Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1902-03-12
ABOUT NAVAJO BLANKETS.
Former Dealer in These Articles Ex- poses an Expose of Their
 Commences.

An article was recently copied from
 the Philadelphia Post on counterfeit Navajo blankets, to which J. W. Ben
 ham, a former dealer ill these articles,
 replies in the Phenix Republican.
 Mir. Benham says:
 "In a recent edition of your valu- able paper appears an article copied
 from the Philadelphia Saturday Post,
 which is so absurd that it hardly
 merits notice, but coming from such an old and respected journal may un- settle the minds of some who have invested in Navajo rug and hence this reply.
 "The article is headed Counterfeit Blankets-Demand Exceeds the Sup ply of the Real Navajo" and in the course of the article the statement is made that the Indians are not able to get sufficient supplies of wool, that the blankets are being turned out in Germany and shipped to California in carload lots and are also being made in New Jersey, etc.
 ''In the first place the supply has for the last ten years been in excess of the demand and at no time would anyone fail to get a genuine specimen had he applied to any dealer in Navajo rugs. In the second place they are cheaper than such an article could be sold, even if it could be made in Germany and imported.
 ''In regard to their not being able to get sufficient supplies of wool, the facts are that they cannot use all the wool they grow on the backs of the thousands of sheep they have, but sell large quantities to the wool buy CTS. The amusing statement in the article is that these imitation goods are made in Germany and that other foreign country, New Jersey.
 "If the author of the article will take stroll around the Quaker City he can find a firm making rugs, which are advertised and sold as Navajos. In the fcatalogue is shown a Navajo Indian woman in front of her crude loom on partly finished rug. But this Philadelphia concern fails to show the factory or the machine that make the fraud. The work is an imi- tation only in name and colors. The weave is course and totally unlike the Navajo and only those who had never seen the genuine could be de- ceived. They may be sold in the east for Navajos, but could not be in the west; but wherever sold it is a swindle on the purchaser and a despicable attempt to rob the poor Indian woman of her only source of income.
 There are wooden mills in the coun- try making blankets which are sold to the Indians, but they are simply horse blankets or carriage rugs and are never sold as Navajos
 No two Navajo rugs are alike and the changing figures (their only writ ten language) often tell life stories of hardships and suffering that should touch the heart of the most mercen- ary. George H. Pepper of the New York museum, in recent magazine artical says: leach individual speci- men is human document"
 But few realize the labor necessary to even prepare the wool for the wrap and all familiar with the finished work wonder how ignorant savages" las we call them) can weave blankets which for beauty of design and ex- cellence of workmanship rival the most delicate products of civilized looms and for durability are un- by any other fabric. This art was not learned from us and God forgive the man who is mean enough for the sake of gain to try and rob them of the fruits of their artistic labors and substitute machine made goods, destitute of individuality and which must be duplicated lad infni- tum" to be profitable.