The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-10-07
PROF|TEER|NG BY
MERCHANTS DENIED
The Usual Hoax Started Here Is Kun
to Earth and Found Without
Truth-Dispatch From Wash
i.pton Shows There is No
Foundation For Stories
Throughout Country.

There has been the canard gong
the rounds in Abbeville, just as 1t
has in other places, that the mer-
chants were profteering. There IS
a sad lack of originality with the per-
petrators of the story, there being no
material difference in the versions as
appearing in the various towns. The
story runs something like this: Fed
eral agents have visited a store, tried
to buy a suit of clothes, protested at
the alleged high price and then de-
manded the invoice, comparing the
sales price with the invoice, thus dis
closing evidence of abnormal profits.
This libelous story has been re-
peated here in Abbeville as having
happened in two mems furnishing
stores. It was run to ground and the
man who was said to have started the
story was interviewed. He denied
having originated the story but ad-
mitted that he had repeated what he
had heard. Such a tale could work
inestimable harm and people who
hear the story should demand proof
before they repeat it.
The following dispatch from Wash
ington and published in Mondays
State should forever dispose of the
libelous hoax:
Washington, Oct 5.-senator Dial
has received from the department of
justice positive assurances that there
is no truth in rumors of profteering
having been disclosed among South
Carolina merchants by agents Of the
department. Complaints had como 10
the senator that legitimate retail bus.
mess in the state was suffering DAM
age through the persistent currency
of rumors that federal agents we're
visiting stores, comparing sales prices
with wholesale invoices, and finding
evidence of abnormal profits. Cog
nizance of these reports was taken by
the chambers of commerce of several
cities, which investigated and as a
result repudiated these stories.
Senator Dial, in order to learn the
facts, asked Attorney General Palmer
whether any such investigation or
findings had been made. The attor-
ney general informed the senator to-
day that such inquiry, had referred
the question to the only other agency
likely to have been concerned, this
being the Office of the fair price COM
missioner for South Carolina, Albert
D. Oliphant of Columbia. The attor-
ney general furnished Senator Dial
with Commissioner Oliphant's reply,
Mr.. Oliphant says that so far as his
Office is concerned, no evidences of
much profiteering have been found,
nor have the methods alleged TO BE-
employed been used by him.
Commissioner Oliphant writes as
follows:
$50 far as this office is concerned,
there is no truth in the rumors which
have reached Senator Dial, as we
have not found evidences Of much
profteering,' nor have we used so
far the system of Investigation de-
scribed in the senator's letter, i. e.,
securing prices and then asking for
invoices.
GAS you know, I have not concern
ed myself with any commodity ex-
cept food. We have had no trouble
in securing local wholesale prices for
food without asking for invoices and
of course the market reports carried
by the Associated Press give US the
prices for food at the primary mar
kets. Our fair prices for food are
arrived at through action of fair
price committees, on which food
dealers have representation, and we
do not secure them by asking for in
voices, for the simple reason that it
has not been necessary.
'To set at rest the rumors to
which Senator Dial refers, let me say
further that I have used the service
of government agents only twice,
once in the course of an investiga.
tion of the Drjce of fresh meats M