The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1914-02-06
The Business Horizon.

Practically all changes come as the
result Of cause and effect. Those OF
great magnitude are usually slow and
do not follow until the conditions are
50 that necessity actually compels them.
But there is a change in business COM
ing, as we view the forecasts, that
might be hurried along to some degree
of advantage if those whose interests
are likely to be effected will only place
themselves in an attitude of self pro-
lection. We mean the wholesale and
retail merchants whose business are CO.
related. The wholesale merchant must
sell goods so that his customer, the re-
taIl merchant, can compete with the
mail-order house, and in order to antic-
ipate the change we are driving at, some
OF the heavy expenses OF the travelling
men and the methods OF selling and
handling goods must be curtailed. We
wonder that a movement OF this kind
has not already been made. As much
as we dislike to say it the rivalry and
competition is growing very keen be-
tween the mail-order house and the
retail merchant. Many OF orr own
citizens are buying their household sup
plies OF mail-order houses, embracing
dry goods, furniture, groceries, etc. In
our eager and anxious strife to gain
living we forget the many disadvantages
the country merchant must undergo
while the government is gradually max
ing it easy for the mail-order house to
carry on its commerce. The last annual
appropriation just made for the United
States Post Office Department is $780, |
600, 900, and the retail merchant pays
his part Of this tribute to enable his
more favored competitor, the mail
order house, to make inroads on the
trade in his territory. The parcel post
has caused the express companies to
offer the same inducements, and to-day
our local merchant is confronted with
such a condition as witnessing his own
neighbor ordering the necessary sup
plies OF his home from Chicago and
other places.
We forget oftentime that the burden
Of demands for public subscriptions
OF every character is made upon our
merchants. We forget that they con-
tribute to our schools and our churches;
we forget that they extend credit to the
more unfortunate and thereby sustain
the relation to society of doing the bulk
OF charity work; we forget that they visit
and cheer and sustain us in the hour of
sickness and death; we forget that our
welfare concerns them; we forget, in
some individual instances, that we
have accumulated more, much more, a
Of the worlds goods than they have,
naturally suggesting the fact that our I
profits in the game of business have Z
been greater than theirs; we forget that r
hey provide delivery service subject v
% our beck and CALL very often at I'M =
ieasonable hours; we forget for the time :
our neighbors, friends and associates c
around whose Preside we meet and q
pledge everlasting friendship; we for r
ret our iraternal obligations and asso-
nations; we forget our local pride, our g
ocal patriotism; we forget that I'm Q
unity there is trength-united we stand, u
divided we fall !" "
We forget these things in advancing fl
many OF our selfish ends. We do not t.
orget intentionally, but unthoughtedly. h
1t is not theory, but a condition, B
md therefore we suggest that the time a
must come when the retail merchant b
must find supplies at source where ii
he cost has not driven him out of a
he field OF comparative rivalry not only y
With merchants OF his own locality but n
With the mail-order houses everywhere. n
This can.be done and we believe it will o
,ome sooner or later. 81
IL