Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-01
HxtortIOn.

ExtOrtIOn.
A correspondent lashes the hueksters
and vegetable vendors, who furnish our
people 9th their marketing for con-
siderat;on," over our shoulders, in the
following manner:
EVANSVILLE, July 81, 1865.
Editors Journal:
It is my opinion that you viii merit
and receive the thanks of this comma-
nifty BY instituting and persistently
pressing q crusade against The extOr-
lions, &c, &c, of the hHeksters who
vepd vegetables in our markets. The
war being over, and gold having come
down, almost everything has had fall,
except the articles these people sell.
They still stick to war and famine prices.
/ have opportunities of knowing the
market prices at Cincinnati and other
places, aud / know that Evansville is
fully fifty per cent above any city on
the Ohio Why is this, down bere in
the richest lands in the State? 1t is
extortion, and nothing more. Now, at
this moment, have in my house butter
which cost eighteen cents per pound,
and eggs which cost fifteen cents per
dozen. These / got only twenty miles
in the country, where there is plenty at
the same figures. Compare these fig
ures with the standing prices asked by
these hueksters-Butter, 45@50c eggs,
22G25c. As to vegetables, poor man
has not chance of "smell" at most
of them, and fruits are entirely out of
reach Why, at their rates, an acre Of
cabbage or a few peach trees will bring
a small fortune Another thing needs
stirring up Unblushing, open forestall-
ing is casried on in the light of every
morn also, there should be some stop
to the sails of rotten and defective Fruits,
&c, &c.
l think reporter would 6nd an am
pie field for labor, and if he did not
"strite ile," he would surely stir up
something that would stink.
"a as-s ~ - SUFFERER.
While we aTt tpreciats the compliment
paid Us BY our correspondent, in the i'm
piled If not expressed belief that we are
able TO rectify the abuses of which he
complains, We must frankly confess that
he ovsr-estimafes our power s1d infu-
encs. But he is not alone in this mis-
take. Every day we are appealed to to
do something we cannot accomplish, or
abused for doing something in itself
trivial. With all our caution and pru.
dence, we are forever butting our little
bark against one CT the other of this
class of readers. We may correctly
designate them as our Seylla and Cha
rybdis. fo 5.1
That the citizens of. Evansville are
paying higher prices for all kinds of
vegetables and f-uits than those of any
other city in the West, we think is un-
deuiable. That these prices are the re-
suit of q combination, we think true
also. Bat the evil is not to be remedied
BY newsF aper paragraph or ponderous
leader. Those forming the combination
would laugh an attack of that kind to
scorn. 1t would be assaulting the young
rascal in the apple tree with turf and
grass. If the people of our city be-
lieve, as our correspondent, that they
are paying extortionate prices for all
they eat, aud that those prices are the
result Of an unlawful combination, they
should act accordingly. The must 6ght
combinations with combinations. This
can be done in two ways.
l. Organize themselves into an asso-
citation pledging each other not to
purchase any articles in market un-
I'll they are reduced in price to
a reasonable sum, the prices for
the respective articles to be de-
signated by committee appointed BY
the Association. This plan wa believe
has operated successfully in some Of the
large cities in putting down the price Of
beef, and if successfully inaugurated and
managed hers might bring down the
price Of vegetables. Vegetables are per-
ishable. If unsold when brought to
market they become worthless and have
to be thrown away One or two severe
losses would, we think, bring some of our
market attendants TO reason. They
would be compelled to sell their products
at reduced rates, or keep them at home.
The latter plan would not pay for then
they would likewise spoil on their hands.
The probabilities are that they would
reduce their prices. A combination once
broken is the weakest of all inventions,
and our people might expect, for time
at least, fruit and vegetables at a rea-
sonable rate.
2. If the above plan be deemed i'm
practicable, let those who feel aggrieved
organize themselves into sn association I;
raise . reasonable amount Of money;
appoint one of their number, or some
! man they can trust, to 90 into the coun.
:sy and make such purchases as they
may desire. If articles can be obtained
as chesply in the country as our CORES
pondent indicates, this plan would be
feasible in every respect, and our mar.
ket venders would have to " come dcvn"
We believe an establishment of this
kind has been organized by the Working
Mems Association and Is in successful
operation. 1t, however, is q regular
grocery store, and expects to become q
permanent institution. The other might
be regarded merely as an expedient to
obtain relief from temporary oppres-
sion. % sss4E