Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-06-11
The Brains OF the Commercial
World in the Drummer Ele-

The Brains Of the Commercial
World in the Drummer Ele-
ment. sE -~2tE ?
From the Nashville American. 81. Il
The brains of the commercial world
is now in the drummer element. They
create trade and keep it alive. They
are the working part OF every house,
and when you get a tirst-class drum
mer, you have man combining the
action of early life and the wisdom of
the aged. They have grown in i'm.
portance and numbers till they have
come to be the bricks of the walls
which protect every city. its advanc-
ing force, the creators of it's solid
wealth, the architects of it's prosper
ity. For the size of the town no COM
munity has so many of these import
ant factors in the trade OF the coun-
try as Nashville. She has three where
Memphis has one; fully one-third more
than Louisville, and in NashvilIe's
own territory twelve to one over
Louisville. Atlanta is not even
considered q competitor in particular.
They say in Alabama that an Allan
ia house gives man $12 and his
railroad money, and tells him to be
back Saturday night, and it he strikes
a Nashville man in a town he leaves
for the next point on his circumscribed
route. The Nashville houses average
as large a number OF drummers each
as Louisville or Cincinnati, and taking
out the house of Simmons & Co., and
Shapleigh, Cantwell & Co. OF St. Louis,
her average is greater than even that
Of St. Louis. These are facts, and they
bear the closest scrutiny.
Ten years ago there was one-third
less jobbing houses in Nashville than
at the present time, and the average
force now Is also greater to the house
than then. There was then perhaps
100 men in the field, now there are
nearly 800 active, intelligent men
making four times q year q sally into
the southern country in Nashville's
interest.
The history OF the growth OF the
clan is marvellous. In 1870 there
We're few men on the road, and they
were nearly all for "filling-up' trips
and collections. The clan has not
failed to grow since. Until 1876 mer-
chants f1ocked into Nashville; now
not ten per cent. of the goods sold are
contracted for at the house.
Merchants have lost the habit OF
coming to market, and wait for the
market to come to them. And the
markets 60, for the country merchant
has now the goods of every great city
in the country to choose from, and
thus make the markets complete.
The salaries have declined as the eff
cheney and Importance Of the drum
mer increased; say in ten years fully
one-half everywhere. The percentage
OF profit to the merchant must remain
the same, but the volume OF profit be-
ing less, because all goods have de-
clined in price, the unfortunate but
Away jovial drummer is forced to
make up the difference, and keep the
balance Of power, SO to speak, still
with his employer. Yet his RESPONSE
billties have gone on increasing, and
his labors, to.
An investigator OF accurate mind
has calculated there are now about
$4,000 travelling statesmen On the road
IN this country, that their expense &C
counts alone will average l,5OO a.
year each. He says, This means an
outlay Of $13O, 10000 Il year, and If
you count an average salary OF 81 600
a year, it will swell the total to $780,
100000 a Year. This immense sum
is scattered all over the United States.
1t keeps up the hotels, is one OF
the most important items of railroad
passengers receipts. The character
Of the travelling salesman has changed
within a decade past. You will find
very few boys and fewer drunkards
upon the road. The competition isso
great and the expense so heavy that
and salaries OF $4,000 and
70, 900 year are by no
means uncommon. These tray
cling men sell all sorts of goods.
Some OF them carry a half dozen heavy
trunks and others carry their samples
in their overcoat pockets. One man
/ know gets So 900 e. year for selling
the skins which butchers put around
sausages. He dresses like Broad
way swell and carries his samples in q,
bag no larger than alady's shopping
satchel. The best of such skins are
made in Europe and butchers buy of
him everywhere. Then THERE'S man
I know who travels from Boston to
San Francisco and sells nothing but
one grade of shoe blacking. Some
travellers sell by pictures of the articles
they have to sell. Clothing forms the
largest class of drummers, and next
come those who sell boots and shoes.
Then we have the dry goods salesman,
the grocer, the hardware men, hats
and caps, and others as numerous as
there are trades and factories
'"Traveling men," this gentleman
continued, "are, as q rule, bright gen
erous fellows. They spend freely, and
many Of them, when they become old
and leave the road, find themselves
poor. We have now a project to take
care of disabled travelling men. 1t is
q travelling mems home to be endowed
by travelling men and to be devoted
to their use. The idea is that each
one of the $4,000 travellers is to give
81 q year for the next three years
to such an institution. This will
make total oil $4,000 and from
this we will buy farm in Kentucky,
or some other good locality, and erect
buildings, with reading
rooms, parlors and chambers, SO that
the occupants can have all the COM
forts OF life during their declining years.
We will further endow the home by
year Or two more of contributions,
and the institution will be under care
Of q competent board OF managers.
This project is, I understand, to be
submitted to the next annual meeting
Of merchant travellers. 1t has many.