Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-05-26
xETYER ~ THREATENING Ian.
GuAGE SENT TO rHE-LENNox
FURNACE COMPANY.
ATToRNEY "kkocks" ON
GROCER COMPANY MEN
Letter Complains That Furnace Com.
pany Managers Arc Not "keutrai"
and Suggests That "Nen-Prohib-
tEonists" viii Refuse to Buy Fur
naess-company Returns Reply.

The Marshairtown Liquor Dealers
Association not content. thru its at
torney. in writing letter to F. c.
Lofts. president Of the Western Grocer
Company Knocking on certain local
managers who have opposed the sa-
loon petition have attacked the Lennox
Furnace Company. the largest factory
of the city, and, In cunning1y worded
phrases, in effect, threaten to boy
colt Lenrox furnaces unless the man
ayers become neutral on the saloon
question. The unwtss' remarks Of n
Few church ladies in threatening not
TO buy groceries OF merchants who re-
FUSED to sign their remonstrance
ngainGt saloone and which caused no
little stir year ago has now been
eciipsed by a formal letter of attack
npon leading factory by tie Liquor
Dealers Association The letter under
Gate OF MAY - iat1, reads as Follows:
Liquor Dealers Covert Throat.
The Lennox Furnace Company:-'I
have been informed from reliable
sources that the managers and heads
of the department tn the furnace COM
pany, have been calling the men en-
ragged in the manufacture of the fur
inaces into their office and urging and
fhrea tening them. and promising TO
Increase their wages to induce the en-
ployes Of the furnace company to with
draw their names from the saloon petit
ton. which they have voluntarily
Hgned
Us this the position that the fur.
mace company desire to couple and
hold themselves out to persons who
use their furnaces? Does the furnace
company desire 10 do business with
pGly prohibirionists
1T is my idea that you desire TO sell
furnaces to anti pToh;htt,onis as we'll
as pYohib4tionists. but il YOU take rhe
position that you do, it would seem to
afs that you are not neutral and are
partisan, and desire only prohibition
astr to buy yvur furnaces.
II realize that any officer Of the
Lennox Furnace Company has the
right as have. to say to any man that
he knows or does not know. that he
thinks he ought not to sign for saloons
or he ought to sign for saloons as the
case may be, but this should not be
done If the person wants to be nel-
trail, and IN an office where the men
TO whom they are talking, knows he is
engaged in his work. he doesn't do as
his desire, fearing that his job may b
at stake. and when this Is coupled with
q promise that the persons wages Will
he increased. if he doesn't sign. II
seems to US that that is even beyond
the right. and takes the QSture of
bribe which is not permitted.
viii you kindly let me know what
your position is In this matter. SO 1t
may be known both to anti-prohibi-
tionists and prohibitioutsts. who are
buying your furnaces"
Yours very truly.
NARsHA1LTOwN LIQUOR DEAL
ERS ASSOCIATIONS.
J. C. HANSEN.
Manager.
company's Reply As to Neutrality.
Neutrality-suspicious. Dealers Associa-
/ ton. ]. c. Hansen. Manager.
Gentlemen: We DOUBT very 1nuch
whether you have been informed IRON
valuable sources to any such effect as
rour letter states blu, if you nave your
Information Ids not correct. 1t Is not
true, No smp,oye Of this company has
been threatened nor bribed. no employe
mas been discharged and none will be
because he signed a saloon petition.
This company has contributed money
and tfe energy OF its individual man
ayers to G. legitimate effort to prevent
saloons obtaining consent to operate In
sMarshalltown bece use, as employers,
IKE have learned from experience that
the opeo saloon Is the one greatest
enemy to factory employees. Its tempta-
lfions often ruin the best OF men, bring
Ing distress and misery to the wives
and children and at times force us to
Edischar9e xnen for booze-made dneffi-
cheney when otherwise they would have
proved the best men Oh the force
4 The Lennox Furnace Company
stands with nearly every other en-
iployer in this city opposed to saloons
but In doing so it gives no thought
Whatsoever to the possibility OF losing
some sales to those whom you call
l..anti -pr oaoabitionists." The only people
FOR whom you have the right to speak
.as indicated by your letter are the
smembers Of the Marshalltrwn Liquor
IDealers' Association and If, as YOU say,
irit has seemed to you that we are not
neutral and arr partisan" on this sa-
!loon question you have taken an I'M
ta,sus1lu sober view of The situation.
kYoe head IS clear on this subject.
Eunnfngly worded threats from a nom
residens manager Of ? liquor dealers
aseociation to boycott the industry
which employs labor in MarshaHtowp
will excite more smiles OF derision than
isneutrahty" on our part.
This company has seen outsiders try
Ang to excite trouble among Its en-
UaoysS whom we suspected were sent
Ea1nong the men from saloon sources,
EWe know Of merchants who have been
hhrea4sned with Joss Of business by sa-
IlOon eauvassers, we know of a promi-
laaent saloon attorney who receptly wrote
Mo the president OF the Western Grocer
MOnpany. another OF our citys leading
lemploying institutions. knocking up
ION the local managers and heads Of de-
spartment4 who were opposing saloons
tAnd our co-workers in this campaign
sagainst Q saloon petition have dis
lowered ssgners almost innumerable
twho give as their reason tor signing
tahe saloon petition that they have been
tco0ced by employers. Others have
sid that they signed because some
AIoon sympathiser either had loaned
AbGm money or had promised to.
~ When It comes to charge Of "brib-
3nevss - sstCo6rcions we are willing u