ToVimbef/im'}     National  Wholesale  Druggists  Association.  523 
that  unity  of  sentiment  and  harmonious  action  would  prevail  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  convention.  The  Secretary  called  the  roll, 
when  it  was  found  ninety-five  firms  were  represented  in  person  or 
by  proxy.  A  committee  was  appointed  on  permanent  organization, 
who  reported  the  following  day,  as  follows: 
"  President — James  Richardson,  St.  Louis. 
**  First  Vice-President — Robert  Browning,  Indianapolis. 
^Second  Vice-President — Arthur  Peter,  Louisville. 
44  Third  Vice-President — R.  Macready,  Cincinnati. 
44  Fourth  Vice-President — Thomas  Lord,  Chicago. 
Ai  Fifth  Vice-President — John  Ewing,  Pittsburg. 
Treasurer — Samuel  M.  Strong,  Cleveland. 
44  Secretary — A.  B.  Merriam,  Cincinnati. 
"  Previous  to  the  election  of  officers  and  adoption  of  the  constitu- 
tion and  by-laws,  the  following  committees  were  appointed,  which 
reported  during  the  sitting  of  the  convention  : 
"Committees  on  Proprietary  Medicines ;  on  Credit  System;  on 
Circulars  and  Price  Lists ;  on  Western  Wholesale  Drug  Associa- 
tion ;  Commercial  Travellers ;  Adulterations,  and  Legislation. 
44  The  reports  of  those  committees,  having  in  charge  the  special 
interests  which  had  attracted  so  large  a  delegation,  voiced  to  a 
gratifying  degree  the  expectations  of  those  who  were  now  hopeful 
for  a  better  condition  of  things.  The  discussions  were  characteristic 
of  the  men  who  had  left  their  business,  many  of  them  on  long  lines 
of  travel,  to  remedy,  if  possible,  great  and  crying  evils,  demoralizing 
in  their  influences  and  destructive  to  a  legitimate  profit  in  a  business 
requiring  long  experience  and  a  large  amount  of  capital.  While  it 
was  not  expected  that  the  *  day  of  jubilee  '  would  then  be  an- 
nounced, or  that  the  panacea  would  be  offered  at  this  convention 
which  would  by  fiat  of  resolution  change  the  hearts  and  natures  of 
men,  it  was  evident  during  the  two  days'  meeting  that  great  good 
would  result  from  it.  Competitors  met  face  to  face,  and  earnestly 
discussed  remedies  which  should  commend  themselves  to  the  better 
judgment  and  reason  of  sensible  business  men.  Many  saw  and 
personally  knew  each  other  for  the  first  time,  and  the  bitter  acri- 
mony engendered  by  excessive  competition,  with  heralded  reports 
of  4  dishonesty  '  and  4  rascality,'  was  now  assuaged  by  personal 
contact  and  a  better  knowledge  of  each  other.  The  hearty  hand- 
shake of  the  first  meeting  will  be  a  talismanic  reminder  of  the 
