The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-04-06
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1922
MR.. FILENE's VIEWS.

At the recent meeting Of the Yer
mont Press Association in Boston
one Of the speakers was Hon Ed |
ward A. Filene head Of the great
Filene store, which Is one of the
argest mercnand sing institutions
in the country Mr. Flene's remarks
re erred in part to matters that are
If interest to al and in particular 10
merchants and The Banner therefore
prints his short speech in full fl
was as follows:
am very glad to welcome you. We
feel tiattered that you desire to come
here, We like to think that this is
particular ST notion for Us be
cause IL comes from a group Of news
paper peop.e who are perhaps the
class best equipped to know wat is
genuine and what Is not have, OF
OF course, a h gh opinion o the Yer
mont people and | share this with
most men ! remember when | was
on a speaking tour with President
/; Taft some years ago how In opening
his address he electrified his audi
ence at Sat Lake by emphasizing N
the most definite way the int H..
gence Of two States of the Union
which stood out over all other States.
Nlen we We're al al the height OF
expectancy as TO which were the two
States, he said why, Vermont and
Utah We remembered then that
these were the only two States WI ch
had cast the electoral vote for II m
when he had run for President the
second time.
Serious y, suppose that YOU are
interested In an opinion as to TIE
is that the next two or three years
are going to be very difficult years
years Of the most intensive compe
on that our country has ever seen
This is due 10 the act that we enor
mousy increased our productive ca
pacity during the war and on account
OF having iso ated ourselves from
1 Europe. its Peep are not able I,
!; buy our slrplnses,-Alf we have only
- ~ HNl AEaAA HA4 HaAH HAOAhA AANilf
viii be sufficient to cause very in
$ tense competition Of a kind that vii
be disast Gus. If we are not careful
4 to our profits not only to the 10 PEI
cent OF surplus production nus a.st
/. to our entire production in Amos
every line in 9Th country.
IS This sounds pessimistic but tn
d safe basis .or constructive OPT misu
e Is in seeing and dea ing with tn
e facts. If | have a severe pa II in nv
y side and friend meets me and pat
t me on tie back and says WITH
smile: You will be all right in
day or two'-that friends intent Of
may be al right but he is not near
ly as good a friend as the one VIII
takes me to the surgeon and has m
operated upon and so saves me fror
dying from the appendicitis wiic
caused the pain And so IN my juds
ment the remedy for our business Ill
is within our reach. II consists 4
helping to stabilize Europe so il ca
again use our surplus II is wei I
bear in mind that II Europe cannc
buy rom Us, II cannot uuy Lon
South America China or Australi;
and these countries. in turn. by nc
selling their products to Europe cal
net buy our SURPRISES
Edo not think that because the on
look Is so perplexing at present a
business or all profess ons need su
fer. have always fe that there
chance to make money in ba
times as well as in good times, /,
there are those who by hard, carefl
thinking and energetic work adju,
themselves first to the new cont