The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1908-03-31
The Travelling Man.


factor in our commercial progress and
they are the best news gatherers.
The merchants come into contact with
thefarmers and laboring men, and the
merchants opinion is communicated to
the ttraveling men in return for infor-
nation gathered in the business CEN
tiers. Thus the evahgel of commerce
becomes a sort of telephone, carrying
the messages back and forth and bring
ing the,different sections of the coun-
try into communication.
The travelling men know that the
public is not satisfied with existing
conditions and they know that the
voters are becoming'aware Of the fact
that the Republican party is response
bic for the conditions. Monopoly in
trade and in transportation is the
enemy of the travelling men because
the commercial traveller is the expo
nent of competition and the deadly foe
of monopoly. Monopoly needs few
travelling men and the travelling man is
retired in proportion as monopoly
gains and foothold. Anything that
restricts trade or binders commerce
hurts the travelling man, and he Is
naturally drawn to Democratic ideas
because Democracy stands for the
greatest freedom of the individual and
of industry. When the Democratic
party demands that the government
shall be administered by the represen-
tatives of the people and in behalf OF
the people, it takes a position which
the travelling man is compelled by his
interest to endorse, for just in proper
ton as Inc masses prosper the travel
ing man finds business; just in pro-
portion as the producers are embar-
raised the commercial travelling mans
work is retarded. In proportion as
the trusts obtain control of the indus
tries, the business of the travelling
man is menaced; in proportion as
there in independence in industry. the
travelling man thrives. The travelling
man is by nature a tariff reformer for
while the monopoly may increase its
dividends by limiting its product and
increasing its price, the travelling man
must depend upon large sales, and
large sales depend upon fair prices.
The more money left in the pockets OF
the masses, the more they have to
spend with the merchants and through
the travelling man.
And so with the railroad question.
The travelling men have been benefited
by the reduction in rates. not only
directly, but they have been benefited
Indirectly. The travelling man does
not profit by the accumulation of I'M
earned dividends in fine hands of few
railroad magnates-he profits as the
power of the people to spend increases.
The travelling man might be interested
in watered stock and fictitious capitali-
cation il he was running a matrimonial
bureau and selling foreign titles to
American heiresses, but as he is inter
ested in bringing the producer and con-
sumner together he is compelled by
force of circumstances to advocate
legislation which will make business
active and remove restrictions from
trade and exchange.
The commercial travellers will be a
valuable auxiliary in the coming cam
paign. They are intelligent, ever
present and always on the watch.
They do more talking for the amount
of pay they receive than any other
class of people. and they generally
know what they are talking about.
If you want to know the trend of
affairs, listen to the travelling men as
they get together at the close Of the
days work. They are a pretty good
index of public opinion. Com
moner.