Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-21
THE RETAILERS
MEXICAN TON. eco COMPANY Es-
,.p,1suING MANY SMALL STORES.
SENSATIONAL CHARGES MADE.
New York Dealer Says the COM
,nv. HAD Government secret Ser
,.tcc ,Jcn Brucsht from washing
ION TO Investigate Revenue Law
violations in Ncw York
.urnIcAS ron-cco COMPANY Es,
,.nl1sHING MANY SMALL STORE!
SENSATIONAL CHARGES MADE.
,cv yor, Dealer Says the Conn

NV YORK, November @,--tspeciaLl-
-Ie Evening Post says: Tobac-
..-,s,s Of this city. as well as
May other cities IN this
,,.---v. are profoundly exercised over a
,..,s7,atic effort 10 drive them cut Of
,.sssss as IN independent selling factor,
- ,ssy arc particularly denunciative OF
-, re,hoGs being employed IN the pro-
.. company, which has opened a
-,s- 81 stores for this purpose. is said
20 d, nothing more nor less tnan a
..-,rv FOR the American Tobacco Com
nm and its subsidiary and auxiliary
,~-~s~fss commonly and collectively
rrsw.. IS The Tobacco Trust"
--a American Tobacco Company,
,,yover. claims that it does not own this
...,,t,.e corporation. For their part TIE
80 dealers assert insistently that the
c. save company is, IN fact, new and
rsrs-s;l ADDITION TO the machinery OF
-. rs-acco trust; that actually. though
,s-aaus rot osteusibly, the trust has,
= 7ee effective way, secured a controll-
i-r5rlerest and its resources arc behind
3D. movement TO secure a monopoly OF
fhe retail, Jrada.
rt e Lane, q prominent downtown
s-at.-r SAWS that James 2. Duke, presi-
re- 81 the American Tobacco Company
a. 45v-ttted that the American Tobacco
rrr-ary is extending longer and greater
--esf. 10 This northumberland combina-
.l7n Of stores. and is giving security for
ear7e Of The rents; and whatever may be
ms real ownership Of the company III
oaee,ioa. it is certain that 1t has potent
tgrg.rr such as is derived not from pro-
rioters with reasonable capital, but from
some source Of great power. The oul-
law So far has been of a lavish nature,
s.afcIert TO imply that there is a logged
rvr7ese 10 crush out the independent
retailer even at the initial loss Of mil
Ions ot dollars. no mere tentative com
rarv could stand this steady expenditure,
psieh every day increases
About trirty-tive of these stores have
bean opened in New York and many
others in these cities, 50 far as can be
learned: Jersey City. Newark. Albany,
Rochester, Syracuse. Boston, Providence,
Philadelphia Baltimore. Washington,
Chicago, and Kansas CIty.
Every week witnesses extension of the
tys,em in New York and other cities; new
81 res are placed in neighborhoods pre-
r.TtSlN not covered ana II Is SNi'Sttti
the: such profitable cities as have not
taea already Included will be soon or
tha list.
Bv this time the American Tobacco
Company had control OF almost every
.-.icle that the tobacco needs, Two
l5ngs * did not control--T1rkish tobacco.
aIudirg Turkish cigarettes, and briar
ines Eat present it is said the agents
ii the American Tobacco Company is
curing Europe, buying Up both raw and
rurkish tobacco, and Turkish cigarettes
7aving unprecedented prices SO as to
inmate all effective competition AS
i5r briar pipes, a company called the
tfa-!attan Briar Pipe Company was in
corporated with q car / Of S2o90,oa1
three wees ago. The ~porators and
directors Of this compa ii is alleged,
age all employees of the American To-
taroo Company.
With the idea Of protecting themselves,
about four hundred retailers in TINS city
have formed an association. One Of the
principal officers Of the association
described the movement 1c force out the
iu5anerdenT retailers He makes sensa-
uauai charges, such as the following:
kaceatlN, at tie bchest Of some one.
sSrv International revenue officers We're
Suddenly Gctaiied TO this city to make the
r1@ads Of the retailers. Now, 1t is al
5eEaa-and / speak advisedly-i1at these
ot5rsrs went to the offices of the American
7 4acCo Company, No. III Fifth avenue,
and thare received directions and also
money With which 10 prosecute their
search