The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, March 01, 1908, SECTION THREE, Image 34

The Sunday Oregonian., March 01, 1908, SECTION THREE, Page 10, Image 34

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Newspaper Page TextTHE SUXDAT OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, MARCH 1, 10OS. He Has Our entist X Yea.! THAT IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF 10 Been hws ftMR mM jf D For :-' ' And which hundreds of well-known local families will tell you when referring to Dr. Wright. The greatest skill and considerate treatment ex plains why these families always come to this office. You will receive the same consideration if youv entrust me with your work. My work is always the best obtainable and cannot be excelled here or else where. My Crown and Bridge Work is in a class by it self. The Bridges fit perfectly and masticate your food just as well as the natural teeth. You take no chances at this office. ' Lrt. B. 12. WRIGHT. GOOD SET OF TEETH ON RUBBER PLATE . $5.00 BEST SET OF TEETH ON RUBBER PLATE . $8.00 DR. B. E. WRIGHT PAINLESS DENTIST 342V Washington Street, Corner Seventh OFFICE HOURS 8 A. M. to 5 P. M.; 7:30 to 8:30 P. M.; SUNDAYS 9 A. M.- to 1 P. M Phone Main 21 19 Twelve Year in Portland UNJUSTATTAGKON GREAT INDUSTRY Furniture Business Does Not Deserve to Be Called a Trust. GOODS SOLD AT FAIR PRICE Competition Is Kern Among Retail Healers Statement Is Made by V. II. Beliarrcll on Behalf of l''urniture Trade. The following: article was written at the request of The Oreeonlan by Mr. "Y. H. Bt'liarrell, manager of Hey wood Brothers & "Wakefield Company, as a presentation of the facts as they exist In reRard to the so-called "furniture trust." which Is under Investigation by the City Council: To those who have followed the pro longed and dastardly attempt of some viciously Inclined and wholly Irrespon sible individuals, to poison the public mind and get to themselves notoriety and free advertising, by attacking one of the really great industries of this city and state, it may be interesting to know something of its history; what this great octopus is that is now re ceiving so much attention from the broad-minded, public-spirited and really honorable gentlemen who com pose our City Council. It Is perhaps a little unfortunate ttiat, in order to conduct the furniture business successfully, it is necessary for the dealer to devote his best en ergies to the 'details of his business and, hence, has no time to vie with the grocer, the plumber and the trans fer magnate for a eeat in this honor able body, and in this way secure pro tection when his business is assailed, by turning the attention of the public to some other industry not ao fortunate as to ho thus represented. It has been hinted that the old and oft-tried remedy for an itching palm might secure a cessation of hostilities and oaJm the troubled -waters; but it so happens that the Individuuls representing the furni ture Interests in Oregon, while taking a deep interest in the public weal and are large contributors to its support and upbuilding, are not of that class who are always seeking to further their own ends by being in close con tact with the administration. Th furniture business does not re quire an Immunity bath, makes no npologles for any of its transactions. Its history Is one of the oldest and most important In the state. It em rl"yi moro skilled labor at better wages than any other Industry, pays better wages from head clerk to porter, dispenses a half million dollars per tmmth for help, material, rents and advertising In fact, in everything that goes to make up a prosperous com munity. The nature of the business demands a greater outlay for its main tenance than i necessary in any other line of trade. It seeks the best location which means hijch rent. It requires more room for tJIs play. more and better storage capacity than almost any other merchandise; require more skilled help, better sales men, more careful handling and as a consequence, a larger per cent of expense in the conduct of its business. Notwithstanding this, they have always shown a commendable liberality in matters of public interest. Their con tributions were large factors In the suc cess of the Iewis and Clark Fair, the building of the Commercial Club, the "Young Men's Christian Association and the Rose City carnival. They'are large taxpayers and pay their share in main taining schools, churches and charities. They are progressive and aggressive. Their stores are the most attractive in the city: they are loyal to home indus tries. They have made possible the large furniture factories here located with their large payrolls, for which endeavor they were charged with maintaining a trust, arraigned before 1 lie United States Courts and paid a fine, for what? Sr.mply and only because they endeavored to maintain a uniform price m such staple goods as were produced by these factories. And just here I would like to correct the im pression in the minds of some that uni form prices were established on all arti cles carried by these dealers. No such arrangement ever existed, but these prices only included such staple patterns as were produced by our local factories, and this arrangement was entered Into ao that all dealers might carry the same pat terns and thus be distributors of