New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-22
STANCHFIELD AGAIN ANSWERED.
B. ]. GREENHUT ON THE DEPARTMENT
STORE AS AN ISSUE.

B. J. Greenhut of the firm OF the elesel-Coopei
Company, at Eighteenth-st ana SlXth-aNe' says
that of the four members OF the nrm Two are
Democrats and that the crusade against depart
rnen+ stores begun by John B. Stanchfeld, Demo-
cratic candidate for Governor, is regarded ridcu-
lous by his firm.
eft looks TO me like exemplification of the
old saving that a drowning will catch at
straws" said Mr.. Greenhut to a Tribune reporter
Yesterday afternoon. Probably Mr.. Stanchheld
finds vote getting hard work, and he has begun the
agitation against department stores in order to win
Il few extra votes. I surprised that a lawyer of
his standing and intelligence should do such a
thing I cordially indorse the views of Robert c.
Ogden and Nathan Straus. read the article in The
Tribune to-day, and It seems to that Mr.. Straus
has sized the situation up about right.
IF there not public demand for large
store like in this city Mr.. Stanchfeld can
rest assured that 1t would not be here, We are
successful because the people find 1t to their ad-
vantage TO patronize us. A department store is
no more like trust than daylight is like dark
ness. They are different in their very natures. A
trust in the hands OF INSCRIPTIONS men seeks to
make money by raising prices. A department
store does nothing OF the kind. The steady ten
dency in the department store is to reduce prices
to the consumer If fifteen twenty of the largest
department stores in this city should make an
agreement to put up the prices of dress goods 10
cents yard. how long do you suppose their prices
would hold? We might do It a few days. but we
wouldn't sell any goods to speak of. The law OF
Eravitaton in margins would settle the problem
once. Other concerns would see to it that we Sc
cured such profits. Competitors would rush in
their goods and would be worse off than we
were in the beginning in the loss of good GUS
toners
There great deal of agitation against de-
partment stores in Chicago following the Worlds
Fair. Thousands of shOpkeepers rushed in there
and established small stores. The fair visitors did
not visit the Exposition to buy goods but to see
the fair, and the fair was over these
small shopkeepers failed In business by the score
1t was simply of there being no customers
for them. The department stores were blamed by
the real estate for the downfall of the small
shopkeepers. But you can't indict whole people,
The department stores used compulsion. The
people went where they liked to trade
"If Mr. StanchheId should come to me and in
following up the logic of his attack on depart
stores say that our store was conducted on
iiegtimate lines and that methods would not
bear a close inspection, 1 should tell him that he
crazy. No would take such posi-
tion unless some political motive inspired him.
could take Mr.. Stanchfeld around this city and
show him scores and hundreds of new small stores
where the proprietors making a good living
and making as much money on the capital In
vested as the big department stores.
1T is largely question of brains. If the small
Storekeeper knows his business and keeps his eX-
penses down and uses good judgment in buying
his stocks, he can get along and make money
Thousands Of small dealers doing this in this
city, and their number is increasing all the time
The streets each side of Fifth-ave. and Broad
fact. Mr. StanChfeld knows this well enough IL
he has looked around He simply wants the votes
and he IS attacking the department stores because
he thinks he can get few extra votes by so
doing