The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-02
Different Kinds of Commercial Travel
lers in the West.

| Different Kinds of Commercial TravcI.
lers In the West.
A writer in the Cleveland Leader sketches
the different classes of commercial travellers
in the Vest
"One-fourth Of the travelling men are we'll
| entitled to the name of drummers. Represent
| ing for the most part small wholesale dealers,
with little or no capital, who do bu 5iness in
the cities, smaller class who are in country
villages, the manufacturers of super1uous
articles, dealers in patent rights, etc, they
are employed on the quantity of bone they are
known to possess. This is really the most
useless class of travelling men, for the pay
only commands unskilled labor, and much Of
1t is from class which possess only the most
rudimentary education, and ought never to
have wandered out of sight of the smoke of
their friends.
"Perhaps IL is an overestimate in computing
one-half the habitual travelling men as true
commercial travellers men who are educated
business men aud to be classed with the best
practical business talent in the country. They
are employed for their abilities and experience
and are depended upon largely to advance the
prosperity Of the house with which they are
connected They have, as it were, to control
and give direction to q vast amount of capital,
which they are expected to handle 80 as to
make valuable returns. They must keep
themselves informed of the various prices of
goods, the influences that advance or decrease
values, the condition of the money market, Of
the legislation that tends to unsettle values,
of the character and responsibility Of the nu-
merOus dealers to whom they sell, of the laws
for the collection of debts, of the proper time
to press or restrict sales, and much other
knowledge that onl y experience and we'll
cultivated mind can compass. OF course, the
requirements vary according to the nature of
the calling, some being more eXacting and
laborious than others, but all, or nearly all,
being subject to the criticism of an expert
enced business head, derelctions do not often
pass unnoticed. A large portion of these
travelling men ultimately are advanced, and
become partners in their respective houses,
and take high rank as accomplished and sue
eessful business men.
"The pay of travelling men varies from four
hundred to twenty-five hundred dollars per
| year and expenses borne. The first class,
| representing large houses, seldom receive less
| than fifteen hundred dollars, and many times
| overreaoh the largest sum we have named.
The price paid to 'guerrillas' varies greatly
| according to the interest they represent. The
! pay of dTummeTs sometimes does not exceed
two hundred dollars per year, and rarely ex-
| ceeds one thousand.
| ''The chief support of country hotels is de-
rived from travelling men, but in favored
localities on main routes of travel hotel
keeping is good business to the best houses.
| 1t would seem that every town of any import
ance ought to afford at least one good hotel,
but this is by no means the case. The excep-
tion is the rule. Without additional expense
most of them could be largely improved, and
their charges, almost universally two dollars
a day, are large enough to afford good table
and good beds. Their cookery falls below
that found in respectable private houses, and
sleeping accommodations are proportionately
much worse.
'The necessary expenses of travel vary
according to the length of the route between
points of trade. They range from three and
a half to six dollars per day, the larger sum
being an outside figure, unless one has extra
baggage in the way of samples. Some are
far more expensive, but they are persons of a
convivial turn, or resort to the questionable
practice of treating to get trade. Some houses
encourage the practice, but generally 1t is not
countenanced. New Yorkers are usually the
most expensive travellers, habit no doubt
resulting from living in the most extravagant
city on the continent; but as a general tAing
they are very intelligent and practical men,
oompanionable and pleasant travelling ac-
quaintances."