Oregon products without being subject to ruin ous competition by unscrupulous dealers who attempt to bait a customer by quot ing a low price on some well-known arti cle and then robbing them on others about which they are not posted. This arrangement was fair to the dealer, the customer and the manu facturer. Without such an arrange ment the dealer, who could buy from the East In carloads and be independent of the factory, would either demand that the factory confine Its trade to them and cut out such undesirable competition, or choose the option of losing a large, trade which would re sult in reducing their output or com pel them to seek trade elsewhere. This arrangement was strictly legal, so far as the Portland retailer was concerned, and the only charge on which an action at law could be made was that the Oregon factories, in order to protect their trade in the Northwest, did com bine with similar factories in the state of Washington in making a uniform price to the retailer. These prices were necessarily fair, as they were compelled to meet Eastern competition on similar goods. When the indictments were returned for this offense as jobbers, we did not employ counsel, but went to Mr. Bristol, the District Attorney, and made a plain statement of the facte. We were told by him that we had only technically violated the law, that he did not be lieve we had any thought or intention of doing so and to use his own lan guage, there was no "moral turpitude attached to our offense, no moral law transgressed." We thought at that time and still think that as reputable citizens we should have been given an opportunity to rectify any violation of law that we had Inadvertently com mitted without being subject to an in dictment, but the matter was never brought to our attention by the ' Dis trict Attorney until the indictments were served. At the time of our first meeting with the District Attorney, we arranged with him to plead guilty and pay a nominal fine of $25, as he said, to cover the expense connected with the case up to that point and with the further understanding that. in his JudgmentAwe had not knowingly or In tentionally committed any crime. There never has been a furniture trust, but there was an organization for the pur pose above set forth. Mail-Order Houses. There has been some talk about an agreement among the jobbers not to sell the mail-order houses. 6ucli an agree ment exists only In the minds of the per sons conducting such institutions, whose business has been declined, with thanks. The reason for this is plain. As jobbers, we have customers throughout the en tire Northwest. These customers carry stocks and in this way our goods are continually before the people, which we deem to be more desirable than to have them shown only in the catalogues of the mail-order houses, who carry no stock and depend on the jobbers for their supply. Tn this way the expense of storage, money Invested. Insurance, etc, falls on the jobber and his Interests are not prop erly represented, so that in the nature of things we must choose between one poor customer or Hundreds ot good ones, if we sell to the country merchant, we must protect him, and we will. The mail-order houses demand' their money before the goods are shipped, and the customer has no redress if the transaction is not satis factory. ' These mall-order houses are business pirates and so recognized by all reputable merchants, jobbers and manu facturers. The Auction-Houses. We refuse to sell auction-houses for the same reason: they only carry stocks from day to day and only deal in new goods when Miey cannot secure goods that are second-hand, even then they prefer goods slightly damaged, claiming they can get a better price for a defective article, as the customer concludes that it must be cheap because of these Imperfections. A reputable dealer will not carry pat terns that can be purchased of an auction eer under the hammer. The auctioneer sells for cash only; does not deliver or guarantee goods and if not satisfactory, there is no redress. Xo Combination of Retailers. As proof that there is not now a com bination among the retail furniture deal ers, there never has been a time in the history of Portland when goods were sold so low and with such utter disregard of cost as now. Within the past three months prices have been beiow the danger point so far as profit is concerned. First class, up-to-date goods have been sold at half their value and even worae conditions nave existed. One dealer had placarded in his window, for one week, wire mat tresses at $1.65 each, the manufacturers price of which is $2; and yet all these, val ues are regarded with suspicion and dis trust by the majority of buyers. The fact Is that buyers In all lines are more or less at the mercy of the- merchant; there la only one safe rule in purchasing goods about which you are not thoroughly posted, and this rule evjj-y sensible per son recognizes, which is to make your purchases from a reputable dealer. Pay ihls price and depend upon his honor, reputation and guarantee. - All merchants who are successful have grown so by honest methods, and the City of Port land is not lacking In merchants of u.is kind, not only in the furniture business, but it is true of all lines, and It is only the depraved mind of the individual whose life has -been a failure (made so bv un scrupulous methods) that seeks enjoyment only in traducing character; an- in this effort he finds a willing tool In the admin istration who stands ready to foot t..e bills. W. H. BEHARRELU UIE FACTION WILL FIGHT MEKTS CHARGES FILED BY COl"NCIIiMAN DRISCOLL. Mayor IVill Not Admit That Mistake Was Made . in Purchase of Fire-A I arm Cables. Mayor Lane and members of the execu tive branch of the city administration will not permit their political enemies in the Council to score on them without a stubborn fight. The sensational charges made by Councilman Driscoll before the street committee last Friday afternoon, when he declared that there had been a needless and extravagant expenditure of about J30.000 for fire-alarm cables, will be challenged, It is said. Tiie fight promises to be a bitter one, in which both sides will line up with the determination to win. . Members of the Council who are polit ically unfriendly to the Mayor will line up against him and' will charge that it was through a recommendation or estimate, considered as a request, made by City Electrician Bavarian, that the cables were authorized by the Council: they will assert that the executive branch of the munici pality should have been familitr with the terms of the franchise of the Home Tel ephone Company, which provides that "conductors" for the Fire Department shall be furnished by that corporation. Mayor Lane and his associates will maintain, it is said, that their position Is more tenable than that of their politi cal enemies and that, at best, their op ponents are as deep in the mud as they are in the mire. However, Mayor Lane is unwilling to admit that a mistake has been made. He rather inclines to the belief that the terms of the franchise wiil be found too indefinite to be binding when It comes to a legal construction; he thinks it is possible that it is only the conduits that are to be furnished by the Home Tel ephone Company, and not the "con ductors" as well. He also has a theory that the brand of rabies or conductors" used by the tele phone corporation are not such as would be desired by the Fire Department offi cials. On these two features of the case, he and his supporters wiil probably stand, when the matter is brought Into the Coun cil for an Investigation. The expenditure of 2D,900 is admitted by Mayor Lane and his friends, but they maintain that this sum was regularly appropriated by the City Council, and will maintain that the Councilmen who voted for It are as much to blame as any one. if the money was . needlessly expended. BATTLE IN LUMBER CAMP Father Take Vp Children's Quarrel. Three lead. One Dying. KVBLTN. Ky., Feb. 29. Three men were killed and a fourth mortally wound ed In a battle with revolvers following a quarrel In the lumber camp of Congleton and Williams Brothers, on Hose Creek, John Hamilton. James Bowles, Richard Spicer and George Frazler had been work ing together with 70 other men, hauling near here, yesterday. lumber and staves. ' The children of Bowies and Frazier had fallen out with those of Splcer and Hamilton. The men quarreled over the matter as they worked. Finally Bowles whipped out a revolver ar i began firing. He killed Hamilton and shot Spicer in the leg. By this time Spicer had drawn his gun and was firing at Bowles when Frazer joined in the shooting. When the smoke cleared away. It was found that Spicer was dead with two bullets in his chest and Bowles had been killed with a ball through the heart. Frazier was shot through the bowels, and wiil die. Missionary Society Praise Meeting The annual praise meeting of the Missionary Society of the Piedmont Presbyterian Church was. held Thurs day afternoon at the home of Mrs. H. J. Heid. 120S Cleveland avenue. Bona of the Presbyterial officers and mem- w mux mi J i The Stay Satisfactory Range The Hot Air Guarantee This is the talk you hear from the salesman, or : the advertising you read in 'the newspapers, telling you that this, that, or the other range is the best, and the' only one you should buy, or the only one that will bake, etc. Any range that you buy will give you good serv ice for at least a short time. Many of them, with ordi nary care, work well for a much longer time, but no other dealer dare make such an offer as we make, be cause no other range is worth $30 after three years' use. The Cash Guarantee This is the offer which we make to anybody who has a Monarch Malleable Bange now or who purchases one from us in the future. We Will Give You $30 for It Even if you have used it for fifteen years. If you think for a moment that this guarantee is made for advertis- ing purposes only, just try us. This guarantee is given Tv h-v us hpnnnsA tha 'Monarch -Malleable: 'RanorA in nn e in structed as to stand the test of time, and when we give you $30 for one we can sell it right away for more money. Pay $1.00 a Week Price $57 to $ 1 35 Pay 31. OO a Week mam . - in nil 11 lib. i!;!i',SII! HHliS! 'Hi I k 1 i is ! 