The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-29
Retailers Everywhere to Make n Des-
perate Fight to Prevent Annihila-
tiOn of Their Business.
FEATURES OF THE STRUGGLE
TRUST SEEMINGLY DETERMINED TO
DESTROY COMPETITION.
Retailers to Have Powerful Backing
Fight May Last for Many Months,
Possibly Years.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2s.-That the great to-
bacco trust is determined to wage relentless
war on retailers who do not agree to handle
only the combinations goods is becoming
more apparent every day. The Commercial
says: "A peculiar situation exists in the
tobacco trade and out of Ii threatens to
grow a trade war such as would seem i'm
possible in any other industry. The move
ment of the retail cigar and tobacco dealers
in opposition to the group of companies
connected with the American Tobacco Com
pany. and called cole ctively the trust, is
caily assuming force, and while the ulti-
mate result must remain in doubt for
many months, perhaps years, it is already
clear that there is to be a desperate strug
gle for that most valuable factor in all bus
mess success-access to the consumer.
.'The tobacco combine is almost the only
one of the trusts. and certainly the most
important. to plan the annihilation of the
retail dealer. A peculiar feature of the
fight is that the ownership or financial
backing of the chain of retail stores which
has started the trouble cannot be fastened
on the trust or any one connected with
ii to a certainty. But men who have grown
gray in the tobacco business say it would be
lmDOSS1Dll1Iy
The combine stores, even granting they pos
sessed unlimited resources, to obtain their
enormous stocks of combine-made articles
without having very friendly relations with
combine.
"On its side the United Cigar Stores Com
pany. through c. A Whaen. the chief in
terest i'm it, persists in denying ii has the
remotest affiliation with the trust, or is in
any way dependent upon its favor. II main
tains that il handles trust and antitrust
goods with strict impartiality, but 1nspec-
ton of its stores and experience OF its
methods of sale do not bear out TINS asser,
tobacco made by the combine companies are
the articles featured in the show windows
and offered at bargain prices
1T Is the unvarying testimony or retail
ers that the trust has completely wiped out
the independent jobbers. so far as the
marketing of its goods are concerned one
of the chief jobbing houses In New York,
Bentheim Bros, was transformed into the
METROPOLITAN Tobacco Company. from which
every DOund Of tobacco or whatsoever kind
or form the retailers desire 10 buy from
the combine companies must be bought.
,'he American Tobacco Company no longer
sells directly 10 even the largest retailer,
but refers all his inquiries tC the Metro
poiitan Tobacco Company. The same thing
has been done in every large city In the
country: .o,,,.e> ,,,r,,,,.o.,,u.
of whom there are said TO be upward of
100 In the country. observe the uprising of
the retailers with the greatest satisfaction
and are ACCORDING 10 IL every dSSiSldHCe III
their rover Heretofore their sales have
constantly decreased. account of the
terms on which the combine has offered its
goods.
Some idea of the immense resources Of
the Dukes and the utter abandon with
which they enter upon a trade war is af
forded by their course in securing absolute
dictatorship of plug tobacco. 1t is common
knowledge, tacitly admitted by officers of
the combine that in this little affair the
Dukes spent 100000 and within a short
term OF years after all opposition had been
conquered realized a profit of $4,000. .0o0
Herein lies the strength of the combine
Its whole policy from the beginning has
been to make one source of revenue abso-
lutely its own and then to proceed with
the money made there to conquer other
fields. In plug tobacco, smoking tobacco
and cigarettes the combine is making mil
lions But in the view of the trade. Ii has
vet to bring out a fairly successful brand
of cigars. IL Is now spending an amazing
amount of money in the effort 10 establish
its cigars and TO drive from the field all the
| numerous private brands, which have so
strong hold each brand on its own local
patronage. Ii was principally for this pur-
pose. IL Is said, that the United Cigar Stores
Company was organized.
"The plans Of the Retail Tobacco Dealers