Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-16
WAR ON TIPPING EVIL

A second bulletin on the question of
tipping at the hotels and restaurants
of the city has been issued by the Com
mercial Travellers National league,
which on the first of the year began a
systematic warfare on the tipping evil.
Part of this second bulletin is as fol-
lows:
Commercial travellers individually.
and through their associations, propose
to continue the fight against tipping un-
til the system is broken up, even If it
requires years to accomplish. They
rightly gauge the depth Of public SEN
timent against gratuities for service, in
the system of enforced premiums upon
contract rates or commodity price
agreements.
Tipping is regarded as both moral
and economic issue, and the American
public has won always where moral
question was involved, for in every
clash between selfish interests and pub
lie rights the spirit Of Americanism has
ultimately prevailed.
1.-THE Commercial Travellers National
league, the fighting organization for
travelling men, is composed Of the Of
ficers of their various organizations
throughout the United States and Can
ada, and the officers Of about 200 do
: nestle chambers of commerce, manu-
facturers' clubs and other commercial
bodies and nearly one hundred CONNER
cial associations.
"At recent meeting of the officers
of this organization, w. E. Adams Of
Philadelphia, Pa, it's vice president of
fered the following: While the trav
cling men of the United States are
striving to act upon the suggestion o.
their organization officers to dis
continue tip giving, they report tina
: the walters, porters, bellboys and Pull
: man porters with the consent and en-
couragement of those who placed then
in a position to work the public, still
persist in the various methods and de
vices to sqeeZe from patrons 10 to q
per cent premiums upon fixed charges
"1t is evident that the avaricious
ness Of the proprietors of hotels ant
restaurants, with their remarkable lacl
of appreciation of the depth of the ger
eral sentiment against tipping, induce
them to ignore the demand for 1t
abatement; consequently, the issue /
squarely up to the proprietors. TIL
cure of the tipping evil at hotels
within the possibilities of travelin
men; if preference is given by them t
such public houses as agree to elimir
ate tipping. The Commercial Trave
ers' league could issue list of hotel
agreeing to run upon the tipless plaT
and every commercial traveller woul
be an active agent for these hostelriei
and their success thereby assured.
eff each travelling man would inves
so and every house employing con
mercial travellers, 800, it would pr
vide a capital stock of $10,000,00
which would be sufficient to contrC
and operate more than 100 hotels
leading cities. For new buildings an
their furnishings bonds could be i
sued if necessary, but, without doub
investment companies would erect h
tel buildings at guaranteed renta
based upon a percentage of buildin
cost. Commercial men are obliged I
do things for their houses; doin
things is entirely in their line, so WI
not operate for their own profit ar
convenience a chain of tipless hotels
Each subscriber to the capital stock
be entitled to discount from regul;
rates, which would mean a saving a
nually of several times the original i
vestment.'