1 til iff - I fel I M lliiilliiiElI 'mam Easy Payments One dollar per week is sufficient payment on any article, or a whole room may be fur nished for less than $50.00, and $1.00 weeki ly payments made on same. j TERMS $ 50 purchase, $10 cash- $ 5.00 ' monthly. $100 purchase, $20 cash, $10.00 monthly. $150 purchase, $30 cash, $12.50 monthly. $200 purchase, $40 cash, $15.00 monthly. OTHER AMOUNTS IN PROPORTION The Furniture Trust If there is a trust in this line of business in Port land, we would like to know it, and therefore make the following offer: . $100 REWARD Will be paid by us to any attorney who will prose cute and conviet any furniture dealer in this city under the Sherman law or Belding ordinance. $100 REWARD Will be paid by us to any attorney who will prose cute and convict any person giving perjured evi dence before any investigating committee or jury in such cases. $100.00 will be paid by us for each and every conviction as above. Reasonable Prices We carefully watch the market, buying onr stock for cash in large quantities, soa as to get the lowest prices. It is to our interest to sell at prices as low as the lowest. Door Mats -as low as.. 45 Lace Curtains as low as 50 Carpets as low as -. SOf1 Springs as low as ..Sj51.T5 Mattresses as low as .$2.00 Iron Beds as low as.. 52.25 Gc-Carts as low as 1.69 Kitchen Treasures as low as $2.75 Oil Heaters as low as $2.93 Cook Stoves as low as $7.50 WE MEET ANY PRICE MADE ANY WHERE ON ANYTHING 9 i lm.nl imfi! liiliiilj! IS ' Oil n i mm UK manmsni mIII Hi lliiiiiliiii pi iisiiMininraiiini! i 1.1 hi 1,1 1 i 1 Ik i ! 'iHtircmifircmmmrmmmi m9 liiliiilj 1 1:8 H li 111 M jJ ill i t n, .11.. ,H 11: h iu a ill WWM ill! 1 1 1 UUil a "1 1 ii Urn! ifmn jih, iiiiiijjiimiujmii I'll, AOQO p FiuiOB .to Tmmmm 1 bers of the Vernon and Westminster Societies were guests, and assisted in the programme, which was as follows: Devotional exercises, conducted by the pastor, Rev. N. S. Reeves; short busi ness session; roll call; talk upon mis sion work, Mrs. H. N. Scott; recita tion, "The Stingy Man," Mrs. EC J. Heid; solo, "O Love Divine," Mrs. J. E. Werlein; talk, "Missionary Work In China." Mrs. TV. S. Holt; solo, "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes." Miss Luclle Payne. A social hour followed, during which refreshments were served. D. C. BURNS GROCERY COMPANY FORCED TO DOUBLE ITS CAPACITY MASS MEETING AT Y. M. C. A. Evangelist Wilson AV1I1 Speak at 3 o'clock This Afternoon. At the mass meeting for men, to be held at 3 o'clock this afternoon at the Y. M. C. A. Miss Una Linehan will sing on of the snlos for which she has been so renowned in the city. This is Aliss Line ban's debut before Y. M. C. A. audiences. Following1 the soloist the usual stereoptl con pictures will be shown. The event of the afternoon will b Allen Wilson's address on "Excuse Me," and there is considerable comment upon how he will treat th topic. Mr. Wilson has been speaking at the First Christian Church and he comes from Indianapolis, Ind. He is one of the best-known evan gelists of the modern school. By his genial methods he holds his hearers at tention through his rapid-fire address. . Following the speaker, the meeting will double up into a debating club and discus sion group. Secretary Stone will lead one of the groups, taking the "Life of Christ," while the debating club will discuss the subject, "Resolved, That the Y. M. C. A. is the Greatest Factor in the Religious Life of Today." An exciting discussion Is anticipated. The leaders for both the negative and a ffirmati ve have already been selected- Following the leaders, the debate is thrown open, the only condition being acquiescence to the two-minute rule. The fellowship luncheon and social singing close the afternoon. If Baby Is Cutting Teeth Be sure and use that old well-tried remedy, Mrs. Winsiow'B Soothing; Syrup, for children teething. It soothes the uhtld, softens ths gums, allays pain, colic and diarrhoea. SEND SCENIC PHOTOS EAST. See Kiser's display. 248 Alder st. Perfect fitting glasses ?1 at Mi tzger'a. 1 rc'3s ! till x . J tmmmmmmm't X W ' ' Jit I 1-1"! IK - , I; : ' ''J fit"'? oi 9 .... - - r'-.-,. f'M'.v.: i-;:-'- -ciuiii'. w:-. As a resulr of fair treatment of pa trons and good business methods, the D. C. Burns Grocery . Company has been compelled to double its capacity' in the Auditorium building, on the east side of Third street, between Taylor and Sal mon. It now occupies the whole of the first floor and the full basement of the building, and has not any too much room. -The D. C. Burns. Company recently formed a corporation under the laws of the state, in order to mora conveniently handle its constantly increasing business. Mr. Burns Is president, J. H. McAfee is secretary, and D. R. Cheney treasurer. Mr. Burns' 23 years' experience in the grocery business in Portland has been one of constant growth. He has been particular to deal only In first-class goods, which he -has sold at prices that prove he was in barmony with the motto, "Quick Sales and Small Profits." He haa been & constant stickler for full weights and was elected to " the state Legislature In 190$ on the platform of full ralue Tecetved. While at alem he aid ms best to curb me rapacity of food manufacturers, who, in their desire to make money quickly, did not stop at placing short-weight packages on sale. Though not succeeding to his full desire, he grave the short-weight" feliows such a jolt that they have not been so bo.ai tn the placing of light packages on the market since the legislature adjourned. For, his efforts on behalf of me consum ers of Portland and Oregon, he has been well rewarded by the confidence of his hundreds of patrons, and the continued! extension of his trade.