The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-24
Trade Would BE Utterly DemOralixed,
They Say, Should the Trust
Get a FOOthOld.
OTHER CITIES ORGANIZING
NATIONAL DEFENSIVE ASSOCIATION
MAY BE FORMED.
Tobacco Men All Over the Country
Aroused by Trusts Sinister Meth
Ods-Plan Outlined.

erS will doubtless have an organization
formed before the week is over. S. d. Pier
son said yesterday that an organization
had already been talked of by number,
and that meeting would be held to discuss
the necessity. The organization will be de-
fensive in its character and will have but
one object, primarily, that of preventing
aggressions in the retail trade by the United
Stores Cigar Company.
1t is not the purpose to divert the atten-
tion of the retailers from this end. The
organizations formed in forty other cities
have been offered affiliation with other or
ganizations, but have kept their own iso-
lated and concentrated on the protection
of the retail dealer alone. The work of
organization has been undertaken by Z.
w. Roth, editor of the Retailers Journal.
Thursday night Philadelphia organized an
association with 400 members, and last week
Detroit dealers organized with about the
same number. Mr.. Roth advises keeping
the purpose single and not permitting any
extraneous subject to be brought in.
Local dealers generally commend the or
ganization idea. Louis G. Deschler, while
not believing that the United Stores Com
pany has any serious intention of invading
this field, believes it is to the interest of the
retailers to be organized as a precaution.
Mr.. Deschler is not at present concerned
about the danger of the jobbers in cigars.
lie is the State representative sof kerbs,
Wertheim & Schiller, the largest cigar bus
iness in the world. 1t has no fears of the
trust and has so far resisted all efforts of
the American Cigar Company to acquire it,
Mr.. Deschler thinks it is the most powerful
boc ;t
tically impregnable.
TRUSTS BIG RIVAL.
'The trusts practice" said he, sis to
enter city and make offers for the most
profitable retail stores. Failing, they threat
EN- the owners. If threats fail they open
competitive stores. L have not been ap-
preached with an offer, although l have
heard that representatives of the United
Stores Company had been here, that they
had made offers for locations. Last August
L was at the house of Mr.. Wertheim at
Long Branch when ths newspapers printed
| Schiller to the trust. Mr.. Wertheim tele-
graphed his denial of it and repudiated the
whole story and also declared that the busi-
has serious problem before it in conquer
| ing the cigar trade. There are so many
| factories, large ones, that can supply the
! trade that the American Cigar Company
| has gigantic task before 1t.
II do not believe there will be serious
| invasion Of the local retail field Sam Pier
son, John Rauch and others have talked
about an organization, and there is prob
| ability that one will be formed"
s. d. Pierson has terminated all his deal
ings with the American Cigar Company.
| He says the company has method of deal
ing with all cigar distributors instead of
| having one in each district as the policy of
| the companies forming the cigar trust pro-
| vided. He regards the tactics of the trust
| in the cigar branch as indicating that it is
practically beaten. 1t attempted to dictate
to the jobbers after il acquired many of
the large factories. Mr.. Pierson says it
| proceeded on the theory that If ii bought
| the factories the jobbers were thrown in.
| But they rebelled and as result the job
bing trade is seeking new factories and
encouraging the independent business He
] thinks their course a desperate one and
| bound to end in disaster for the American
| Cigar Company. I'm plug tobacco, smok-
ing tobacco and cigarettes he said. their
conquest was far different. 1t takes large
| capital to go into either business. But in
/ the cigar business it does not require much
| capital and If the American company keeps
on it will find the jobber and retailer push
| ing Independent goods and will find that
| fast il may acquire big cigar busi-
nesses others will develop, so that it will
have an endless task.
DEMORALIZED TRADE.
Paul c. Gall says there is not much fear
| of the trust through the United Stores
Company controlling local trade as there is
that it might demoralize it. If it brought
the fight into this city it would mean losses
generally TO the retailers. For this reason
| he believes the retailers should organize
and prepare to stop the invasion at the
outset. He says the cigar trust can never
| control the business. On the Pacific coast he
says, there are large tobacco factories de.
veloping and they will prove immediat tt
check to the aggressions of the tobacco
trust, as they will use the Pacific tobacco.
| The retailers of Chicago have made their
organization the parent branch of the ma
tional organization and after other cities
| have organized a national meeting will be
held. The constitution of this national or
| ganization provides for the first meetine
! the second Friday In next January The
strongest move by the Chicago retailers
has been their agreement with the Ken
| lucky, Ohio and Indiana Tobacco Growers
Association, said to have 1000 members
| who agree to sell their entire crop TO tn,
i Independent factories. These growers hav,
organized the Tobacco Growers Associa
ton at Lexington. KY. with s1,e0000 ca pi
tai stock. The Chicago organization ha.
also brought the machinery of the fedora
court TO its aid and Illegally stamped trust
made goods are being seized. 1t is now pre-
pared to wage q legal battle all along tn,
line with the trust and has brought to il
aid all the independent factories OF Ken
| tu2ky and Indiana