The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-21
MERCHANTS PLAN
GREAT Revival.
Retail Dealers to Unite
to Improve Condition
Of Trade.
FAKE ADVERTISING
is SOUNDLY SCOREDi
Movement to Protect Merchants
From Patrons "Wl1o Solicit
Advertisements for Pro-
grarnnes for Church
Meetings-Stir-
ring Speech.

Steps taken at q meeting OF prona1nentj
business men held last night will res
suit In the early formation OF the Retafl
Merchants Association OF Richmond
which. backed by practically every local
hrm. Will set out to elevate the standsl
aids and improve the conditions OF the
trade in general and to effect an awah.
ening declared to be vitally necassaxY
II the city shall keep pace with modsru
opportunity and progress. n II! M, sii@
Before 1t was half over the session hAd
developed the ory recently heard WITH
Increasing force that for its size snd
position Richmond is doing little Ii the
way Of genuine advancement, aud from
then on until tho close this sentiment
furnished the keynote for the meeting
One Of the best known retail merchants
In the city made a rousins speeoh, de-
claring that the trade has been asleep
for years, and that It is time to recover
from the trance and get down to thor
ough business methods. He was roundly3
| S'ASSA y
cation OF some sort forming basis for
co-opera tive action was generally recoR-
nized, and provision was de for prompt
steps in this direction. Further meetings
were planned, and the broad lines were
laid down for an association that Will
be permanent and Influential. & and that
will eventually asorb the smaller trade
bodies already existing in the community
An interesting, Il incident tai. fea aturesof
the ting was the sign OF a coming
revolt from what was described as fake
advert rtising Under this head was 81 sin-S
cluded ed'advertisemellts In prog for
l2church meetings, benefit entertain ments.S
and every other species to which tho mer-
cnant IS have been con ntrbuting for the sake
of pleasing patrons. a Such advert rtisemerts ts.
| 1T was said produced no results. ana were
asclear loss In money to the advertisers.
While there was some objection to this
sweeping indictment, the vast MA iortys
Of those present seemed to think 1T time i
to call q halt. and In fact gave favorable Il
attention to a plan designed to admin B
lister an effective check to the so-called 4
imposition.
The Meeting.
About. fifty men were In the assembly
hall at Murphy's Hotel when the meet
Ing was called to order shortly before ?
o'clock. Some OF the leading retail houses
Hofheimer was elected temporary chair
man, and Mr.. Lewis Myers secretary
In calling the meeting to order Mr.. Hof-s
heimer read a petition endorsing the$
movement and signed by practically all {
the retail firms in the city.
Brief speeches were made by Mr. M
umstadter, president Of the Retail Mer-
chants Association OF Norfolk. and Mr.
]. r. Sprague president OF the associa-
/ tion In Newport News. Both Of these
gentlemen described the operations Of
the organization. which they declared to
be an unqualified success. Its objects
were set forth to be In general reform
of trade abuses; to disseminate useful
information: to influence legislation in
the interests of retail merchants; to se-#
cure reasonable transporta tion charSA
to furnish information which may assist
in the collection OF debts: to culslvate1a a
feeling OF fraternity among business
men, and to raise the standards OF busi-
ness methods, With these ends IN view
the associations had set out In Norfolk
and Newport News. and had In a brief
time accomplished much. Through the
Influence of the organization the mer-
chants had attained power In the COM
munity second to mono, and had. In fact
become in sense controlling factor
In municipal affairs. The credit system
adopted guarded the members from
frauds and other steps taken. possible
only by combination, had enlarged tho
bounds of the trade and increased the
prosperity of the merchants. 555S
Zach of the speakers referred to tho
flake advertising and asserted that {the
protection from 1t afforded by the as
socations In Norfolk aud Newprt News
was the most important benefit derived
from the organization. Attention was
called to the plan adopted The assocla-
ton In each city has adopted an IRON
clad resolution that fall members shall
refuse to advertise on or In anything
unless the proposition has the approval
of the Board Of Directors, with the ex-l
ception of the regular. newspapers street
cars, billboards and theatre programmes
Sin Newport News the proposition has
to be passed upon by tho association as
a body, and the association usually turns
1t down and the merchant escapes.
When the lady chairman Of a church
committee or anybody else comes to US,
said Mr.. Umstadter, '.and tells us that
she Is good patron and we oushtftog
advertise insthe programme for meet
ing or an entertainment. we say We arr
very, very sorry, hut we can't do y
until the Board of Directors has passed
on the application. The application to.a
permission is then made to tho ooafa
and tee board refuses 70 grant i, and
so wa don't advertise. Our merchants
have been saved much money In this8
way s89
Mr.. Cohen's Speech,
Somewhat OF furry was caused ln
this connection. Mr.. ]. q. cprley, Of
the tha Gable Piano Company. inquired
fmrther Of the plan. He thought the
mot mot. air" story Mr.. ums,adter provided
yar n,srchants TO be served out TO ,le,A
solicitors for lhe so-called fake adyert3
tissmentsr was good enough IN It's way
but he declared that now ana laen
spn.,h meating programmes and Other