Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-04-03

mon decency he should include him
amongst those who were robbing the
public and growing rich selling nails
But as fact Mr.. White putting in a
stock had nothing to do with the
Durango selling price. but was en-
tirely owing to decline in value of
uails at 5cts. lb. before Mr.. White
put in a stock. He mad just as well
accuse White and all of us of re-
newed robbery because he and all
the dealers sold nails last summer
and fall from soc to to 75c a keg
higher than we did in January, 1902.
Nails cost us less and that was all
there was to it Mr. Day, why don't
you try to tell the truth? You knew
the facts are as above stated. for you
had the matter explained to you be-
fore, and in making the statement as
YOU do you are deliberately making
effort to deceive the public. But |
am not surprised at the fact of your
doing so when you confess yourself
so lost to all sense of honor that you
tried to impersonate one of my
clerks at the phone and thus obtain
Information of any private arrange
nent which might exist between my
competitor and myself Why a man
who would do such thing would
open anothers private letters, and
would stoop to anything which was
low and underhanded, and it seems to
me that even were you guilty of it
he most ordinary sense of shame
would prevent your publicly confess
ing it. No, don't believe that even
of you. for | know the facts as stated
are false for | have never had a gen
eral agreement as to prices with Mr..
Chapman or any one else. Two or
three times the hardware men have
agreed not to put such staples as
nails and wire below a price which
would leave a very small margin
above the cost of handling, but moth
ng even approaching a general agree
ment has ever existed. But speak
ing about prices it occurs to me that
YOU once told me you had telephoned
10 your present Pet and also to my
self for prices on some leather belt |
and that his prices We're somewhere |
about so per cent higher than mine. |
You make the assertion that the |
hardware prices were driving trade |
away from Durango. Now | main |
: ain that you have done more to in
jure our city and to drive away trade |
than any other, or in fact all other
agencies combined. The constant |
use of your paper to abuse and revile
first one class of merchants and then
m |
away and trade with stores which
were being started nearer their
homes have done anything but help
to build up our city. And you are
never consistent. No one can ever
tell on which side to find you. Your
very statements contradict them
selves. You say hardware men nev-
er will be protectors from arbitrary
and unjust prices, as they will always
give anybody the hot end of the wire;
and yet you seem to fear that if
be allowed to enter the plumbing
feld l will be sure to cut and injure
your Pets established prices.
AS to the trade with catalogue
houses, you claim that has been stop
ped since You induced real live COM
petition to enter the field. Now you
know that is not so. No number of
can stop certain classes of
people from trading with those
houses. No matter how close goods
are sold here certain people will
patronize them, and it is done just
as much right now as ever it was.
The trouble is they do not figure well
ha u 10 |
and also do not bear in mind that
hey even ro better than spot cash
with these houses whilst the local
iealer has to feel highly honored with
a years jawbone in advance.
So l made roar simply because
Pet" would not buy his pipe of me
but OF the Plumbers Supply Co. OF
all the crazy statements. Why / |
never had any pipe to ever offer to
sell him, and please tell me who are
the Plumbers Supply Co. that Pet is
both can buy all the pipe and fittings
we want, or rather can pay for, with
out ever going near a man or firm
who knows any more about plumbing
goods than you do. And let the
| had almost forgotten
about the other-but it don't make
much difference for he and Day seem
TO be running a sort of partnership |
affair just now. and possibly their
next effort will be signed M. Ps. |
Anyhow, let the other feel jubilant |
as he will, but wish to let them both |
know that | have not started into the |
matter just to worry IN. P" little. |
but to go legitimately into a business |
which | have an individual right to |
carry on, especially as | am endorsed |
in my action by the entire city, with
possibly the exception of the hard
ware and newspaper IN. Ps.'-and
also that ! intend to become mem
Der, and a creditable member, of the
Plumbing association, and further,
that ! will very soon have complete
stock of pipe and steam fittings and
pipe of all sizes, and very soon there
after complete line of plumbers
goods and fittings such as baths, bas-
ins bath and basin cocks, etc.
| have too much other work to do