Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-07-31
TREDRUMMER'SSIDE
The COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER is A
BUSINESS NECESSITY.
a Travelling Nan From Portland
Takes Exception to Remarks of
the Bulletin, and PAYS His Re-
SpeCtS to the Writer Thereof in
Somewhat FOrCible Language.

EDITOR HERALD: - Will you kindly
give little of your valuable space for a
mild protest against IA scurrilous article
that appeared in the Aberdeen Daily
Bulletin of June 80 and headed 1.-The
Agent Pest in Aberdeen"
At first glance one might think this
article had reference to that c ass of sales.
men who pack their stocks with them
and are known as 'pack peddlers, or
those who 60 from door to door taking
orders, and So divert trade from your
merchants, kind of business that no
citizen having the good of the city at
heart will encourage.
But, by reading this article through,
there is no possible meaning other than
that he had reference to the commercial
traveler-the drummer. There ia no
escape for this immature pen pusher by
saying ri meant the pack peddler, the
house to house agent" for he speaks OF
the merchants hiding behind their
.counters;" "places Of business with ten
agents to one customer" "business men
with gray hair" "harassed merchants" !"
ETC., showing clearly that he was taking
a fling at the drummer.
At first reading the writer thought per.
shaps the Bulletin editor had big jag on
when he wrote, or wrote to fill space,
but the the internal evidence indicates
that it was written by some cheap help
left in charge of the Office, for no editor
could be SO afflicted with mental strabis.
mus, SO cowaIdly and unfair, 90 blind to
the welfare of Aberdeen and SO ignorant
these pioneers of industry as the writer
.ot this article must have been. The man
who wrote it must have been some
tramp printer hiking from town to town
and lett in charge for day; some tie
counting ink singer, some squatter from
Kansas, possibly struck by some light
ming rod agent and since troubled with
softening Of the brain and doomed to
wander in mind and footsteps, drooling
meaningless dri, elings, run down Ut the
heel and running ut the mouth, until by
some freak OF chance he gets an oppor-
tunity to drag his slime through the col
,umns of respectable newspaper-so far
as the writer knows-and takes this his
last chance to cast opprobium on az free
a body OF men as ever the sun shone on.
If this drooliny idiot could have had
his fare paid tJ Portland on Travelling
Mems Day laet month, and seen that
great procession, four abreast, file past
for hours. bowling, smiling, sweating and
enthusiastic, while thousands of friends
and customers, wives and sweethearts
lined the streets to cheer and welcome
the travelling men OF the Northwest, he
would have had conception, if capable
OF a conception, of the tremendous place
and lmpol tance the drummer holds in
the modern business world.
4. But this privilege was denied him. He
had reached the end Of the track, his last
silver dollar left shining alone, his old
tattered pocket most centless and bare !;
he must make raise he must recoup
an exhausted exchecquer, 80 in the alb
sence of the "old man" he perpetra tes
his doube-croes on the men whose faces
he had so often seen in Pullman windows
rushing past with the speed of the wind
on the great highways of industry while
he stood scowling in the brush beside
the track.
1t is etrictly within the truth to say
that no first class hotel could run for
two weeks in Aberdeen and pay expenses
without the support of these same "lan.
tern jawed" agents. AT least $4,000 per
month is dropped in your town by this
-'pesky pest" If you will take the pains
to inte view your merchants you will
find, as the writer did, that instead of
hit:ing behind their counters your har-
.assed tradesmen" are glad to see the
drummer.
You will find that whereas formerly
your merchants had to 90 to Tacoma or
Portlaud to select their stocks, and while
there were entertained to the benefit of
those cities that now, thanks to the
-'agent" you have two fine hotels, well
patronized, with light, commodious sam.
pie rooms where your dealers can select
their stocks from up.to-date samples,
while the ''agents drop nice little
bunch of expense money into your town.
And as to ''stopping "a hours in Aber-
deem to work their nefarious designs
on your hapless merchants" we wish to
say that when your people had under
consideration another train 80 that your
merchants could 60 10 Tacoma to meet
the agent with greater convenience,
petition was circulated against it. and
We are lnlOI lieu tuoI ~ 10 no" WaVu wv
N. p people and that it is signed by the
Bulletin.
Now, then, if the editor of the Bulletin
does not apologize to the drummers OF
the Northwest and the merchants OF
Aberdeen for his gross and gratuitous
Misrepresentation and set it right in
come manly way he is unworthy OF the
support and patronage OF your people,
and the sooner they withdraw their ads
and support and close the shebang up
the better it will be for all concerned,
for that breed don't make very material
" toward the welfare OF any community
toleratipg them. Very respectfully,
A "LANrERN JAwED REpRo3ATE."