the premium
stamp evil. A way to avoid using them
h as aslest been found in the declaration
the company furtbering the scheme is
am nable to the state antitrust law.
All merchants using the stamps will
meet today or tomorrow to take action
looking to an abandonment of the
scheme by Jan. 1, 1900.
The premium stamp question has
come to crisis with one branch of
the trade at least. In another column
appears the notice of the druggists of
the city who, at a meeting yesterday
afternoon, decided that after the first
of the year they would no longer han
die the stamps.
This action was taken in spite of
the fact thst they. or at least many of
them, hold written contracts with the
stamp company, aud was
done after consultation
with their attorneys. Burgess and
Turney.
''Our reasons" said a prominent
that we do not propose longer to let a
foreign concern come in here, and
without sdequate recompense of any
sort to US, make US pay them one
sixth of our profits, and this is just
what these people are doing.
They do not increase business.
They compel US either to suffer loss
in our profits, or to raise prices, and.
worst of all, it leads to cutting In
prices by other firms not in the stamp
ring, and consequent decentralization
of prices"
STAMP PEOPLES STATEMENT.
James Carruthers, manager of the
local agency of the Cooperative Pre-
MUM company, had this to say:
''Our business is a perfectly legi.
innate one. We are the members of
an association which has stores all
over the country and which have been
successful. Our headquarters are in
Kansas City, and our manager there
visits US here once a year at least. We
give good thing to the merchants as
an advertising medium and as a col
lection agency. If a man comes in to
pay bill, say of S25, and pays it all,
the merchant gives him stamps. If he
pays only part he gets no stamps;
hence he pays all.
"For these stamps we give presents
nir 90
We charge the merchant s25 for book
of 5000 stamps or five per cent, and
he gives stamp with every ten cents
worth OF goods. We collect from him
every week for the stamps given out
during the week.
AN ATTORNEYS OPINION.
"Our advice to the druggists to
abandon the stamp scheme" said w.
b. Burgess of the firm OF Turney &
Burgess this morning, sis based on re-
of the stamp company
tself in connection with the antitrust |
aw of the state Of Texas. They offer
I'd to some merchants exclusive con-
tracts, which by the way, they never
S0NC, du0 euOlT pTIlClphl luu uCSm0QG
Ill along has been the fact that the
lsers of stamps would drive out com.
"TherefOre, they are amenable,
Ifter Dec. 81, 1899, to Dec. of chap
er 146, of the general laws of Texas
or 1899, which says-'if any person.
company, ETC., shall with the intent or
purpose of driving out competition or
or the purpose of financially injuring
ompetitors, sell within this state at
ess than cost of manufacture-or sell
q such a way or give away within
his state. their products sfor the
urpose of driving out competition, or
nancially injuring competitors en-
aged in similar business, said person,
r company, etc., shall be deemed
Utility of a conspiracy to form or
ecure trust or monopoly in restraint