The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-16
FEARS NO COMPETITION
Marshal Fields Refused to Tack His
Name to the Firm So He
Sought Other
Location.
[By Ed L. Keen, London Correspond
ent of the United Press.


LONDON, Nov. 15.--It isn't often
that even an Englishman rises to the
dignity of being compared with Cecil
Rhodes in all-around ability, or with
Kitchener as an organizer. So when
one of London's most brilliant editors
places an American not only in the
Observation-Disclosures class, but says he is!
ADLER than the one and far better or
ganizer than the other, the fact Isl
worth more than mere mention Espe-
cially when the American in question
is in trade" Frank Harris, who has
known nearly all the millionaires and
most successful business men in Lon
| don in the past twenty years, says
further that he never yet encountered
one with extraordinary brains-until
he met Gordon Selfridge And Harris
isn't favored with any Selfridge adver-
Using either.
Five years ago when Selfridge came
to London to start a department store
along strictly American lines even his
best friends predicted failure. Ameri-
cans who had some experience in at
tempting to educate folks over here in
. Yankee business methods said he
might possibly last year. Today he
has not only caught up with the big
; establishments that have been run
ming for a couple of generations, but
: he has had the satisfaction Of seeing
his methods now generally being
adopted by his rivals. Chicagoans re.
member Selfridge as the man who
, helped build up Marshall Fields trem
endous business. Starting as an err
rand boy, he worked his way up to
manager of department, and finally
to partnership in the concern. Early
| in his business career he saw that
Fields was growing merely by natur
] al additions here and there, and that
t there was a lack of cohesiveness
h whereby the house failed to take ad
k vantage of its accommodating business
e He then began to work out plan O
Y central organization, unique ther
l. even in America, and was given the
e opportunity of putting it into effect.
/. But when it proved successful" h,
ooiO, Oa P'eLihilis5 ii1o lSoSOliS iol SOlAiiliS
n to London, they didn't want to Civ
d me the credit / thought | deserved
n by connecting my name with tn,
!, house and calling it Marshall Field
v Selfridge and Co., so got out. didn'
- go to New York because the compet
> ton is too keen there.
n There isn't any competition in Lon
n don, you know, but there is very mucl
8. opposition, foolish, futile, conservative
II opposition, and dislike The momen
you get hold of a good idea in Americt
there is always some enterprising fe
low to copy it in twenty-four hours, as
~ simulate it, alter it and perhaps in
- prove 1t. Here ] found none of thai
:, That's what made it comparativel
easy. AS for the opposition tina
doesn't bother me. 1t is really
stimulation and tribute to success
= Besides, 1t is amusing"
Selfridge tackled the hardest job {
his life when he began training HI
English clerks. The average Amer
can clerk has the conviction that h
success depends upon his own abilit.
upon how much he can make hfmse
worth to the firm. The Englishma
considers his work as duty to be pc
formed and done with. But said Sci
ridge, Il found after while thu
when pointed out to the Englishma
how lie could improve himself an
that as soon as he had made nimse
more valuable he would get mo-
money, he became very nearly
eager as the American. l have di
covered some curious differences b
: tween the two peoples. You can a
: peal to the Americans head all Il
: time with the certainty that he W
a answer to it, whereas you often g
:. better results by appealing to Il
e EnglisEman's heart to his sense
I, loyalty to the establishment and evt
b to his wish to please You PERSONAL
t. We get little more speed in Americ
but a little more devotion in Englan