The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-10


Tho merchants Day" project hangs
in the balance with few ounces over
weight slowly sending the beam in the
direction of failure and abandonment.
Unless there is an awakening to the
situation and some lively hustllng,
Merchants Day" viii be numbered
among the enterprises that have flicker
ed and died in extreme infancy.
The meeting of the wholesalers called
for last evening at the chamber of
commerce, for the purpose of taking up
the matter and completing the arrange
ments for the event, was so meagerly
attended that those who were present
had all the spirit taken out OF them at
the start. In the absence OF Chairman
Hulllhen Quarter, Mr. Allen Brock, OF
the Joseph Speldel Grocery Company
was elevated to the chair, temporarily,
Secretary G, W. Wilkinson reported
that only nine of the thirty-eight firms
had handed over to him the lists OF per-
sons to be Invited here on Merchants
Day" and until he had received the
other lists he could not prepare the
amended list The firms that have al
ready responded are the Baers' Sons
Grocer Company, Locke Shoe Company
Mccoy Shoe Company, the Kraft-Frank
Company, Joseph Speldel Grocery Com
pany, John s. Naylor & Company, II. T.
Hutchinson. T.. Wagner Trimble & Lutz
Company, Henry Speyer and NELL &
Ellingham. He believed that the num-
Der OF merchants TO be invited would
reach 1880 10 1000, not far away from
the larger figure. He did not believe he
could prepare the revised list before
Thursday.
This report was followed by dis
cusslon in which II was shown that
there Is a disposition 10 drop the pro-
posed outing and entertainment Of the
out-of-town customers OF the wholesal-
ers. A motion was made requesting the
secretary to prepare statement OF the
expense already incurred and that q
pro-rata assessment be made on the
firms having subscribed to the fund,af-
ter which the project would be dropped
This motion failed to received second
and was dropped.
Another gentleman suggested the
advlsability OF inviting 1000 merchants.
with the $1,000 subscribed TO the guar
antee fund and the probability that
one-cent mile rate would be obtain
ed from the railroads, he thought no
risk would follow the celebration with
the invitations limited to 1000. Or, on
the other hand, the committee could
amend It's plan and arrange to have the
visitors pay their own railroad fare at
the reduced rate and use the fund sub
scrfbed in their entertainment. In this
way there would be little chance OF
loss even II more than 1000 merchants
accepted the invitation.
At this point a motion to adjourn to
the call OF the chair, was made, but
was amended by Mr.. Mccoy that the
meeting adjourn until next Thursday
evening, all the subscribers to be notl-
fed in the meantime that the matter
would be finally disposed OF at that
meeting.
Before the motion was put, however.
MFR. Efiingham suggested that Secre-
tary George Hook, Of the West Virginia
State Fair Association. be given the
floor. This was acted upon fayornbly.
and the genial state fair man made
his Spiel" He did not like to see the
merchants Day" idea doomed to fail
ure, and suggested as way out OF the
trouble that II be held during fair
week, when so many wholesalers from
the territory tributary to jobbfng
Wheeling usually come TO the city.
Failure in this undertaking would not
speak well for the enterprise and spirit
OF the merchants OF Wheeling. The
merchants Day celebration could be
held this year on n modest scale In con-
nection with tho fair, and next year
there would be more timo to mature
plans and raise the necessary funds,
Merchants, however objected to this
plan, stating that It would be next to
Impossible to do business with the visi-
| tors while so strong an amusement at
traction as the state fair drew them In
another direction.
After further discussion the meeting
adjourned until Thursday evening, when
the matter will be disposed of.