ABSTRACT
New conditions had arisen during the seven years when my absences from the office were so frequent and prolonged. Before that L. H. Crall and E. B. Mack were domiciled in New York as special agents for papers mainly in Chicago and Cincinnati. Now the woods were full of special agents, prominent among them being Mr. S. C. Beckwith and Mr. J. E. Van Doren. Now and then a so-called special was an actual representative of a single paper, notably in the case of the Chicago News, but usually the special agent represented several papers, from two to six, from five to twenty-five, and received a commission on the amount of business he sent. The special agent had some important advantages over the so-called general agent, such as our firm would be considered. The special was in direct daily communication with the few papers he represented. All advertisers within certain geographical limits were considered under his charge. Inquiries addressed direct to the office of the paper were sent to him, and the inquirer was referred to the special as the proper man to convey the information he desired. The special did not wait, however, for an application to be made to him, but promptly presented himself, or sent a representative, to interview the inquirer at his own domicile. If he took an order that was never paid for he did not stand the loss. The general agent, on the other hand, was supposed to guarantee payment on all orders he forwarded.
