Bisbee daily review., 1918-09-20
.COGHISE MERCHANTS HOLD SESSION
 IN DOUGLAS
STEPS TAKEN TO FORM STATE ORGANIZATION AND TO RESIST COUNCILS - ORDER MEETING CALLED FOR SEPTEMBER 25 - BIsBEE REPRESENTED

DOUGLAS, Ariz.. Sept 19-Forma- tion of a state retail merchants asso- citation was decided upon this morn ing at a meeting of the COchise Coun- ty Merchants association held in the war building, 354 Tenth street, to discuss the recent ruling of the Ari- zCna state council of defense ordering merchants to mark the buying as well as selling price on all goods sold. The organization meeting will take place | in this city a week from today Thursday, September 25, at o'clock in the afternoon. The merchants of Bisbee, Tombstone, Wilcox, Tucson, Phoenix, Globe, Miami, Prescott. No gales, Clifton, Morenci. Temple, Mesa and other cities ana towns Tn the state will be invited by telegraph to attend. It is expected that many will be pres ent, as the state councils ruling is of vital importance to every man who sells goods.
 It was announced that the Tucson merchants had already openly an- nOunced that they would not obey the order, and several of the local men expressed a similar point of view. In fact, it was said that stores might just as well close up as try to obey. It was stated that the enforcement of such an order would put the small merchants out of business and compel the large and strong firms to operate at loss. The charge was made that the order was the outcome of politics, originating in COchise county with the object of striking at certain Cochise county interests.
 Not Antagonistic
 At the same time it was made clear that there is no intention of the mer- chants to antagonize the council. The plan is to form a temporary state or ganizatiOn at the meeting here next Thursday and to complete it later at Phoenix The state council will not meet again after the time announced for it's order which was termed revolutionary decree" to go into ef- feet Whether this will be October 1 or October IS those present at the meeting were not entirely sure.
 However, just before the council meets, representatives of the state or ganizatiOn of merchants to be formed here will gather in Phoenix. prepared to present their side of the case in the most forceful way to the council It was thought a personal visit of this kind and talks from men of influence would have more effect than sending a host of letters of protest from the individual mercnants
 Have Patriotic Motives
 The protest will not be made as a selfish measure. The merchants will not make a play for sympathy or len iency on the grounds that it will cut down their profits and even put them out of business Some of the points tO be made are that in order to put the proposed system into effect additional help or manpOWer will be required and it is not to be obtained. Such ad- diticnal help would increase the cost of merchandising It will be shown also that merchants wno have been planning to put their surplus in Lib erty bonds will have no profits to in vest. lt will be argued that the scheme would thus work against the winning of the war instead of for 1t. The prop osition was declared impracticable. In many instances merchants are requir- ed to make a large difference between the selling and buying price for ade- quate reasons which it would be i'm possible to explain Co the customer Sometimes. for instance. a merchant might have large stock of merchan- disc bought before the raise in prices