The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-14
REPORTS OF THE GROCERS
SECOND DAY OF THE CONVENTION
DEVOTED TO REVIEW OF
THE YEAR
SOME BRIGHT PAPERS READ
H. p. Hall Tells the Gathering in n
Characteristic Way s.what
Are We Here
FOr?',

IL.
The second days convention of the Min
nesota Retail Grocers and General Mer-
chants association WIS productive Of
work along all lines connected with tho
grocery business, and the delegates in at
tendance, comprising delegations from
nearly every locality in the state, en-
tered into the spirit of the convention
with far more vim than marked the OPEN
ing session yesterday. Many additional
delegations were present, particularly
fIom remote parts of the state and from
We rious points in Wisconsin. Several
OF the delegates in attendance expressed
their inability to reach the city yester-
day, but said they were here to stay. and
the number of delegates present this
afternoon far exceeded the 200 mark
The morning session was largely de-
VCled to the reports of committees, the
reports being made by the chairmen
One or two of them failed to respond at
the morning session, but were present in
the afternoon and made their reports
much to the satisfaction of the dele
gates assembled, inasmuch as the reports
contained valuable thoughts and sug
gestions and were in line with matters
talked over during the forenoon. John
S. Taylor made an exhaustive report this
forenoon Of his work as state organizer,
and the report was followed by a gen
eral discussion The delegates as a rule
favored organization in all cities and
towns throughout the state, and before
the convention adjourns tomorrow even
ing it is more than likely that a resolu-
ton will be adopted in favor of employ
ing a state agent the year round. Many
of the representative delegates look
upon this feature of the association BUSH
ness as the most important and insist
that it should be carried out.
At the opening session this afternoon
T r wer-Ancher, of Minneapolis, de-
liyered a report of the work of the pure
food convention held In washington
wear ago. and also madeja report cover
ing the same department of work on the
mart of the state association. At the
conclusion of the report wv. w. T. Nc
ConneI. the state dairy and food COM
missioner was introduced and maze an
address covering the" same topic. He
stated that he was sorry that he hal
found many merchants throughout the
state violating the pure 1000 laws, puI
he believed that nearly all of the viola
lions were due to Ignorance Al the
conclusion of his address he invited
oistions hearing upon the subject from
delegates present andiga shalf hour was
spent in that manner, R4n, D.,
following this H. P. Hall, of st. Paul.
read a paper on What Are we Here
For" in which he touched responsive
chord. The paper in part was as lol-
lows: 20 1,o,,ora
t,1a ana Intelligent business men, engag-
ed in legitimate business and sustalnills
fha legitimate business organization
which 1 am now ad ore b,1sR u ssy one
fling and mean another, when respond
ing to the celebrated query, Nhat are
we here for?,
1ieve It will have your approval, is tnat
Won are here to protect your mutual puS!-
ness interests, to make your line OF ousi-
ness in your respective localtleS naoIe
remunerative and generally to take care
of No. l. You can be sure that II you
do not take care of No. no one else WIN
spend time, effort or money'1to do som
Did it ever occur to, you that every
one everywhere, is, regardless OF ms
line of business, or occupation, TO nm 4 :
self, No. l. That Is the fellow ne Is
looking out for and when he has gotten
him taken care of he has, In his estlma>
tion. accomplished the chief aim of man.
Based on the last census report we
have in this country some lo'oeeo'VSggO wv 81
in an organiZat ton which Is No. per Sc,
and invented to take care of a coilectlon
of No. Is who can accomplish united
ly what no one living could do as an IN
Do not understand me as criticising
you or any one else for caring for NO. !!
On the contrary, l commend 1t. ana IT
would make no difference whether L did
or not, because self-preserVation IS the
first law of nature and the law of ma
ture will win against all other laws de-
Vised by man.
It is fact which has doubtless oc-
Cured to you that of all lines of bust
ness the grocery trade rests upon the
most solid foundation There is no other
line of business which is absolutely
founded upon the necessity for the pres
ervation of life. Mankind can and has
lived without clothing, dry goods, hard
ware or whisky, but no man ever lived
any considerable length of time without
groceries. One of the earliest transac-
tons recorded in history was a grocery
event, when breakfast food fell like dew
from heaven for the sustenance of the
IsraeIites. L doubt whether the present
various patent-righted breakfast foods
arc an Improvement on the original arti-
Gle. To put it in syllogiStic form:
All that man hath he, will give for
his life.
Life cannot be sustained without the
use of some article or}articles in the gro
Gerry line. ~
Therefore, all that man. hath will he
give for groceries.
In vulgar parlance that gives the gro
Ger a cinch on business, and if he is
bright he Will profit by the situation.
People must trade with you or die. 1t
is for you to decide whether you or your
customer makes the terms.
1t has been a popular belief, based
on ancient history, that the Israelites
were the chosen people of God. Perhaps
this is because the Israelites wrote the
history. 1t seems to me that following
natural laws, the chosen people of God
are those who sustain human life, and
! if the Israelites had really been thus
chosen they would have engaged in the
grocery business, instead of the clothing
trade.
Another evidence that the Creator of
the universe designed the grocery bus:-
ness to be the favored channel of COM
merce is the fact that nature supplies
articles OF trade actually ready for the
market. Pumpkins, potatoes, celery and
| other vegetables have only to be gath
cred to be ready for the market The
same is true of coffee tea, fruits and
! even the wild trees of the forest flow
with diluted maple syrup. You never
saw any one gathering overcoGts ready
Tor market, unless it was during con-
! migration.
You cannot pick shingle nails from
! trees, or dig bales of cotton cloth from
! the ground. Boots and shoes do nc
/ grow by irrigation. Tin pans do not
! hang in clusters from the bushes. Ar
j senic and strychnine may be found in
there. Absolutely every line of trade
| IS entirely artificial, except that Of the
| grocer. If you are not the chosen peo-
/ pie there are none who exist.
You may have some trouble in getting
! the legislature, to pass the laws you
! desire, because the mental organization
| Of the members is finite. but the infinite
| mind which created the laws of the uni
verse was your fastlifriend and these
| laws are so sweeping that if YOU rightly
! improve them you can exist comfortably
| independent of human legislatures.
| The famine in India and the recent
| cannibalism in China were because the
| grocers were out of Supplies. The ter
| rible distress in Irelandioin 1919, when
death stalked through the land gath
! ering victims in the embrace of its flesh
less arms, was only .ealleYiated by the
| grocers of the United States permitting
| their surplus Potatoes to. be shipped to
| the island.
| If I have seemingly 7dfgTessed from my
| topic 1 have not done9 so in reality. ]