The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1920-01-22
STATE MERCHANTS ARE
PLACED IN BAD LIGHT


PLACED IN BAD LIGHT
State Singled Out to Begin Campaign
Against the High Cost of Living
Retail Men Defended.
Winston-Sa Jan. 16.-At the
annual meeting of the Retail Mer-
chants Association last night, Frank
A. Stith was elected president for the
ensuing year; D. G. Craven, vice
president; F. E. Griffith, secretary,
and Joe Westbrook, treasurer. A sup
per at the Bird Cage was one of the,
features Of the meeting.
The reports submitted by the re-
tiring officers were decidedly encour-
aging as well as optimistic. State
Secretary j. Paul Leonard was pres
ent and delivered forceful address
in which he declared that the North
Carolina merchants were being i'm
posed upon and that they must look
after their interests with law-making
bodies, just as other organizations are
doing.
Merchants of North Carolina" de-
clared Secretary Leonard, cas- well as
merchants all over the United States
take for granted that people know of
their business. The big thing in the
minds of most of the merchants today
is the activity of certain government
officials. We haye to get bulletins to
keep ourselves informed and out of
jail Merchants ale aroused in North
Carolina. They have been held up to
the entire world as high priced mer-
chants. The goserrihren fiji to
start nationwide campaign and it
began it's activities in North Carolina.
Trade papers from all over the Unit
ed States wire to this state for re-
ports. Reports are out that the peo-
pie are so poor they are going to the
poorhouse, because they say the mer-
chants take all they have in. profits.
"The merchants in this state must
be more aggressive. They have been
Disseminated against. We must as
sert ourselves. Senator Simmons is
of this opinion, too. He thinks the
tide will soon turn and the discrimina-
tions against North Carolina in
freight rates and other things will be
eliminated and the state will progress
very rapidly.
'I am not here to criticize anyone
but to criticize the methods. That is
why we went to Washington. The
merchants of North Carolina are not
awake and aroused as they should he.
But they are getting busy. have re-
Gently organibzed merchants assocla-
tions at Fayetteville, Goldsboro and
Elizabeth City; Asheville and Viii
mington and back again, and it looks
like organizations will be established
in many other places with strong, ag-
gressive organizations.
''North Carolina is being discrimi-
mated against. The laws were made
feet"
Mr.. Leonard explained the value of
the lobbyist in educating people as to
other needs.
"People do not know of merchants
expenses. They think if man buys
a suit for $1S and sells it for $25 he
makes $40. The public does not stop
to consider that he has to pay rent
and pay clerks and other numerous
expenses. Something must be done
to let the public know these things.
Kansas had to raise a large sum re-
Gently to fight 18 or 20 bills that have
since been taken up as government
measures"
The speaker said that he and the
merchants are not fighting Mr.. Page
or the Lever act but they want jus
tice. He also said he favored a re-
moval of all restrictions on business
as soon as the peace treaty is ratified.
He said the opinion among the North
Carolina delegation in both branches
of congress is that these ratifcations
will be removed as soon as the treaty
is ratified and the opinion is further
expressed that it will be ratified in
some form so it will not go to the
country as campaign issue next fall.
Mr.. Leonard said that 178 indict-
n1ents have been made under the law
in the United States, and that while
only a few of them have been made in
North Carolina, these have been retail
merchants. The object of the Lever
bill is to reduce prices and not to re-
strict the business of the retail n1er-
chants He denied that the rler-
chants associations are price-fximg
bodies in any sense of the term.
A BIG STEP FORWARD.
Mr.. and Mrs. C.. L. Wheeler were
visitors in Greensboro Thursday.