The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-07

project in motion, an important
communication from the stogle manu-
facturers and worl1men of Wheeling
will be presented for the consideration
Of the chamber. The stogie people de-
sire the assistance and cooperation OF
the chamber in organizing the Wheel
ing manufacturers into a central board.
whose principal work will be the en-
forcement of the recent decision by
Judge Colt, of the United States dis
trict court in Massachusetts,, by which
It Is ruled that no manufacturer Of
stogles outside of Wheeling can legally
use the words wheeling or Wheel
ing stogies" on his goods. The COM
munlcation is as follows:
To the Chamber of Commerce. Wheeling,
". Va.
GENTLEAiEN:-In response to
call issued by few cigar manufactur-
ers Of this city for u general meeting Of
all the stogie manufacturers Of Wheel
ing, a meeting was held at the stamm
hotel on the 18th inst, in which but
small percentage of firms were repre-
scented.
owing to the apparent Indifference on
the part of many who should have at
tended that meeting, it was suggested
that the matter be referred to your
honorable body, asking you to take
such action In the premises as the
merits Of the case will suggest, and for
the purpose Of communicating these
matters to you the undersigned com
mlttee was appointed to confer with
you on the subject.
1t is not known generally to what i'm
portance or extent the manufacture Of
the stogle has grown, and only upon
statistics can It be realized.
The name of the Wheeling stogle"
is known from one ocean to the other.
its manufacturers having worked many
years to establish this reputation, and
in recent years other makers, outside OF
the pale Of our city have encroached
upon our rights by making inferior
cigars and branding them Wheeling
stogies." This kind Of business has
been carried on to such an extent that
It is estimated that II all the cigars
sold under this brand or title were ac-
tually made in Wheeling, 1t would re-
qulre more than five times the work
men that are actually employed here to
do the work. This will give you some
idea Of what we are compelled to con-
tend with.
This unfair dealing has been carried
on for many years, and finally be-
came so great that some action on our
part had to be taken, and few Of the
larger firms, together with the organi-
cation, the stogie Makers Union, Joined
issues and applied to the United States
court in Massachusetts, for an lnjunc-
ton restraining one manufacturer Of
Boston from using the word wheel
ing" or wheeling stogies" on cigars
otherwise than those made in this city.
Judge Colt, OF said court, granted our
prayer, and to-day the matter is in our
hands to use 1t as the law permits and
directs.
Our object is to organize the cigar
manufacturers into a self-sustalnlng
board, but all efforts on our part made
in the past have failed to reach that
which we desired, and the opinion OF
those present at the meeting of the 18th
inst. was, that, II the matter was refer
red to the chamber of commerce that
the help Of that body might have more
weight and bring the stogie men to a
realization of the Importance of the
move. as an action taken by an outside
party would probably have greater eff
feet.
What we desire is to have you call
the stogie manufacturers Of Wheeling
together at your chamber and explain
to them the Importance of concerted
action, and endeavor to get them to
form an association for their self-pro-
lection; adopt laws governing same,
with plan for raising funds to carry
the matter along.
The following figures are taken from
the books of the United States internal
revenue office and the records Of Car
field Assembly. OF the National Stogie
Makers Union. of Wheeling, and will
give you some idea of the extent of the
cigar business,
The number of men employed in
making cigars In Wheeling is between
400 and $50. This does not include the
boys and girls employed In stripping
and otherwise handling the tobacco and
the cigars. OF the latter there are from
200 to $50.
The number OF cigars made In Wheel.
ing for the year from July l, 1898, to
June 80, 1899, as per revenue report, was
56H million.
The amount of revenue tax was 50 60
per thousand. or S2O2,5OO.
The amount of wages paid averaged
50 10 per day, or f2lO,937 so.
Nearly all OF these cigars are packed
in boxes Of one hundred each, requiring
5s7 800 boxes, which boxes are also made
in wheeling; and II packed In cases Of
10 900 each, would require 5,625 cases. 1t
would require about 124 cars to bring
in the raw material, and about ninety
three cars to cnrry away the stogies.
These figures do not include the
workmen or the tobacco made for
chewing purposes, but in the manufac-
ture OF stogles only.
We leave this matter for your consId-
Grafton, trusting you will give same
your early attention, and In the mean