The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-07-28

ALUMINIUM CO.
STATEMENT
the charge made against
Their Salesman, Mr.. G. E. Kipling-
er, for Selling Goods in Richmond
Without a License.

Believing the people of Richmond
would be interested in the facts re-
garding the above case from our
standpoint, we cheerfully make the
following explanation:
Mr.. c. f. Kiplinger has been in our
employ for nearly three years, first
selling our good on commission
basis and later on commission and
salary. Our business relations with
him. during this time has convinced us
that he is man of integrity and
honesty Of purpose.
Judging from the various articles
already published in your papers,
concerning this matter, you have been
led to believe that Mr.. Kiplinger has
Intentionally trespassed on one Of
your burrough ordinances. Such is
not the case. According to a rcent
decision made in the United States SUI
preme Court, license that will forbid
the soliciting of orders from house to
house for goods manufactured out
side of the State to be shipped into
the State and to be delivered later
can not legally be collected, since such
license would interfere with inter
state commerce. 1t will be understood
then that Mr.. Kiplinger had perfect
right according to law to solicit or
ders for our Aluminium Cooking Uten-
sells in Richmond without first procur-
ng a license. The attorneys for the
prosecution informed the writer that
the vast majority of Mr.. Kiplinger's
orders were taken and delivered legal
while demonstrations were being made
in the presence Of the ladies of the
NJ. f. church Mr.. Kiplinger was in
duced TO deliver goods for which he
had taken orders soon after the or
ders weer taken because the ladies in
sisted on having their goods at once.
Since the ladies of the church were
sharing the profits on orders taken
there, it never occurred to Mr. Kip
linger that delivering these few uten-
sis would be a violation of the town
ordinance. An error in judgment,
who of us do not make them?
In his enthusiasm in comparing the
good qualities of Aluminium ware with
enamel OR other cheaper wares, he
may have made a few statements
which could be construed to njure
the sales of these cheaper wares han
died by your merchants. But who of
us would admire a salesman who
would not wax eloquent when he feels
in his heart that his wares are better
than others? 1t is for these errors in
Judgment and unintentional mistakes
that Mr.. Kiplinger is being prose
cuted, harassed and thrown out Of en-
ployment for a week.
But, you ask, why does your firm
sell your goods in this way, if as you
state they have so many good Qualit-
les? We feel that we would be tres
passing on the generosity of the print
er to enter into full explanation Of
why we have found this plan neces-
sary. It will be sufficient to state
that after eight year. experience, the
writer has learned that in order for
housekeepers to fully appreciate the
desirable qualities Of good Aluminium
Cooking Utensils and understand how
to use them intelligently it is neces-
sary to keep statesmen in a city the
size of Richmond for six months to a
year, whose duty is to furnish the
people with this information.
Since the raw material in Alumni
mum Cooking Utensils costs fifteen
times as much as the material used to
make enamel and ordinary cooking
wares, it is obvious that the present
low prices asked for this ware leave
little margin for us to assist the deal
crs III Introducing them, consequently
where We have tried to sell the goods
through the stores, without first edu-
eating the people to its advantages
the wares have remained on the shelf
and people naturally buy cheaper
utensils. For instance, in Pittsburg
the sales of our goods when frs
placed in the stores were from five te
fifteen dollars a day. After our sales
men solicited the entire city, selling
g over thirteen thousand dollars wortl
g Of our utensils, then we again PLACED
the goods in one of the leadln.
stores there and the sales for the frs
three months averaged 500 day
!" This was accomplished in the larg
store of Joseph Horne Co.
Il Upon the writer's arrival in Rich