The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-25
THE FIRST MERCHANTS DAY

Frank Il. Mccoy, who soon Had the As.
sislanes OF WiliinRW OrkerS-wnl Prob.
bly, he an Annual Event.
The visiting merchants from almost
every community In West Virginia, west
ern Pennsylvania and Ohio, who are here
to-day as the guests OF Commercial
Wheeling at It's first Merchants Day."
do not probably realize that the enter
tainment which they will enjoy to-day
has been prepared in only four weeks
and that In the last ten days practically
everything that Is u be realized to-day
was arranged for but 1t IS fact, never
theless, and Is also a testimonial to the
enterprise and ability of Wheeling
wholesalers to handle big thing In good
style and handle It expeditIously,
To. Mr.. Frank II. Mccoy, manager OF
the Mccoy Shoe Company, belongs the
honor OF having put the Wheeling 'Mer-
chants Day. movement on foot few
weeks ago He felt that Wheeling would
not be keeping pace with other CONNER
clal communities Of like Importance II
she did not follow In the footsteps of
New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City,
Peoria and even smaller cities that are
extensively engaged In jobblng, and show
TO her 400 customers throughout the
tri-state radius that she appreciates the
generous custom OF the past and Is will
ing and anxious to extend her wholesale
business beyond the present extensive
territory that Is covered. He enthused
over the matter until Merchants Day"
fever proved so Infectious that II ragged
In almost every business house In the
Main street wholesale district. Meetings
were held at the chamber of commerce
and committees selected to raise the nee
essary funds to entertain the 1000 or
more merchants whom tt was anticipated
would accept the invitation In person.
The sum of $4,000 was soon raised and II
was settled that the affair would be CO.
but some of the promoters feared they
had an elephant On board and for day
or two, It looked as though Merchants
Day" would so under The clouds of
doubt and uncertainty, however, were
soon dispelled, largely by the warm re-
cephon with which the first announce
ment Of the proposed entertainment had
been received by the retail merchants in
the territory covered by the Wheeling
wholesalers, The jobbers saw they had
put their feet into 1t by proposing such
an undertaklng-that II they abandoned
the affair, the word would go around the
trl-state radius that "Wheeling was too
slnw TO hold her own, let alone expand"
So the first Merchants Day" project
has been pushed through AT the start
there may have been doubt as to the
ability OF the }obbIRg interests TO handle
such an extensive affair, but the matter
of-fact manner in which the committees
have gone about their work shows that
It was mistaken impression. Every
subscriber Ia the Merchants Day. fund
Is now an enthusiast. and can see that
no better move with the object of getting
into close touch with their customers out
OF town could have been devised.
Although nothing has yet been in the
way Of making Merchants Day"
yearly event in Wheeling, the success
that Will crown to-day's affair Is certain
to result in an annual Merchants Day"
Other cities are moving In that direction,
and as the reputation Of Wheeling is
more or less at stake, It can be assured
unofllcially that to-day'5 will be the first
OF many happy occasions that will follow
In the years to come.
The committees that have worked to
make to-day's affair an unqualified sue
cess were as follows:
EXECUTIVE.
II. Quarter, chair Frank +. Mccoy,
man, Henry Baer,
r. G.. Caldwell, W. G. wilkinson,
l.. A. Lallance, secretary.
EMBARRASSMENT
W. C. Beans, chair l.. A. Lalance,
man, Allen Brock
w, +. Shaffer, u. X. McMechen.
INVITATION, a.
r. r. Mccoy. chair Henry Baer,
man, s. w. Harper,
r. Buchanan, Il. Mather Archer
RAILROAD.
Samuel Kraft, George W. Lutz,
William Elllngham.
The list OF subscribers to the "Mer-
chants Day" fund comprises almost
every wholesale merchant in the city and