The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-27
All Requirements of Food Administrator Spain Have
 Been Met by Company
OFFICIALS EXPRESS
 REGRET AT INCIDENT
Spain Asks Public to Accept the Company's Willingness to Co., Operate and to Forget
 the Past

Class 1, according to letter sent The Age-Hera1d last night by County Food Administrator Spain, and today the place will be opened with Manager Gerow in charge.
 S. D. Goldenberg, vice president of the John R. Thompson company of Chicago, and Harry w. Thompson, brother of John R. Thompson, are in the city, having arrived Sunday, They will remain here few days pendlE the reopening of the place and getting all matters that related to the closing Friday strengthened out.
 Mr Spain's letter to the press, fol- lowing the receipt of a letter from the Thompson company, follows;
 The Thompson company, in their letter to me written Sunday. have internationally requested that they be placed in Class l, Their posi- tion, prior to Sunday, was condt- tional and unsatisfactory. Having now expressed their unconditional willingness to discontinue the use of wheat until the new crop, their restaurant is now Class l restau- rant. l hope the public will accept their willingness to cooperate, and that the past will be forgot ten FRANK F. SPAIN. The letter sent to Food Administrator Spain by the Thompson company, a car- bon copy of which was furnished the press by Administrator Spain, also fol- lows:
 MT. Frank D. Spain. Jefferson coun-
 ty food administrator, Birming-
 ham:
 Dear Sir; We have come to Bir- mingham to reopen Thompson's res taurant and to correct the impress that Ina nIIblic forrnad of the John R. Thompson company.
 We want to make it clear that we are ready to do whatever is necessary to win the war; and we will do so at any sacrifice to our selves.
 An error has been made-a very serious error. We believe it would never have been made had MT. Thompson been in Chicago when your request was made that all Birmingham cafes discontinue the use of wheat until the new crop. We believe it would not have been made if our traveling representa- tive, MT. Wood, had come to your office as you requested and con- ferred with you about the situa- tion. We believe it would not have been made if our local manager, MT. Gerow, had been free to deal
 
 Nevertneless. since the error has been made--and we recognize it. We have shown you our good faith by coming to Birmingham to do whatever is necessary to right it.
 Win you, therefore, immediate ly place Thompson's in Class 1, and will you say to the public that Thompsons would have been Class 1 last Tuesday If you could have tl hA oar.t .kf rhnt, and not been compelled to deal with our travelling representative? Yours very truly.
 THE JOHN R. THOMPSON CO, By $. D. GOLDENBERG,
 Vice President.
 HARRY W. THOMPSON. "Of course. the whole affair is un- fortunate," said Harry w. Thompson, brother of John R. Thompson, owner of the chain of 104 restaurants in tho principal cities of the United States, land an expression of regret is use less. We propose to show our post ton by doing whatever is required of us by the food administrator, going to any limit that is necessary from patriotic standpoint.
 "If anyone who knows my brother could be seen. he would tell you just what I toll you. We were all born OH q ldi III III tOulllyt Illt- nois, and though there were II children in our family we all lived somehow My brother went to Chicago in 1891 with s1200. and today he is operating 104 restaurants over the United States He bought $500.000 worth of Liberty Bonds. contributed freely to the Red Cross. and is now paying monthly subscription to this fund which he has subscribed to for the duration of the war
 "He is the first man who held the office of treasurer of Cook county who turned back the interest money to the people, amounting to $531,000 for his term of office. That is the only public office he ever held, and he it not at all related to Mayor Thompson of Chi cago. as it is reported in Birming- ham. If there ever was crank about anything on earth John R. Thompson is about pure food. That is his hobby and he even plays 1t overtime "I might state that my brother was one of the first men in Chicago to do- nate full page ads to the Red Cross also, this costing him over s4000 in the first drive"
 Mir. Thompson and MT Goldenbere will remain in Birmingham for few days until their business gets under headway again, and then return to Chi cago.