The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-27
win Ignore Its Provisions
Allege UncOnstitutiOnal.
SPEECHES 1T THE BANQUET
Jay e. House of Topeka Made
Hit With Visitors.
He Always Pays &12 for Shoes
at Slaughter Sale.


ers' association at the closing session
of their convention in Representative
hall this morning definitely decided
to absolutely ignore the pure shoe law
that will become effective April 1.
w. e. Brelsford. president Of the as
sociation, said: I'VE do not feel that
we will be law-breakers. We are con-
WINGED that the law is unconstitutional
and know that it will benefit no one"
The one speaker at the session this
morning was w. s. French, of Niles,
who spoke on 'Shoe Store Fronts That
Pay Profits" He illustrated his talk
by blackboard drawings. The total at
tendance at the convention was 400.
The banquet rendered Thursday
night at the Mills tea room by the To-
cal merchants was a happy affair.
There were more than three hundred
visitors present. Good music and wit
ty speeches characterized the occasion,
and Miss Ceora Lanham lent variety
to the program by giving. several read
ings that were much to the liking Of
the visitors. o. M. Babcock Of Atchi-
son served as toastmaster.
Most Successful Convention.
The Kansas shoe merchants and
speakers from the east do not hesitate
10 cXQTcSS themselves ENTHUSIASTICALLY
over the success of the convention and
the manner in which they have been
entertained while in Topeka. James
H. Stone of Boston, editor Of the Shoe
Retailer, and a pleasing speaker, had
the following to say at the banquet:
thing you could to make me feel as
happy and as pleasant as though I,
were In the good old city Of Boston. I
want to tell you with warmth and sin
-S&~ - r y ia
convention Of shoe dealers that sur
passes this magnificent convention
which you have here today. I am of
the firm opinion that had the pure
shoe law not been passed you would
not have met here today. Even from
great good will come from this three
day meeting.
Roy e. Titles Of st. Louis. with the
Silk, Baer & Fuller company, spoke
Sharpening His Axe on Razor
Strop?" He urged the retailers to
look out for their own interests to q
greater extent than they have done in
the past. He said: The shoe man
has done things too nearly right for
his good. Let us give our customers
good service, but let us see that they
give us the profit to which we are
entitled"
House Made En- Laugh.
Jay E. House kept the retailers in a
continuous round Of laughter with the
amusing stories he told. when a
shoe dealer gets a pair Of shoes he
can't sell to anybody else." said Mr.
House, "he marks them $12 and sells
them to me. About every 50 often the
business men are reformed. The Kan
sas shoe dealers were reformed last
winter. No complaint had been made
by anybody. The shoe dealers were not
Inv ~
the legislature with the object of Gre
ating the sentiment that somebody
was trying to do something for the
people,"
r. o. Green, of Fort Dodge. in an
address that was humorous in spots.
had some food for thought relative to
the conducting of a shoe business.
others on the program for speeches
were H. VisOnhaler. Of st. Louis, and
George H. Hodges. governor Of Kansas.
The visitors enjoyed several vocal
selections by Mrs. C. E. Quigley of
Kansas City, Mo.
A good three-piece orchestra furnish
ed music. The banquet was adjudged
a complete success.
Griffith of st. Joseph.
w. h. Griffith of ot. Joseph, Mo-.
a speaker late Thursday, stated that
the shoe business is not what it used to
be. He said:
why was it, that when one Of those
old merchants died he always left a
little coin. Some of them made their
money in the shoe business. The ex-
penses of running store then were not
as great as they are now, but they
sold at a smaller profit. Our expenses
are larger; we sell at a greater profit.
but the volume of business has not in
creased in accordance with the ex-
pense of doing business.
To-day we get in stock OF fine
shoes for the spring and summer
trade. We are enthusiastic with the
prospect of turning that stock over at
a profit Everything goes on all right
until perhaps after the Fourth of
July. Then one morning as we go to
our store we'n pass a store over which
is a sign that reads 'Oxfords at half
price What next? Hurry down
town, get a sign painter and stick the
same kind of a sign over our store.
We will not let any shoe man under
sell us. And in the middle Of the
season we are selling at loss.
THE public Is not to blame for this
condition, nor is the merchant to
blame. I'm going to fix the RESPONSE
bility right now. It's the 'would-be
merchant that kills our business. In
the near future there will be. some
legislation to regulate the vagaries of
the professional price-cutter. He has
almost killed the shoe business. I'm
til he is regulated and his habits
curbed we will have to suffer as we
have been"
One of the interesting features of
the convention was the valuable dis
play Of hundreds of shoes Of various
nationalities which was brought here
by the United States Machinery COM
pany. Many of the shoes in the dis
play at the National hotel were sew
eral hundred years olds The repre-
sentative OF this firm attending the
convention put on movie" at the