Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-20
A MERCHANT-A MAN OR A CLAM.

How much Of the merchants time is
the public entitled to? is query
propoun6ed and discussed in haber-
dashers' trade journal and here is
fable which attempts to close up
merchant like a clam and disfranchise
him among citizens of a self governing
community.
Gibson runs a store over on Main
street, but for he last month or two he
has spent but very little of his time
at his place of business ana his expert
! ence, by the way, is that of very many
merchants in the small and medium size
! towns. Gibson wanted to be progress
Sive, he wanted his town to be pro-
gressive, hence he felt that he must
! do his share of the public chores. Yes
terday we dropped into his store and
judging from his remarks he was as
sore in his feelings as is the man of 80
in his legs and his arms when he goes
out to a Sunday school picnic and at
tampts to play young by getting into a
ball game
I'm thru" said Gibson, and don't
you forget it. I've put in half Of my
time working for the public and now
l am going to work for Gibson for
while, just to see how il will operate
on my bank account. l don't want t.
be a shirk, but on the contrary want
to do my full share of the work that
| under our form of government it seems
necessary for somebody to do, without
| nope of fee or reward and then be
| damned for; but I'll be jiggered if l am
| going to neglect my business for the
| pubiicS business, make enemies, lose
! trade and then be charged on account
of my activities Of having something
up my sleeve.
A month or two ago / put in two
solid weeks and fairly ran my legs off
| trying to induce the luckywarm resi-
dents OF this town TO join our chamber
| Of commerce. Most of the people that
l called upon either got sore because
| l asked them to join, or If they did
| come across, they made me feel that
| they were doing so simply to accom-
modate me and they also made this
| feature of it so strong, I know it viii
| cost me several hundred dollars in
reciprocating on some fool thing they
Will ask me to do or subscribe to in
! the not distant future.
| When had finished this job and felt
! that l could then devote a little of my
| time to my own business, they came to
i me and said that as a good citizen it
| was my duty TO go out with another
| committee and work up members for
the Y. M. c. \. We'll of course l wanted
| to be counted as a good citizen and so
out I went on that job for ten days.
| This morning as I came down on the
car two men sat in the seat in front
| of me and l could not help overhearing
! their conversation. One of these men
| turned to the other and said, II see
Gilson's putting in a lot of his time on
public matters lately; 1 wonder what
he's after His neighbor smiled and
replied, Well, l don't know what he's
after, but you can bet your bottom
dollar he expects to get something out
Of it in some way"
After ellison had related the above to
us he dropped his head, was thoughtful
for a moment and finally said, Those
fellows were right in a way and I'm
boob; / thought I was a public
spirited citizen, but as it has turned
cut was simply long cared jack
Talk like that would make of a mer.
chant that cringing sycophant whom
we all despise. What is there in mer.
chandising, might we ask, that makes
it honorable for a man to be coward
and unwilling to volunteer in the every
day duties of a citizen? How can VIZ
have self government unless some Of
us are willing to serve the public? Ar.
we going to turn over every institution
we have to grafters, self-seekers oil
incompetents because some thought
less person criticitizes the man wht
does come forward?
Why shouldn't merchant solicit
other merchants to Join the chamber
OF commerce? Do. we want q towr
SO dead that 1T can not support com
amerciai club? Would that kind Of I