The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1922-12-22

NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


The matter of the desirability OF an
organization, an association, or name it
as you please, Of the leaf men and to-
bacco merchants doing business and
living in Wisconsin was discussed briefly
in this column some weeks ago. The
tobacco press has seen fit to comment
on the suggestion, or quote the
words of the The Reporter, and in
dividuals outside this state have writ
ten and commended the proposition.
That is all. The tobacco merchants
and leaf men in the state have remain
ed mum. Not a word have we had
from them, and no move has, as far as
we have been able to find out, been
made to launch campaign to bring
the men together.
There may be good reasons for this
silence on the part of the home folks.
There have been attempts made in past
years to get the tobacco men of Wis
consin to associate themselves together
in some kind of an organization, but
the attempt failed, we believe. because
it was not pushed hard enough. The
men who led in the movement met op-
POSITION or Indifference; their ardor be-
came cooled and the matter was per-
rnitted to drop.
4 The Reporter would not have brought
this matter up in the first place if it
had not intended to bring it up again.
We feel that it is of sufficient impor-
tance to bear repetition; and it believes
that the time is ripe just now to dis
euss it.
The apathy, we are certain, is not
real. If every tobrcco man in the state
were asked if he as an individual be-
ieved in Wisconsin leaf mems asso-
citation, the answer would be an affirma-
tive one. But no one feels called upon
to take the lead and call the first meet
ing. Another difficulty lies in the over
production of organizations. The to-
bacco men are the type which in every
community where they live are called
upon to join and work for everything
that heads in with a program for civic,
religious, charitable and fraternal ac-
Etivity. They are as rule liberal men
who give freely both of their time and
their money, and it is not so easy for
them to find time to arrange for new
meetings, new conventions with added
duties to take care Of While this ad-
mittedly is true, they will find time for
an organization to promote their own
business as tobacco men the minute
they come to realize that such an or
IganizatieR- would be of of~individual bene-
fit in the measure that it benefited all
of them. The problems confronting
business in these days are not growing
simpler every day; on the contrary they
are becoming more difficult and more
complex. The time is past when every
Individual business man can be suffic-
lent unto himself and still succeed.
Conditions in modern life have shaped
themselves in way to make every man
in the craft feel that to obtain the best
results from his own efforts he must
assist. willingly or unwillingly, in the
effort to give the other fellow the best
results from his efforts. To buck this
force in modern life is to invite disas-
ter. That the leef men in Wisconsin
would find new source of strength and
new permanency for their business
in getting closer together, in COM
munity of work with brains, hearts and
skill, we are as assured of as we are of
anything.
In letter from Jens Davidson, pres
ident of the Wisconsin Tobacco Pool,
and in which acknowledgement is made
of the invitation sent to the members
of the Pool directorate to come to Ed
gerton to see the city and it's tobacco
industry andl to meet its men, Mr..
Davidson says:
s'This is to acknowledge with many
thanks your favor of the 18th instant
and to state that our board of directors
in meeting assembled have indicated
their pleasure by accepting the invita-
tion extended by business men of your
city in resolution reading as follows
and conveyed to Mr.. VIM. Mcintosh
through letter as of the 9th instant:
Resolved, That the courteous inyi-
tation extended by committee repre-
senting leaf tobacco dealers, retail mer-
chants, professional men and farmers
of Edgerton, Wis, to the board of di-
rectors and officers of this Association,
to visit that city, be accepted with
heartiest thanks and that sdch visit be
made as soon as it is convenient.
This cordial answer from the Pool
headquarters has been received with
much satisfaction by the committees
who represented Edgerton in the invi-
tation as well as by the men in the
community and the vicinities of the
city. Representative tobacco men and
citizens from GAINESVILLE and Stoughton
will also make use of the occasion to
come to Edgerton to meet the men,
bers of the Pool directorate and its of |
ficials and become personally acquaint- |
ed with them. AS stated in last week 8 /
issue, the visit will take place some !
time during the month of January
The leaf division has lost Abraham /
Blur. William Taussig, Jacob Sutter,
William Brill and Charles Fox The /
journalistic divisior has iost TSmar Eli