Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-12-29
Travelling City Agents The Expense to
Consumers Patent Right Agents
Merchants end Peulais.

The expense of supporting the
large number Of go betpeens. by which
we mean the travelling agents of city
wholesale dealers, is heavy upon
community. There are forty thou
sand such agents out by the Chicago
merchants These, at 50 500 each
for salary and travel expenses, by
the year, cost la. country one huns
dred millions of dollars. The num-
Der of GO betweens constantly travel
ing in Grant county may safely be
set down at twenty-five cost to the
people for their support is $4,000
per year. Such entire expense is
taxed upon consumers--nobody else
of course.
Again, of patent right agents there
are at least ten constantly travelling
in the county. whose everage income
may be $3.50, making total of
SIP 500.
We do not include agents for the
sale of agricultural implements " no
sell within Grant county at Last a
quarter Of "a million dollars worth OF
machinery. The latter business
doubtless pays the people fully its
cost, whilst the go~between mer~
cnandising and patent right agency
bu-'oess are quite dead losses to all
but the city wholesalers and the large
dealers in patent rights The entire
S62 500 of expenses for these mer-
camille agents and patent right
agents is q lax upon consumers and
nothing 10 show for it. The local
merchant may argue that he sells
goods no dearer on account of making
his purchases through these floating
mediums who stand between the city
merchant and the country storekeep.
or But he either wickedly or igno
rantly errs These 10000 agents
sent out from Chicago have to be
supported from the profits of trade,
ihe only meaning Of which is, that
consumers must pay all expenses be-
sides the costs otraw material, man.
atacturing and commission, whole
sale aud retail merchants.
We speak nftaxes, very often wi !
just complaints. But very generally
thvre is much of value received givel
III exchange for what we are taxed
Bat here il heavy tax Of at leas
81 so 10 every man, woman ant
child in Grant county to support
these 90 betCeens, or agents, of city
wholesale dea,ers, against which We
hear not word of complaint
There is but one merchant in Gran
county who refuses to patronise these
travelling agents He goes to mafke
and lays in his stock the old way
and says be saves to himself and pa
irons ten to twelve per cent. there
oy-besideS the advantage of choice
of markets.
Tee merchants subtly affirm tina
the new practice OF laying il
stock by samples brought around BY
these agents saves them the troubl,
and expense Of going for stock. Thi;
is pretense, and shows how com.
pletely the mercantile interest of The
country is inhunced and blinded by
these portable dealers sent out from
| the cities.
As to the people, their only de,
| fence is to betake themselves to pa
PROMISING these travelling merchants
better known as pedlars, who go to
the cities the old way, lay in thei.
stocks wherever the best and cheap,
est can be found, load up and resume
their circuit, An Ohio paper says
that most of the goods sold in Frank
lin county are sold by the pedlars--
1.-The merchants having become too
idle and shiitless TO manage for the
interest OF their patrons, and the
pedlars selling better and cheaper
soods-the latter paying no dear
rents, hiring no extrayagant clerks,
and having no tad or unnatural and
expensive habits TO necessitate enor-
nous profits"