The Washington herald., 1914-03-10
HISTORY BUILDERS.
A Granite State Peddler's Business
SLOGAN.


4 tWritten Expressly for The Herald.)
| By DIR. II. ,. EDWARDS.
- HAPPENED incidentally to mention
I'll to Asa Potter. who was formerly a
Boston banker OF wide acouaintance
that had been told by Charles E. Han,
OF New York. Of a curious incident associ-
ated with the late Frank Jones, OF New
Hampshire. Mr.. Jones had confessed that
he was unable to recall any of hi. "a r,,er
career. although the editors of a biorra.
phial encyclopedia were anxious for him
to do so. They had learned many of
the details OF his later and highly sue
cessful business career. but had been
unable to obtain any authoritative state
ment Of the earlier life Of Mr.. Jones.
When appealed to by the editors Jone,
professed to be unable to recall anything
OF interest until at last he remembered
that he began his business life as a
Yankee tinware peddler. The association
Of ideas consequent upon the recollection
OF his early business training as a tin
ware peddler opened the gates of memory
so that at last he told an intensely dra-
matte and interesting story of his early
days.
Il knew Mr.. Jones very WELL" said
Mr.. Potter. He was one Of the strongest
business forces of his time in Eastern
New England I remember when he Was
elected to Congress, and I have heard
him say that he had rather give a Iarr.
amount Of money than to serve a tern, i'm
Congress. because that service would
take altogether too much OF his time
from his business. He was persuaded 10
become candidate from the Portsmouth
New Hampshire) district. because he
was told that he would be elected. and
was the only Democrat living in that
district who could beat the Republican
candidate for Congress.
1t Is forgotten now. in these day,
when the government is undertaking 4.
dissolve railway combinations in New
England. that it was Frank Jones who
first planned and who finally worked out
successfully combination into one sys-
TEN o. two parallel and competing sys-
TENS. the Boston and Maine being one
and the Eastern railroad being the other
Mr.. Jones gained a very high repu-
tatIon for business integrity. He va,
one OF these of whom IL could be said
that mis- word was as good as his bond
was one OF the comparatively few per-
sons who knew that he attributed his
business successes in great measures to
n principle and policy which he laid down
very early in his business life.
Il presume he forgot in his later year.
exactly how and when he adopted this
rule OF conduct. but I know when II was
adopted and what visible form il took
When Frank Jones started out as
Yankee tinware peddler. / think at a
time when he was not out OF his teens.
ne made up his mind that il was a good
business policy to get the absolute conf
dence Of all the farmers wives through
out the region in Maine, New Hampshire,
ana Northwestern Massachusetts, through
which, two or three times a year, he
drove his peddler's wagon.
He wanted to put in a few words
exactly what that principle was He
thought good deal about IL and at last
one day he went to a sign painter and
asked him to paint upon each side OF the
wagon three words in big letters. Those
words contained the basic principle Of
Frank Jones business career and they
were firmly believed in by all the farm
ers' wives of whom he bought rags and
scrap metal The words were these:
Good weight, Mar'm.''
Copyright. lstJ
Tomorrow: How Great Geuer,l.
'rayed on the Eve OF the Battle.y