OCR Text |
Show POLITICAL SENSATION CAUSED I BV LETTER OF GROCERS' COMBINE I : Effort Made to Boost Fusion Legislature Ticket Exposed in Sunday Morning's Examiner President of Organization Organiza-tion and Candidates Make an Explanation. The Examiner, Sunday morning, created cre-ated quite a political sensation, by , publishing two letters from the president presi-dent of the local (irocera' Trust urging urg-ing the election of the Fusion legislative legis-lative ticket In Weber county The letters follow: Letter No. 1. "Ogden, Utah. Oct. 29, 1914 The retail merchants of Ogden and Weber We-ber county have a vital matter at Make In the coming election. After years of effort and through the loyal service of our former legislative representative. rep-resentative. Mr. J. W. Wilcox, and our attorney, Mr. Joseph Chez, who prepared the bill and aided him. the last state legislature enacted what is known as the Garnishment law which removes the diserimination heretofore in favor of the "dead bat" and gives an even brenk to the retail merchants or creditor in collecting his honest debts Said law has been in force nbout a year and one-half, and has proven Itself to be all that was claimed for it in providing n fair deal to the merchant as well as the debtors. n.v this, thousands of dollars have been collected by the retail merchants which COUld not have been done otherwise, besides it 'has raised the standard of the credit system. sys-tem. Here In Ogden we are particularly par-ticularly interested In this law. because be-cause a great deal of our business is done with transient customers who move back and forth and do not become be-come permanent residents. "Reliable information comes to us from Snlt Lake City, that an effort is on foot to repeal the aforesaid garnishment low. nnd thus strike at the welfare of our business This ia not made by the honest debtor, but b a selfish set While this law does not affect the wholesaler or Jobber Job-ber as directly as It does the retail merchant, yet our interests are one and our success means your success If we are not able to collect our honest hon-est dbts we will not have the money to pnv your accounts hence our in-; in-; rsts are reciprocal With this end In view, we purpose to stand for those who stand for us. We shall only support a legislative ticket who shall represent our Interests and nnt misrepresent them W 8 are not in politics and have no partisan ax to grind, but we are taking tins step in self-preservation and we ask your iews In the matter Are you with us? Please give us your views by letter or telephone not later than Saturday Sat-urday night October 31 II by phone, call undersigned at No ' i (Signed) J. M. CARLSEN. Fraternally ours "President Retail Merchants Association ' Letter No. 2. "We have made a careful Investigation Investi-gation and endorse and will support the following legislative ticket "For State Senator Joseph Chez. "For Representative Mrs. Mary 0. Coulter "For Representative William H Lowder "For Representative F J Hender-nhot. Hender-nhot. Sr. "For Representative C. Fred Schade. Are you willing to co-operate with us and thus protect your business interests? in-terests? Fraternally ours. (Signed) .1 M. CARLSEN, "President Retail Merchants Association " J M. Carlsen's Statement J. M. Carlsen later made the following fol-lowing statement: "The letter that was sent out was duly authorized by the merchants who assembled at the regular meeting held on last Wednesday evening Tne association stands back of what is -aid in thosi- li tters and we are not afraid to give them publicity In facl we expect they would become public. The reason they were sent was because we consider that the men ind women endorsed will biasl represent, repre-sent, the business mrn " An Explanation. The following communication was sent the ExSminer, after the sensa-lion sensa-lion of yesterday morning: "To the Morning Examiner: In your irticle this morning pertaining to the Retail Merchants association in which you quote letters written by me. these letters have worked a great Injustice, and while YOU QUOTED ME CORRECTLY COR-RECTLY I want to undo the wrong BO far as it can be undone, and therefore frankly admit that I overstepped my bounds as president of the association by sending out the letters set out In your paper without consulting ALL of the board of directors. "I also want to undo the injustice and vrcng which has been done to the legislative candidates on the Uem ocratic-Progressive ticket, and hereby retract the same. Neither of said legislative candidates nor the legislative legisla-tive candidates on the Republican ticket have been Interviewed or consulted con-sulted as to any legislation directly nTTTrn iimbiim i .mii. mm or indirectly concerning the Rotail Merchants association, nor have any pledges, or promises, Implied or express, ex-press, or any other kind, been mad to the Retail Merchants association by said legislative candidates on either the Democratic-Progressive or Republican tickets. "My explanation for writing the lei tcrs wan by being overwrought by the action of the State Bar association convention at the Hermitage last Aujfusr. when the repeal of the "Dend Beat law" or the ( larnibhment act. passed by the last legislature, was recommended by a committee of flvo railroad and corporation attorneys of Salt Lake City, which recommendation recommenda-tion Is as follows: " 'Thai the statute passed by the last sosBlon of the legislature permitting permit-ting garnishments at the time of filing fil-ing nn action be abolished or amended amend-ed restricting the right. Herbert R MacMlllan Chairman; C. S. Varum. C A Badger. E. S Ashton. W. I) Rlter, Committee (Signed) J M CARLSEN, President." Legislative Candidates Reply. In reply to the Examiner's article. Joseph Chet and associates made the following Bigned Btatemenx: "We. the undersigned, legislative candidates on th Democratic and Progressive tickets, each for himself, ii ny and denounce most emphatically the charge in Sunday morning's Examiner Ex-aminer that nn agreement, tacit, implied, im-plied, express or any kind whatsoever whatso-ever was entered into between us and Lh" R"t:il Merchants association, roil ro-il rred to as a Grocers' Trust or anyone, any-one, whereby, if elected, we were to do the bidding or In any manner favor fa-vor them in legislation, or In any way whatsoever, and If such statements state-ments were made or published they were wholh and entirely false, or made without our authority and without with-out our knowledge or consent. "We denounce a Grocers' Trust, or any other tru6t. combine or monopoly, and are absolutely under no obligations obliga-tions to said Retail Merchants asso elation, or any person, firm or cor poration, and if elected, we shall be custodians of our own consciences, and shall discharge our duties for the best interests of all of the people without fear ot favor (Signed), Joseph Jo-seph Chez, Mary (',. Coulter. William H Lowder, F. J. Hendershot, C. Fred Schade." , |