The San Francisco call., 1903-09-30
WHY WE SUCCEED.

TOHN FOSTER FRASER is one of those for
egners who after careful study OF American
- growth and development have come to the con-
clusion that our success is due solely to the rich
and variety of natural resources but mainly
to the excellence of our business methods and the
daring the energy with which our enterprises are con-
ceved and carried out. He has recently published
summary OF his studies OF American work and set
forth the respects in which he deems to be
perior to all rivals The estimate is not wholly
complimentary and consequently may be taken as
sincere effort to gauge our place in the business
world 1t is therefore interesting chapter of Euro
pean criticism upon and helps us to understand the
impression making upon the world
The American, says Mr.. Fraser, is more optimistic
than the Englishman; he succeeds largely because he
has abiding confidence that he cannot do other
wise than succeed The failure OF this or that man in
/ business in Europe makes other men cautious and
hesitating, but in America when a number Of in
any line fail their rivals, instead of being alarmed by
the failures, look upon them as events which have
removed competitors from the field and grow
confident than ever Again the American is better
advertiser than the Brton he has more adaptablity
and more readily the demands of trade in all
parts of the world; he more wachfu of the public
more prompt to supply what the public Desires more
he pays better wages and salaries than are paid
by European business men, and finally he is younger
and more enterprising than his European rivals
The points in which Mr. Fraser deem us inferior
to the British are first Willingness furnish cheap
articles instead of good ones and second tendency
to seek quantity of product rather than quality To
those characteristics he attributes much of the sue
cess we have attained in competition with British
manufacturers. Thus he says Recently travelled
/ by Tro,
rails were American. They were not of good quality.
Indeed they were poor stuff English firms had been
given opportunity provide rails for this line but
they could not produce the article they usually manu-
factured at the price the Russian Government was
willing to pay. SO England lost millions OF pounds
Neither could American firms produce good article
for the price But they could produce article OF
sort moneys worth, and if it was poor article that
was not their lookout"
1t is to be noted in this connection that our alleged
Willingness to make cheap goods to meet demand
for them is not looked upon by Mr. Fraser as de-
feet in business methods, but rather as an evil
dence of the fexibility OF our system and of the
adaptabiy OF people to the conditions of trade
in any particular market Thus in speaking of our
trade in the East he says The American recognizes
that the purchaser is the person who decides and
people OF the East want gaudy good-looking mate
rial though shoddy he will make it for them He
knows it is not good He does not-outside his ad-
versing range-pretend it is. 1t is, however, what
is wanted, and be is the man to produce what is
wanted"
It is in the opportunity given to youth however,
that Mr.. Fraser the chief advantage OF American
business methods On that score he says: In
England responsible positions are given to elderly
men. It is considered that they are safe they are
sound they will be inclined to do nothing rash That
is true enough. The American however does not
that kind OF He wants man with
youthful vgor with ideas, man who has his way to
make, not who is content to glide from middle
age to elderly age by just keeping things going
| in respectable, decorous way. SO young men in
America are placed at the heads of departments
They make mistakes. The employer however is
wise enough to see the young do something
else besides make mistakes. He forgets the occa-
sional slips in recognizing merits in other directions
A young man, therefore feels confidence is placed in
him. and he relaxes energy in his ardor to pro-
duce something better. more attractive something
that will lift him up and make him worth huge sal
ary"
To these mental ard moral forces rather than to
any advantage OF sun SOIL or abundance of raw
material Mr. Foster attributes the marvellous strides
have made in commercial invasion of the
markets of Europe There can. be no question of the
soundness OF his conclusion In the hands of an unen
terprising people all our resources would have re-
mained undeveoped and unexpected. 1t is the per-
sonal factor that counts for in the development
of any kind of civilization and the American excels
the European in the industrial competition OF the
age it is because he is the better business man.
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That part OF the Superior Court having its being
in San Francisco and weird in the record of its