The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-10-26

oar podily, A. wei AZ commercial coul'-
| uun2
A trfe discussion ana interchange Of ilNna
| ON these hunlecte, lou US 10 believe lhAl lhu
| ends IN Wow We're at least w0flll WuiAlhB
/ for ana We resolved 10 enWr ihe Held,
! Nucn welu the cnutnS, thu surroundings
hAu the influences uuuur WhlNh luu nlhl
convention gathered IN ihlH room 90 TIE
/ tWeni y,thilu n October, one yrgr Hsu,
! Thea n wa, thai lht'h Whlln 10 uunutd
/ with the words Vie ~ resolved Ihtl Wa
organize the Texas Commercial lrayeiem
Association
Tonight read from this pamphlet which
| conttliis the Constitution ANA by law ut tho
society, Article II when sayh.
! SForloN THE object OF this society
shall boi 10 protect und promote The com
| mercial Interests OF AL hrms ieprosented IN
tho state OF Texas by its momnes 10 ele-
Nhla the standard OF the commercial travel
or 10 incilltale his trausuoti lusi to reduce
| hih expenses, ana TO Rnellofnle MS general
condition
SIC, 2.--The sooiely shall b. open ~ all
| times for the discussion and consideration
OF grievances ~ Affect the welfare OF LIS
body, .....
Upon thus platform We have lived ana
moved ana had our being II contains but
two planks, either OF which N broad enough
To embrace every commercial traveller IN
GOOD standing, doing business IN the state OF
Texas.
I'm unity there IL strength 10 test,
therefore the powers OF our newborn union
we al once laid out the work of rs Infancy
ana took steps 10 develop and feceiVe the
Dement'S OF ,ur organization,
our tirSt labor commenced IN rehlltg netore
the association was lormel, ana was the es'
pOuslug OF u suit brought ny one OF oar
members 20 test the validity Of the tax upon
selling by sample, Hero n blpOdlosa Victory
was achieved, for before u duolslon was
reached tho new constitution OF Texas was
aall IN
vide for tue levying OF the tax, no that to-day
~ IL dead letter upon the statute hooks
Our next charge was MADE upon RAILROADS
ana hotels Committees We're appointed ana
personal interviews and correspondence fol-
lowed, and whilst the railroads did not
make tut concessions which we asked yet
the negotiations In the cases OF two OF them
were followed by reduction OF rates nom
each of nYe doliais on the price OF thousand
mile tickets. These reductions have been
thrown open TO the travelling public, but the
fact remains that ours were the Efforts whlch
secured them.
WIN hOlelG our work has been more sat
isfactOry. Our list embraces lofty Zone hist-
class Louses, IN various parts OF the state
W tn which arrangements nave been Inade
either to improve the quality OF the accom-
mod0tiOns or reduce the charges, or both, In
Il number 81 cases the reduction mas been
followed by like change IN the rates OF OPP
position houses, which rates have OF course
been extended to nou-memDers OF Inc thso-
citation.
hut here again the society deserves the
thanks NJ least OF the general commercial
traveller; for the fact that to-day the best |
motel accommodations in the state OF Texas |
are open to commercial men NJ hity cents |
per day less than the prloes of last year; Is |
due TO the efforts of the Texas Commercial
Travellers association,
our first step towards tho obtaining of cor |
rect commercial reports, IL set iorth IN Ar
tiole 3, section of our constitution which |
relates to the duties OF members, an reads |
AZ follows: every active member OF This |
society ehall, 10 far as possible. collect anu |
transmit To the secretary all information OF |
interest 10 the ass citation concerning busi- |
ness irregularities of Texas merchants III |
those towns which he visits; always proYld- |
ed that such Information Is not detfimental |
to his own Interests. For these services he |
shall receive no compensation, save mat |
expenses actually incurred in forWardtng |
information, shall be paid by the |
secretary when claims for such expenses |
have been endorsed BY the president.
Under this reading our reports were con- |
fined TO commercial irregu and such |
My OF these as the discovering members |
III ight reveal without conflicting win their |
own interests.
Mal,itestly this gave us but meager infor-
nation. And with the most thorough zeal
In carrying out, our BOOKS would only Sh W |
the actual irregul aritles OF sdDterranean
dealers. NJ provision whatever was made
for obtaining the amount or responsible lily
of good III erchants.
true, a report Of ommercial Irregularities
IN AIDE by the members would form Yalua-
BILE check upon such information IA we
might CLEAN from other sources, but we
wanted more. L.
The need ca led forth the remedy, and at
A suociul meeting held ON April Sd OF this |
v ear, u resolution was adopted by which |
Wriuen contracts were entered INTO WIN |
prOmi nent attorneys all over the STATE, max
ing them correspondents and reporters, and |
binding them TO fur nish us regularly with |
full commercial statistics. AS compensa- |
ton Tor their services, they are To receive |
the business OF the society as It's regularly |
appointed attorneys,
This plan is proving satisfactorily, fuc- |
ceSsiul and, in connection attn sncH sks |
as are furnished by our members,we sieve |
that we have inaugurated an era in 1
commercial reporting that is destined II
continued, TO be m ore accurate anu
valuable than any now in existence.
We have already contracts with eighty
four irst-class ana reliable iaw Trims, repre-
senting all OF the large cities and towns In |
the state, and we are constantly enlargtng |
the circle which Will shortly entrtce every |
Texas county which transacts any CONNER
cial business whatever.
This is partially what we have accOms
plished, so far as actual ana pecunlary bene-
its to our members is conoerned.
Has the work come up 10 our anulclpu-
lions an have these results been achieved |
without difficulties other than those neces'
sarily inherent in our surroundings? |
We lave enrolled about one hundred
members moro or less active. We have IN
corporated our association under the gen,
aral laws OF the state We have perfected
our machinery OF organization. We have |
passed safely through Iheills of infancy and
come up smiling at the end OF our first an
nual round. Is this indicative oil merit or
Ii earnest OF future prosperity?
70 classify and combine any any SCI OF
"a ~ q
SGT with difficulties. Unlike the poet, a |
union is made, not born; and made only by |
the active interest and united Efforts OF |
working members. Its fist life span Is the
most critical in ITS existence. From With |
cut 1t must meet the active opposition OF
open enemies, whilst from within IL Is rare
Iy free from u more insldlouS danger eXlsI'
Ing in the apathy of indifferent members.
We nave had our share Oh oQth evils 70
,ised and misrepresented. our errors have
been magn fled, and our successes have
been ignored. Aud this, too, by parties
whose ignorance of our lanor, good, Dad ana
nditfe ent, should have protected uS NJ least
from their malice. The motives of our mein-
Ders have been wrongly Interpreted anu our
actions have been understood. with a few
the idea has obtained that the association
was used as an avenue of private advance
mput, and that mem Derslips even were in
ticlLiye OF Individual feeling and personal
Nothing, ] believe, could be |
further irons the ann of the association. III
atted
"with malice towards none,"
and not only Is its very being dependent
upon perfect adherence to that lnclple,
but its standing as n society Will be graded |
by the success which II achieves III The pur- |
ity OF its DEVOTION.
Experiences like ours are the natural |
and penalties OF mere |
existence They have been our educators, |
and tnay will bp bauefic 10 us throughout |