The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-30
M D N , w O M E N
 A ND T HIN G s

peiS o4 the IlStdlle eNheICHdHls ASoo7 ciatlon,. Inc, with offices in the Watts building in this city.
 I must confess that in spitel of study. travel aand wide business ex- perience that little word "Inc," which is never written out in full after the name of a firm or corporation al ways impresses me. It has a foreign kick" about it which somehow never fails to hit the impressionable spot in my nature.
 confess that it rather amuses me to think of my friend, Jeff Bailey, as being htehed up with a real live business proposition, for everybody who knows him is aware that he is one of the greatest "kidders" that ever "joshed" his way down the high way of newspaperdom, and that he had rather swap jokes than to eat.
 And yet I must hand 1t to a man who floated it here a few years back and began repertorial career which landed him on a desk" and who each week had the nerve and the good sense to lay by out of his pay en- velope a certain amount for a nest egg to buy a home. It takes grit and determination for one of the news paper boys with their free ideas of spending to do this.
 Jeff is a true disciple of the Fourth Estate, it makes no difference what line he may follow, his heart beats in sympathetic joy with the penci! pushers; but awhile back he volun- tarily severed his connection with his profession az he says, ITO grab enough coin to build a house and own COW and a garden" and every one of his friends will be glad to know that he now has these; but the pride of his life is tbe little miss and the junior.
 Now folks keep asking me, Doe, why don't you do something about retail prices?" as if I held the job of price fixer. There are some folks who think the government and the papers can do anything and every thing. We are beginning to learif that even Uncle Sam made a poor show as q regulator even in war times; and that many a hammering newspaper campaign, while creating . sensation for awhile, ends in failure.
 
 Not feeling any special responsi- bility in the matter, and unwilling to get excited over the situation, and with desire 10 sidestep the whole question, I thought the easiest way out was to let Jeff Bailey, the man. aging director of the retail mer- chants, act as buffer and make such statements or excuses a. he might deem proper, and so l sought him out in his den.
 I hadn't talked to hun long before he had proved such a complete alini for his crowd that I'felt like Apolog- izipg for even having brought in q mild way the kicks which had come to my ears about the profiteering on the part of the retailers; and before I could tear myself away from him. he almost had me in tears over the heartless manner in which the public treated the merchants who sold stuff at retail
 Jeff certainly is some enthusiastic advocate when it comes to standing by and behind the fellows who feed him. and takes a genuine pride in honorable men. On my pressing the point he reluc tantly admitted that there might be a few black sheep among the retailers, but stoutly maintained that the percentage was 1o greater than in the ministry, the law, or the- other professions. He didn't come right straight out and say, but he intimated the Crooks , were not members of Retaail Mer- chants Association f Alabam;. Inc
 1 mustered up courage before leav- ing to ask, Jeff, when do you think retail merchandise prices are coming down?' Sure" he answered. Well, when?' I fired back to him in reply. When coal is back to s4 ton railroad to 2A cents a mile and freight rates reduced to normal, when house rent for the average family is around s25 month, gasoline 15 cents per gallon. telephone rentals S2 a month, labor under s2 a day, a square meal for S5 cents, street car fare cents. hair cuts quarter. sho :. shines nickel movies dime, doc tors visits $2.
 Jeff claims that the farmer and the merchants so far have been in the lead of price cutting, not from philanthropy, but because they hadJto on account of conditions. He thinks we arc all inAthe same boat and that each one in his own line should tote fair before throwing stones at the bunch he is paid to represent. If you are not satisfied with this account I advise you to see him personally, but carry along pocket handkerchief for you'll need it when you near his tale of woe.
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