Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-04-29
The "Drummer," Ancient and Modern.

But few years ago travelling sales
man from wholesale house in the CITY
was looked upon as a marvel of enter
prise, and his advent into a village was
hailed as an event by the small boy. He
came on the top of a gayly-painted wag-
on, with high, tight box, which car
ried with it an air of deep mystery COW
ering what might be inside. Next to a
travelling circus, this equipage excited the
greatest attention and admiration. He
came sometimes with two horses, and
sometimes with four-in-hand, and he
carried the goods with him which he eX-
pected to sell. When he refined up in
front of the general store, a regular town.
meeting crowd gathered about him and
watched with interest the opening of the
doors in the rear of the vehicle, and the
display of wealth therein contained. A
public exhibition of the crown Jewels
could not have elected more comment.
There were bolts of cotton sheeting and
buZz-saws, delaines and tin dippers,
drugs and sugars, calico and paint, boots
and shoes and accOrdeons, tOmbstones
and jewsharps-all neatly packed in their
proper departments. Sometimes large
rack was attached to the end of the wag
on. and there was always an iron rail up
on the top for the accommodation of
rags, old copper, iron, ETC., which might
be taken in exchange for groceries and
tinware. These "traveling statesmen"
were at that time called "peddlers," and
they did not ignore private farm-houses
when they wished to sell out their stock.
These were ante-railway times. A lit
tie later, and the railroads stretched
themselves through the country, and the
travelling salesman forsook his wagon,
and likewise his cumbersome stock of
goods, and travelled with gripsack
packed with samples. Then people got
to dealing in specialties, and the sample
bags grew lighter and less bulky, while
some drummers contented themselves
with photographs of the goods they de-
sired to disp ose of.
The institution of travelling agents is
an old one, and the time has been when
this class of men virtually held the trade
of the country in their own hands; SO
much so that firm could not dispense
with the services of their drummers with
out serious loss to their business. The
wages of these statesmen were high in
proportion to their value in commanding
trade. OF late years, however, the prin-
cipals have been gradually getting the
trade into their own hands, and, as their
houses grew more and more popular and
established. the travelling man found his
importance decreasing. This will not
yet apply to all classes of business. There
are some kinds of goods that can only be
sold by sample, and the dealers in them
are still more or less in the power of their
travelling agents, although they do all
they can to control their own trade.
When house secures a new customer
through the agency of a travelling man,
the Principals Immediately open a cor
respondence with him, and cautiously
interpolate upon their printed letter.
heads the hint that 'orders directed to
the firm will insure a more prompt at
tentiOn than if directed to an individual"
thus destroying, as much as possible, the
importance of the salesman who secured
the customer.
In few of the staple branches, par
ticularly in dry goods and groceries, the
services of the travelling statesmen are
being to certain extent dispensed with,
the nature of the goods being such as to
warrant the risk of trusting to CORE
spondence and price lists. With this
class Of dealers it is question of but
short time before all roadmen will be dis
penses with. Several have already abol-
ished the system, and others have ex-
pressed their determination to be so very
soon. But in boots and shoes, hats and
caps, furs, millinery goods, and the like,
where no established grade can be made
without samples, it is regarded as abso-
lutely necessary to employ SOLICITORS
Chicago Tribune.