Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-09-15

Mr.. sryan and Business Men.
Speaking at the grocers and butchers
picnic, Lincoln, July %, 1903, Mr.. Bryan
said:
MIR. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen
was very glad TO accept the invitation
that was extended to me this afternoon
to meet in this social way those who rep
resent one of the great industries of this
country, for merchandising is one OF the
great and permanent industries of the
country, and you who represent the gro
Gerry business are in one of the most i'm
portant branches of that industry. The
Lord was certainly on the side of the
grocer for He made food absolutely nee
essary to all of us applause and laugh
teri, and our necessities drive US INTO
your stores. / am Interested, because 1t
Is very legitimate business it is busi-
ness that exists in response to real
need; it is a business that offers a wide
field, a business in which there is an
opportunity for the display of ability,
business in which there is a field for the
exercise of energy, for the display of in
upon honesty and integrity. Some mag
inc that in these days of sharp competi-
ton one cannot always be honest in mer-
chandising, that he must vary little
from the straight line when it is abso-
lutely necessary. l heard of merchant
who had that idea; he was in the dry
goods business, and a lady called at MS
store about Easter time 20 get some calico
with which to color Easter eggs, and IN
order to color the eggs, the calico had to
fade, and when the clerk showed her the
calico. she said to him, Now are you
sure that will fade?" and he said, oh,
YES, madam, that will fade" Just then
the proprietor went by and, not know
ing the purpose for which she wanted
the calico, he rebuked the clerk and said,
mo, that won't fade" But" the clerk
said, she wants it to fade" (Laughter.)
Now, there are some who imagine that
to succeed, you must represent the thing,
not as it is, but as the customer wants
it to be. But l am satisfied that those
who have had long experience in any de-
partment of merchandising will testify to
the truth of what I say when | declare
that there never was a time when abso-
lutte honesty in business was more i'm
portant than now, and if a man is going
to succeed permanently in merchandising,
he must establish a reputation, and he
must have a character back of the repu-
tation (applause). For the men who
succeed in building up a trade and IN
keeping it, are the people who are con-
scientious in the representation of the
merits of what they sell, that the GUS
toners may send their children to the
store, and do not have to go themselves
and inspect everything that is purchased.
(Applause.)
l say that merchandising is very
legitimate branch of business, and l am
interested in your branch of merchandise
Ing for a special reason. 1t is the last
branch of business in which there will be
a monopoly. In the steel business 1t is
much easier to establish monopoly, for
to establish steel plant requires large
investment of money, and just in proper
ton as it requires a large amount OF
money to establish a competing industry,
In that proportion the establishment OF
a monopoly is more easy; and just in pro-
portion as you can establish a competing
business with a small capital, it is more
difficult to fasten a monopoly upon a
community. Now, one beauty about the
grocery business is that you can begin it
with small capital. If all the merchants
of this city were to meet and agree upon
schedule of prices, SO that every pur
chaser would from that time on buy at
price arbitrarily fixed by agreement and
without competition, if that condition
were established tomorrow, the next day
there would be a dozen men preparing to
start little grocery stores to enter into
competition, for the moment you raise the
price above reasonable figure, there
would be an irresistible temptation to a
number of people TO become your COM
petitors, and this ability of a man to start
a grocery store on a small capital, and by
selling at reasonable price, protects the
public from the extortion that follows
monopoly-this ability to start a small
store is the protection of the public
against extortion from the people in the
grocery business. And l think l found
pretty good evidence to-day of the fact
that so far there has not been much ex-
tortion, for l found that there are only
about two grocers in the whole city of
Lincoln who had been able to make
er ough to get automobiles. applause and
Taught err Why, | was talking with
some people in another State not far
from here and they told me that there
were about thirtyfve farmers in that
county who had automobiles, and that was
about three years ago, and yet in this
town. understand that there are but two
merchants who use automobiles as vehi-
cles for pleasure. | think some use them
for delivering, but as long as the mer-
chants are not riding, in automobiles, we
have got to reach one of two conclusions,
either that their profits are. not abnor-
mally large, or else that they have joined
together in a conspiracy to conceal their
wealth from the general public. Gap
plause and laughter.)
l am glad, too, to encourage the meet
ings of people on occasions of this kind.
l believe that we need more of recrea-
ton, such as a picnic day gives to the
people. This is very busy age, and
this is the busiest country that there is
on earth. The people in the United States
are more active in business than they
are anywhere else. No one can travel
abroad without recognizing that here
there is a hurry and an energy and a
nervousness that is not found in the older
countries; and it is we'll for people to
take day off occasionally and rest, well
for them to learn that there is something
more in life than the mere accumulation
of money. And then there is another rea-
son why l like to encourage meetings of
this character: We don't know each other
well enough. and most of the misunder-
standings that worry us, that disturb our
society, grow out of the fact that we are
not acquainted with each other. If the
people of al sections could mingle to-
gether more, if the people of all occu-
pations could know each other better, if
the people would meet and learn their
neighbors, if they would discuss together
the questions in which they are interested.
they would find out that. however much
we may differ in forms of worship. how
ever much we may differ in political