The San Francisco call., 1904-12-25
TOBACCO TRUST
BEGINS A WAR
Is Opening Stores in City
to Fight Local Dealers
Who Have Become Defiant
NEW PRICES THE CAUSE
American Company Said to
Have Imposed Conditions
That Are Unreasonable

The smoke Of battle envelops the to-
bacco dealers Of the city these days.
The wholesale jobbers have leagued to
fight the trust, known as the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company, and the trust
in turn has declared war to the knife
on the local dealers. 1t is planning to
open retail stores about the city, in the
expectation Of corraling the trade. The
''un-American" Tobacco Company must
cuff this end Of the continent from it's
trade, the band Of jobbing houses an
nounces- The San Francisco whole
salers must buy their goods from the
trust or be whitfield out of existence,
declares the trust savagely. With it's
control Of all the popular brands it be-
lieves that it can easily humiliate the
rebellious spirits.
The jobbing houses Of Seattle, Port
land. Sacramento and Los Angeles
have Joined issue with the San Fran
cisco merchants. but it is in this city
that preparations are going forward to
wage the fiercest war.
The trouble began over an announce
ment Of new quotations for plug to-
baccos by the American Company. The
dealers say that the conditions i'm
posed were outrageous. The wires to
the East sagged with their burden Of
protests from the firms. The trust
was abrupt in it's reply. When the
dealers showed Indignation. the great
corporation became naughty. And
when the iobbers sent a joint tele-
gram denouncing the position of the
trust as arbitrary, unjust and coer-
Give, the trust in effect told them TO
draw long on their pipes and dream
e bit Of what it meant to defy its
power.
Our capital, our selling stats and
our distributive power is subject solely
to our own dlctation," came the hot
declaration Of independence from the
jobbers.
BOYCOTT THE TRUST.
Immediately it was resolved by the
dealers to cease handling any Of the
products of the American Tobacco
Company. not alone the plug tobaccos,
but cigars and cigarettes as we'll
Every effort should be made, it was
uAldAlA4LOASlg GsIGGuf " encourage TIE
sale Of the goods manufactured by the
existing Independent manufacturers
and TO aid the starting of new FAC
tories. It was directed that steps be
taken 10 advertise this resolution
throughout the country.
The methods of the trust were
drastic. 1t adopted the course calcu-
lated 10 humble the jobbers with the
most dispatch. Agents were sent to
San Francisco and opening of stands
about the city has been started IN
which the American Company will
supply its goods direct to the con-
sumner. The ownership Of the store is
presumably sold, subject to contract
as to what brands of tobaccos. Gig
arettes and cigars shall be handled.
A large majority of the retail stores
are owned by the jobbers and the at
tack Of the trust falls directly upon
them, both in wholesale and retail
business. But the jobbers are yet un-
dismayed, for they feel assured that
they cannot be so easily swept out of
the market. The leases for stands in
good locations are not TO be had very
readily in busy San Francisco now
audsS anu DDSSCSSAOAA u A4AoSN VI NllCllA
for some time to come is regarded as
nine points in the fight.
WAR WAKES MERRILY.
Both sides are working ener-
getically. The trust has secured a few
excellent locations for retail stores al
ready, but they have been blocked in
many instances.
It was early in the present month