Evening journal., 1908-05-01
MERCHANTS GATHER
ABOUT BANQUET BOARD
Dinner of Mercantile Association TO Boom Glazed
Kid---A Delightful Function, With Many
Pleasing Speeches

well received. He said in part:
sThe business of the merchant is as
ancient as commerce and civilization.
It is essentially a useful and worthy
business. We are in the habit of
sounding the praises Of the producer.
We say that he who makes two blades
of grass to grow where only one blade
has grown before has added something
to the wealth of the world. This is
true. vet the work of the man who dis
tributes goods from the place where
they are produced to the hands Of
those who need to use them is just as
essential.
'eThe prosperity Of merchants is in
terwoven with the prosperity Of the
community in which they trade. The
consuming power of people is of course
measured somewhat by their numbers.
But the consuming power Of people de-
pends even more largely upon the
means they have of gratifying their
desires. There is no such thing as
overstocking the markets of the world
so long as people have the money
wherewith to buy what they desire
Advertising Pays.
"But you are not only merchants;
you are also associated merchants, for
this is the wilmington Mercantile As
sociation. There is an advantage in
your association. BY banding together
YOU are able to protect yourselves
somewhat from various evils which an
nov every merchant in a detached situ-
alton. You can protect yourselves from
the petty blackmail of fake advertising
demands. Perhaps there is no invest
ment which a merchant makes with
better assurance of profit than the in
vestment he puts in iud.cious and legit-
innate advertisement. When you have
the right goods at the right price il
pays to tell the peopls about it. have
often wondered whether the merchants
are of more advantage to the news
papers or the newspapers of more ad-
vantage to the merchants.
Your association might and perhaps
it does protect you from many depreda-
tions. 1t may also protect you in a
measure from the dead-beat customer
I suppose also that this association
undertakes to protect as, best It car
the legitimate merchants and store
keepers of Wilmington from unfaii
competitors.
"By unfair competitors mean thos'
tradesmen from door 70 door who d'
not help to bear the burdens Of govern
ment. pay no license to do business an,
pay no rent. am told-to illustrate
that one of the great trusts of th'
country produces soap as a by-produc
and sells it by the hands of women WHIT
are induced to canvass among theil
friends and acduaiotances on thu
promise of a small commission. Thii
sort of thing must be hard on th'
business of legitimate storekeepers wh'
undertake to deal in soap among othel
things.
my sympathy is with the individua
trader as against the wholesale monop
olist who reduces the merchant to
mere sales agent Perhaps the mea
trade furnishes a good illustration .
what have in mind The meat trus
has put the old-fashioned butcher prac
tically out of business. BY the wa,
this meat trust is one of the trust
which was broken up by the Fedora
government some eighteen months age
I know the meat trust was broken VI
and destroyed because read all abou
it in the newspapers, hut also know
that it has quite recently put up tn
price of meat to the highest I ever say
It. This I know without seeing it Il
the newspaper.
It am not intending to discuss an,
Of these questions of commerce an
(Continued on Page 80