New-York tribune., 1896-10-18
EMIsSAR1ES OF TRADE.
THE COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS UN
USUAL POLITICAL ACTIVITY
THIS YEAR.
FEW OF THEM At HOME TO VOTE WHEN THE
TINE coMEs-cHANGEs IN THEIR STANDING

TIME CoMEs-CIrANGES IN THEIR STANDING
AND BUSINESS METHODS.
Among the men who have made themselves co".
spcuous I'm the course OF TIE present r'es'uc''"'
campaign by their work for the sound-mone! can,
didates and who have sacrificed much tihe anu
money to the cause, the commercial tra'eheis w
cupy n front rank. This is particularly true u
those who have their headquarters In New ork'
But Notwithstanding their enthusiasm ana tne'i
practical devotion to the cause, II is proDap'o 'n"'
no class Of citizens will be largely represented III
the non-voting population as these same COM
mercai travellers.
Their business is Of such a nature that hundreds
NJ their number have grown old without ever nav
ing been able to cast a vote take part personally
In the political contests
When election time comes SAID one oi 'ie i''''
who may be any day at the Commercial Inv
elers' sound-mone meetings. Il shall be IN Kansas
City or Omaha, and the only thing that can 40 70
offset my failure to vote Is to try TO make co"'e
to our side while am on the road
There never was time when the commercia'
traveller was so active in politics as at present,
and many people think that he will do more geo"
by travelling and arguing with merchants WHO arc
undecided how they will cast their vote IN the CONF
Ing contest than By staying at home to VOTE
1t Is estimated that there are more than 2"o~o
commercial travellers In the United States, AL
though the calling has been an important one ohiy
since the outbreak Of the civil war. before .ha'
time merchants from the South and West used 70
come 10 New-York about twice every year ana puy
a six months stock. They knew the name OF the
salesman Of whom they were about TO buy ana IL
was we'll understood that other man could sell
TO them II they were new men in the market ana
without acQuaintances In the large comfnerciai
houses they probably had the names OF men VINO
sold goods to their neighbors. and they went 10
those statesmen as though consigned to them
Speaking Of the methods which prevailed AZ that
time a Broadway merchant said:
.'The Southern merchant would make his pur-
chases give his notes, sometimes pay cash. TOT
what he had purchased: then he would see the
town with Of his New.York friends. have
good time and when that was over he would leave
the city for home, and that was the last the mer-
chants would OF him for six months But the
facilities for transportation and travel became
greater and men were sent on the road 10 win the
trade which until then belonged to some houses
because of personal influence Members OF firms
and general statesmen made visits to remote places
10 forestal their competitors who remained at home
and waited for the country merchant TO come TO
them"
THE GROWTH OF A CALLING.
Tho vsIus of the travelling salesman has grown
steadily; he has become a most important factor
In all branches of business. from pills to suspension
bridges and he has not only aided materially III
the development OF American commerce. but he mas
given cause for much enterprise Whlcn wouid
and steamboat companies count the commercial
travellers among their best patrons. and the bus!-
ness which the statesmen create keeps their freight
departments busy. The hotels have no better GUS
toners and IL is safe to say that hotel when Is
avoided by them is inferior. They are exacting as
to hotel accommodations. and the present superior
condition and management OF American hotels are
due I'm great part the desire Of the proprietors TO
win the patronage of the "drummers.
1t has been estimated that Of the %.o,WoeN
business done in the United States annually more
than one-half IL due to the work OF the coinmcrc'aI
traveller and an estimate OF the aggregate daily
expenditures Of the 2o, ~ men is not less than
$l.uvO00o.
MY business does not bring me In contact with
travelling men much" said Mayor Strong. but l
know that a great change has taken place IN the
commercial travelling community. once upon a
time man would leave New-York about the MID
die OF June and go West or South wherever MS
trade might be. and look 1t up. He would take no
samples nor stock. but would simply so about. see
what was being done. tell his customers what the
next season might bring forth. and urge his friends
TO call on him when they came to the market.
This trip" continued the Mayor would last until
september. and then he would return to New-York
and walt for his customers to come In. a similar
,rn would be made in November lasting until
February.
,'That Is all changed now. The men who so on
the road show the goods, take the orders-when
they can.-and when they return their easy time be-
gins Between the very early period of commercial
travel in this country and the present time there
was an era when the commercial traveller as a
class did not occupy high position as he does
to-day. The business was not so well understood
as II IS now. and the requirements were not so ex-
acting At present there Is so mitch competition
that a man must he OF a superior kind TO hold his
own AS A commercial traveller, and houses are care
ful as TO whom they send out
..rb. commercial traveller for large concern is
more than "a salesman: he must be perfectly ra-
milar with the policy Of the concern which he
r.nr,s.nts; he must be able TO talk business and he
must show by his ways and manners that he is
worthy OF confidence. Small and unimpoTtant con-
Germs may have equally small and incompetent men
on the road but who travel for large and
reputable houses nowadays are as ciaSs S"Pe''''
men,"
Another large employer of travelling statesmen
said that the drummer" Of the present time must
he a gentleman II he would be success the best
men are those" he said. who are the most temper
ate and the idea that man needs to be anything
else to be Il successful salesman Is false Concerns
nav their travellers good salaries. but they demand
conscientious attention TO business. and they all
know that a man who will not attend to business Is
dear at any price. A to be successful trav-
ellcr must be OF good presence and must inspire MS
customers with confidence. and have found that
the best men are those who are totaI absta'ners.
"The drummer has not always enjoyed an
enylabe reputation in the community, said a
manufacturer who has several men on the road,
and II is only natural The early men in the busi-
ness were taken from the force OF house sales
men and sent away to do business on the road.
At home under the eye OF the employer. they were
all right but when they got away many were not
strong enough to resist the temptation to be gay.
Those were the days when the country merchant
waited for the city drummer hear the latest yarn
or TO see the trick. II was thought in those
DAYS that ,o play stif game OF poker. to drink
wh.skey and lots of 1t and to tell stories were pos
itively essential qualities for the successful drum