Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1907-11-02


merit-real merit-and it's proprietor
must fight, every minute, to keep the
quality high. Success must not lure
him into letting up, one atom, on high
quality. If he does, in the course Of
time he will lose. Some people get to
making money fast. Then they think
they can lower the quality (and. Incl
dentally, the cost of production), and
| make more. I have made more be-
cause my goods are worth more.
ut is strange fact that fully two
fifths of the shoes sold throughout the
entire week are sold on Saturday.
Whether because that is pay day or
merely because it is favorite shop
ping day I don't know, but the fact
remains, and we regulate our adver-
Using accordingly; making it heaviest
toward the latter part of the week.
Of course, with a magazine published
only once a month"; this would be i'm
racticsble.
The Douglas shoe is sold all over the
United States and also has a large sale
in Canada and Mexico, besides having
created more or less of a European de-
mand. [ employ 1900 persons in making
and selling my shoes, and I own and
operate seventy retail shoe stores in the
large cities. The vast area covered by
my dealers renders it all the more nee
essary for me to use local newspapers
from one end of the land to the other
to advertise my shoes, and made it the
more needful for me to study out care.
fully just what would be the best me-
dunn through which 7 might reach the
people at large"
Concerning those 1900 employees
whom Mr.. Douglas so casually mem
toned, an entire article of more than
common interest might be written.
They form sort of Utopian community
whereof he is the head. At his expense
all of them are provided with medical
care in illness, and they are in other
ways made to feel his personal interest
in them.
The labor question assumes none Of
it's harsher features in the Douglas
plant. By special agreement between
the proprietor and his workmen, all
differences, SO far as possible, are mu-
tuaily adjusted. Those which cannot
be thus disposed of will by common
consent be submitted to the State Board
of Arbitration and Cancellation, that
body's decision to be binding on both
disputants.
In this way strikes and lockouts ara
unknown among the Douglas workmen.
and the pleasantest feeling has always
existed between employer and ems
ployed.
Since the beginning Of his first cams
paign of newspaper advertising, in 1883,
Mr.. Douglas has gradually but steadily
become known to nearly every one in
America The face that looks out from
the diamond-shaped frame in his adj
vertisements is familiar to all. Yet the
face that accompanies this article gives
a far more accurate idea of the Will
liam L. Douglas of to-day. The char
acter reader may peruse there the rea-
sons why lowly start in life had no
power to check this mans rise.
By judicious newspaper advertising
Douglas quickly "outgrew'' factory
after factory until, in 1892, he erected.
the huge works now in use at Montello.
just out of Boston.
His Payroll Grew.
here his payroll grew until 1t num-
bered it's present 1900 names. Here.
too, grew the facilities for turning out
shoes in unparalleled numbers-about
1880 pairs day being the capacity
now. In the jobbing house alone a half
million pairs of shoes are carried at all
times in stock.
The factory-or factories, for there
are two of them practically joined un-
der one series of roofs-cover as much
space as the walls of an ancient city,
and are arranged in rectilinear lines,
with Wide-reaching wings, like enfilad-
ing earthworks.
The man who employed newspaper ad-
vertising as the magic wand to raise
this mighty structure from the earth
still works as hard, in his own way, as
did the seven-year-old carrier Of wood
and pegger of shoes. Outside office
hours he is Of simple, domestic tastes,
his one "rich mans amusement" taking
the form of frequent cruises on his big
steam yacht, the Machigonne
He has found time, too, as all New
England knows, to make decided inn
preston in the field Of politics A
stanch Democrat, he has served in
both houses of the State Legislature,
framed the arbitration and weekly pay
ment laws, was Mayor of Brockton in
1890, and has four times been chosen
as delegate to the national conventions.
His victorious campaign for the Gov
ernorship of Massachusetts, was such as
to awaken national interest. Through
out his term of Governor he conducted
his great personal business interests as
well as those of the State in such a
way that neither suffered from inatten-
tion. His wide use of newspaper adj
vertising during the Gubernatorial con-
test was one Of the most striking feat
ures of the campaign and contributed in
no light measure to his triumph.
Why man like Douglas, having
made such giant strides in the world OF
business, should have sought the Coy
ernorship was a puzzle to many And
not a few wondered that he was nor
satisfied with the success he had al
ready won.
But the man who is satisfied with suc-
cess would be satisfied with failure.
I do not think William L. Douglas
would be satisfied with either.