Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-10-25
Ltters From the People

Editor Tulsa World:
Please allow me space through
the columns OF your paper to express
myself in defense OF the BARRIERS
who, II seems to me. you are trying
to make the goat" for all the evils
OF high prices and imposltions to
which the poor suffering public are
forced to tread the winepress alone
never stopping to think that they
are a part Of this self-same public
but are band OF licensed Robin
Hoods immune from the subJuga-
ton OF any other laws or considera'
ton than such as (fail to- control
the criminal in all professions.
speak not only as a barber, but
as n Christian. law-abiding citizen.
The two combined gives me author
ity to feel almost confident | am
part human and have right 10
raise my voice in protest against
what l feel is an imposition in the
articles / have noticed in the papers
from time to time. concerning how
the public is being imposed upon by
the barber craft in raising the
prices upon their work.
In the first place | wish to call
your attention to the fact that near
ly every commodity which we all
must purchase has been raised in
price from 25 to 100 per cent. These
raises are upon necessities, and we
must all stand them, while the raises
the barber has made are upon lux
uries and effect only those who re-
quire the service of a servant and
who wish to keep the price down to
servants schedule.
All supplies the barber uses have
increased in price so that his profits
are not what they were when he was
shaving for 10 cents and cutting hair
for rs cents. The war has hit his
business as hard as II has many
others. There have gone out OF
Tulsa county to the war and TO war
work something like 1000 men, and
these 1000 spent in the barber shops
an average Of $3.50 a month. This
loss to the barber shops of Tulsa
will amount to S10,500 a month,
and that means such a loss that no
raise we can make will enable us
to make back 25 per cent OF our
loss.
The guarantee Of BARRIERS wages
in Tulsa is t25 a week, while there
are towns in Kansas paying $35 a
week. They have the Csc and soc
prices. Mr.. Kicker, how would you
like to be compelled to live in Tulsa
on the wages your barber is COM
PEELED to exist upon?
will make this proposition right
on top OF the depression that has
been visited upon us. II there Is
any other trade or profession that
has contributed more, according to
his earnings, to the war budget, the
Red Cross, Liberty Bonds, or has
a greater number OF men in the SER
vice and on the firing line in France
than the BARRIERS have according to
the number OF their members l will
donate a $50 Liberty bond as a fur
ther contribution to the Red Cross.
Ono mention in Captain LaRue's
recent letter Is to me assurance that
the barber representatives In
France are giving good accounts Of
themselves, is that one OF our num-
Der Carl McElwee) is to be re-
warded for bravery.
Now that have given few state
ments OF facts, I desire to just go
little farther. Ninety per cent OF
the men who can shave themselves
are doing so. and have been long be-
fore we raised our prices, and an un-
certain percent are enlisting their
wives as their tonsorial servants.
So every howl that goes up Is not an
earnest one. Some men who never
patronize a barber will vow he is
going to get n razor and shave him
self, when he would have done II
long ago II he could, or has been
doing so for ever so long.
The man who patronizes the bar
ber is the man who wants his face
properly and skilfully taken care OF,
and that same man knows he Is get
ting full value for his small outlay
of cash, and he also knows his bar
ber has gone through the same long,
tedious training to adapt himself
that many other professions require
to make perfect, and his barber is
the poorest paid OF any profession
with whom he has to deal. While,
as matter of fact he visits the
barber nearly every day and takes
up much OF his time; what he pays
the barber does not in any way com
pare TO what the dentist or any 9TH
err profession costs him.
The women are debtors TO the
bar bers in some ways, while upon
the other hand they have a griev-
ance against them.
In the first place II was the bar
ber who made that unpresentable
man appear to her so lovely. lofty
and smooth looking that she
crowned him Lord OF all; and for
ever after sailed the sea OF life
with him, either praising or cursing
the skill of the barber as the case
may have been with her venture.
In conclusion / will say this: II
the poor. bleeding. suffering public
would like to see IL the BARRIERS are
a necessary evil or not, let them
bolish the necessity by letting their
beard and hair grow and do away
with the evil, or enlist the aid OF
some other agency and boycott the
barber effectively.
will vouchsafe this much, that
in sixty days Jack the Newsie would
come out from under the ban Of be-
ing an individual Of his own style