Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1900-03-15
Mr.. a. $. Taylor,

Mr.. a. $. Taylor,
Aberdeen, Wash:
Dear Sir-Upon my return from the
East Il few days ago my attention was
called to your idiotic article which ap-
pears in the Aberdeen Herald of Jan. 4,
wherein you quote what you believe to
be the Wholesale cost OF Kimball and
other pianos handled by me.
II the kimball piano, which received
highest honors at the Worlds Fair, an,!
also at Omaha, over all competing in.
struments. and which is to-day uni
versaIy recognized as one of the very
few great American pianos, and which is
used and endorsed by more OF the great
est musicians living than any other; il
this Kimball piano, which is certainly
the equal OF your best piano, costs what
YOU say it does, how can you ever hope
to lnduce an intelligent public to pay you
the price you are said to be asking for
the knabe piano. And, according to
your argument, such ordinary makes as
Fischer, which you are selling, can not
cost to exceed $4S. Fischer pianos, the
Musical Courier states distinctly in it's
last issue, are inferior to even such third
grade pianos as the Schubert, and there
fore not worth one-third the price OF a
klmball. SO, according to youi own
statement, that piano costs you, as stated
before, $4S; and, going still further, such
cheap makes as Howard, Kingsbury and
Ludwig pianos, which you have been
selling for as much as $l65, 1885, and
5000, must therefore cost at the factory
not to exceed 500 or $25. The absurdity
OF your statement is thus plainly appar
emf. and an intelligent public will easily
discern the true cause of such an unjust,
unprincipled and previously unheard Of
attack against a competitor ia trade, as
it plainly indicates your inability to
fairly and honorably compete with him.
But, as my failure to take notice of such
an interruptions action on your part
might in some quarters be misconstrued,
feel called upon to demand proper
:. sdress.
"a, A,s.Gg .g.H. yous advertisement is
& ticle they inform me that this is not
so, and that you have 80 adroitly con-
structed your article, that while the pub
lie may be led to believe that this Port
land house is responsible for it, such is
not the case. They have also informed
Inc distinctly that they are not RESPONSE
bic for your acts, that You are not their
general agent, but simply agent for the
sale Of pianos which you get from them
on consignment or commission. The
Herald has also stated that the article
was simply a paid advertisement, aud
that they disclaim all authority and
responsibility for it's publication. And
now as you yourself are perfectly ire
sponsibIe, so far as being held to account
in civil court OF law, there remains for
me but one recourse.
In Justice, however, to the manufac'
turers whose pianos you so unfortunately
represent, and who would be far from
countenancing the unfair methods you
have esloused in this case, and who
would suffer more or less by an exposure
OF their prices here, and for this reason
only | feel it their due to here state that
if proper retraction is made at once, and
this retraction ia published as conspicu.
ously as the article in question was pub
lished. the course propose to adopt may
be spared.
But Justice must be done without
equivocation and done quickly, and nc
such libelous charges against me or the
instruments l represent, either now OF
hereafter, will pass unpublished. l await
therefore, your immediate reply, and
remain, Yours very truly,
II 8 J0HNSTON