The state herald., 1907-11-29
SUIT AGAINST FOOD TRUST.
Instituted by Attorney General Dick
son of Colorado.

son of Colorado.
Decentralization to appear in the
district court December I'd, to show
cause why a permanent injunction
should not be issued against them to
restrain further operations Of their al
legged combine, were served Tuesday
on Denver officers and members Of the
Retail Grocers' Association. the Colo
RADIO Retail Merchants Association
and the officials of the jobbing and
wholesale houses, charged by Attorney
General Dickson with being parties to
an agreement in restraint of trade.
While Sheriff Nisbet's deputies
were serving the papers on the men
who, 1t is charged, are responsible for
the exorbitant prices of foodstuffs in
Colorado, additional evidence was ad-
duced of the methods employed to
force those who would not do their
bidding out of business.
The latest exposure Of the trust op-
erations to come to light is the case
of The Wonder Mercantile Company
of Montrose, S. B. Wonder, president
and treasurer of the concern, In let
ter to the News, tells the same tale of
alleged boycotting tactics that has
been related by other merchants be-
fore him, and encloses a letter from
the Merchants Biscuit Company, which
shows the close relations between the
grocers and the jobbers.
The letter of the Merchants Biscuit
Company bears the signature of c. A.
Bowman, president and manager, and
the request, please return" The let
ters follow:
THE Wonder Mercantile Co., Mon
trose, Colo.
"Gentlemen-We have been hoping
for some time past that yourselves and
the association would get together and
settle your differences, but 1t seems
that is out Of the question.
"Our Mr.. Bridgman was in Montrose
few days since and reports that our
selling to your firm has cut him oSt
entirely: do not want you to run out
Of crackers, so take this method of CIV
ing you due notice that we will not be
able to make you any further ship
ments until the deal is off. l regret
having to take this stand. but you un-
derstand better than | can explain.
Yours very truly,
THE MERCHANTS BISCUIT CO.,
c. A. Bowman, Manager.
Please return"
Wonders letter follows:
"To the Rocky Mountain News:
'In your fight on the grocery trust
of this state, we beg to advise you that
we have been one Of the worst victims
of the trust known as the Grocers' AS
ISOLATION. We were first asked to join
1t. After refusing we were then nou-
fed we would be compelled to 10 so.
Still refusing, the wholesale houses
were notified, and in order to carry on
our business we were compelled to buy
our goods as best we could through n
third party, being refused goods by the
leading houses OF the state for no
other reason than by being commanded
to do so by the local trust.
1--WE were also notified by the secre-
tary, then Mr.. Gardner OF Denver, that
II we did not maintain the prices Of
bubdT uS ihlu uoWu Wy 'ht uososaboh
II was In n position to see that we
could not buy dollars worth of goods
In the state, etc.
"The local association went SO far
as to prevent us from being able to buy
n pound OF butter from our local cream
cry or n dollars worth OF goods from
our local commission houses, and used
every effort to prevent us from being
able to bny -four from our local mill:
but fortunately at the mill they struck
n firm with sufficient backbone to run
their own business, and We are still
able to buy Montrose -four. We enclose
n letter from Merchants d. Co. one OF
the many we received.
This boycott was started on us last
March and they have kept II mp ever
since 10 far us they were able. We
are ready at any time to make affidavit
or give evidence In the case. Very re
spectfully, S. ID. WONDER.
"Montrose. Colo"