The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-05-24
/" DRUMMING ="

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Norkngmen, We are told, are easily tired
Of abstract reasoning. They are, indeed,
SO worn out by their long hours Of daily
labor that their minds cannot hav. that
vigor and elasticity required for the clear
perception Of abstract truths IL is not
only the body hut also the mind. that Is
the brain that suffers from overWork, which
is now the rule, and, therefore. has To- be
abrugated by the eight hour system
Ia consideration u which state Of affairs,
Ne propose to-day "a treat an abstract
truth IN concrete manner that IA to
give picture Of that commercial institution
called " drummers. ana point only with
a few words t. the moral uf the story
Every thing moves in hurry il these
Northern States even spring is more or
less excluded from our dance IF seasons !;
summer almost at once calls flowers with
blossom, where winter rcigncd few weeks
ago. Everything grows alarmingly quick .
flowers, trees, men, institutions, business.
lndentures uf apprenticeships are seldom
kept the apprentice of yesterday who
did not understand more than heating
riyets, to-day boldly assumes the place If
iull grown boiler maker The clerk
that yesterday measured tape. and whose
horizon was bounded by the counter To-
day rlshes forth into the Stock Exchange,
and bulls and bears It ia gold, petroleum
or corn the man that yesterday was very
glad to write letters tor nifty cents apiece
fpr IllIterate folks, to-day opens bank,
ana rrctenis Ia offer the largest facilities
u the trade TOR moving gram or PORK a.
the stdhoard Life il to this nation a
hurdle race, everybody wants to hc first at
the goal riches. and he Who gets there
Is disappointed The eagerly sought for
gold turns out e. be dry leaves. and the
aim and end of life. dreamt of ~ the mass,
can really So little be attained. as the huri-
lon seemingly near. can never be
touched. recriIug for ever As you seem 20
approach ID Amer can trade aud com
merce bears. ~ course, the taints Of this
disease q disease. the necessary outflow
and result W that system II general com
petition that has ruled the civilized world
for the past century Trade Is no longer a
legitimate business, where honesty, skill,
talent and experience carry the day Ii has
become system Of traps aud tricks, We
may even say Of moral drugsing If its vic
TINS. We allude particularly, to the
so-called v Wholesale trade, by which Is meant
selling by the bale, the gross 81 the ton
To illustrate the present way Of doing
business, If many ~ our wholesale mer-
chants and Johhers, one word is sufficient
To- the initiated ~ drumming What IS
drumming We allow Whilom drum
mer e tell his Own story. He SAYS
4. Tow Ards the great crisis ut 1871. / was a
very Young man was glad ~ ret sItua-
ton lu a Baltimore wholesale tobacco house
That house found itself ia rather lad straits
on account ut numerous bank ruptcies ~ its
debtors It was therefore. compelled u
do cash business then, and the
great aim and talk 0f the four statesmen was
to rope IN As many cash customers as posi-
BE 70 keep the ship ahoat ! Mas the stout
est Of these four sAesmeu. ami the worst sal
aued. /. therefore worked the hardest IN
order % rlse IA the scale, certain percentage
being held out. besides for each sale We
brought by angling ] then might be seen at
all hours, night ana day On all streets, In all
hotels, lying IN ambush, A. It were, for Gus
IL -. J.. - a
the arrival Of trains steamboat landings
became familiar wIsh my face. / hre-kfasted
three times day Ia three different hotels in
urier not to miss certain No. | customers
] took dinner three times To get at a cash pay
M " esterner, to make him attached to
me by all kinds Of seduction. ! did not rest
till found out his peculiar weak point.
might say, point Of explosion, and then, final
ly, blew INN SKY high, and kneaded him like
dough IN the interest Of my employers. Like
It Paul became all things to all men
With the Methodist, ! went to the Metho-
dist meeting house, outdolng the most fervent
OF that sex IN grlmaces and contortions
With the drunkari, | made the round 81
saloons the gambler | introduced to the
gambling hells u the yoluptuous WAS the
torch hearer- then could stand quantities
Of the strongest drink nf which now the
smallest amount would throw me into TITS
knew no WEAKNESS nor did feel anv scru-
pies at the coarseSt revelrv. and even had
felt Il, conscience would have been stuffed ~
my eager passion for that excellence that con
Slsts in bringing IN tbs largest number III
customers
After having hvei ~ that STYLE. and sue
cesstully for az OF seven year ! was consider
ed the best tobacco salesman in Baltimore !:
our house had become the first oue in its line
My salary had risen to a ,OOOper wear. and
was on the sure road TO ,rtnershIp with nv
employers. Then the catastrophe followed.
postponed BY the immense strength 81 the
constitution. DelIrum tremens put an end
to my victories salesman hal 70 live two
years IN the country "a recover. and then.
did not want to resume my old line of bust
ness even y my health, were quite restored to
its pristine strength had allowed IT, hal to
be SATISFIED with the place II travelling
agent, for my Old house, whose fortune had
built up. My course Is more " les run. Nv
constitution broken, and all tins on account
Of system that Is running thousands Of
young men, that creates en0rusIs disturb
ances in trade, while at the same time push
ing up this Or that firm in a marvellous short
time to an immense success not at all deserv-
ed
This drummer may be strong"
specimen Of his class, but We doubt
very much if there is anything over
drawn in his story. 1t is fact patent
to all that the great mass Of our stores and
wholesale establishments depend mainly on
their statesmen. who by certain per cent
age, are spurred to use all DeIilah's wiles
to entrap custom ers. The end money