The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-20
Wilson, "+
. Gave Audience to
Retail Merchants

The following communication was
presented to President Wilson by j. r,
Moorhead of Lexington, KY, on behalf
of the retailers of the United States:
Mr.. President: I ON here as a re-
tail merchant from a small community
and also bear q commission from the
representatives of some 100000 retail
! merchants, the greater part of whom
are in business in like communities to
my own, in every state in the land.
I come as the result Of a conference
held in Chicago on Dec. is last, which
consisted of representatives from re-
| tail associations OF butchers, grocers,
jewelers., druggists, plumbers. hard
ware dealers. implement dealers, lura-
Der dealers and coal dealers.
While these represent a great army
600 retail merchants, all told, in the
country. the great majority of whom
are in business not for the purpose OF
making money, or more money, but for
the purpose OF making a living for
themselves, their families and their
dependents. and I believe that what 7
shall say in behalf of those I represent
among whom organization to no great
extent exists.
Those who have sent me here have
| been encouraged to take this step by
what you have recently had to say in
your book entitled The New Freedom,
in which you have set forth in the last
chapter thereof more fully tha I can
hope tt do, just what the small bust
ness men and the smaller towns Of the
country are now in most need Of. And
I AXE this occasion first, to thank you
In their behalf for the very explicit
| stand you have taken for the small
| business man, and the smaller COM
| y, .1ptfSy. o15 xySlJ nSlc un11Ys if16l1I crnY1no
If I call your attention to some OF the
conditions existing today. and affect
ing the business interests OF those I
represent.
Retailers Are Leaders in Uphuildins.
I believe you will agree with me
when I say that the retail merchants
of the many thousands of communi-
ties in our country are in the fore
front Of every good work and purpose
communities in which they live. in the
direction of better schools. better
home conditions, better churches, bet
ter roads and a better place in which
to live. They are law abiding at home
and can not afford to be otherwise.
and have no more desire TO violate q
state or national law than a city ordi-
nance.
I have said that there are 1,250,000,
at least, of this class OF our citizen
ship. If each firm were represented
only by a single person with the aver
age of Ave to q family, there would
be 6.250.0o0 people in the immediate
families Of this great army OF retail
merchants. But there are nan more
dependent upon each for q livelihood
under the head of clerks and assistants
in every way, which would certainly
more than double the sum mentioned.
In other words. there must be at least
10000, 900 or 100000 OF our popula-
ton directly dependent upon and
drawing their support, in whole or in
mart, from the revenue derived from
the distribution or merchandise
through the small retail merchants,
and every one Of them is a. consumer.
And yet we, know that this is but a
part of those who look to- the retail,
merchant directly ana Indirectly for q
means Of support. They pay more tax
eg, more insurance, more rent, and
contribute more in proportion to the
value OF their property than possibly
any other class in our country.
There is no cause presented In n
community, anywhere. In which the
! retail merchant lis not the first upon