The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-03-10
Frcn Trnde In Marketing.

ton this morning in regard to that stuplC
ordinance to prevent what Is called "fore
stalling tho Market" whereby twice (
week no countrymcn arc allowed to sci
any produce in the city between noon ant
6 A. N. noxt morning, The effect Of II, a
shown by our correspondent, is simply L
stop a considerable amount Of trade from
coming into the city and divCrting it Il
other points. We go much farther thaI
our correspondent, and believe Tic prcscn
market system ought to be abolished. Th'
only legitimate object of markets is Il
supply the people Of tho city with proVis
ions and cdiblcs, and We believe that oh
icct would be better effected, at less cx
pensc to our citizens, If there were NJ
such things as market houses or marke
days. This Is ono Of the things tha
would regulate itselfit left to the unOrrinG
Inv Of supply and demand. The greer
groccrs, If there was none Of the present
market. system, would sec that the city
was supplied, and whatever they lacked
would be made up by the country people
whowould be free to como and sell jus
when and where and for such prices ns
their stuIr would bring. There Is no rea
son why the city should intcrpose and
compel the ono TO sell and the other tC
buy only at particular place md within
limited hours, and these the most unsea
sonable that could DO devised.
Why should all the houscholdC1 Of the
city be called out of their beds Of morn
ing before daylight, to crowd and jostlt
and jam one another in tho raw air and
dim dawn, or go without fresh, palatablt
food? Why not allow them to buy at sea
sonablc hours, at their own leisure, at sucl
timO aud place Us may best suit their con
venicnce or pleasure?
Ifthe markctsystem were abolished, and
the supply of our citizens left oper
and free to all, at all times, tho city would
very soon be supplied fully and constantly
with tho best and freshest Of everything
better than It is now In market; because
the people in the country who now sell tc
hucksters would themselves come into the
city and sell their butter and eggs and
vegetables, at first hands, and VIC should
get these things frcsher, and much cheap
er, than we now get them in many cAscs
through the huClSsters. Our citizens
would then escape the cxtOrtions which
they now often suffer from those who at
tend the markets and who arc now able tr
make such combinations rs to cOntro
prices of almost everything.
The argument that keeps up the market
house system Is, tllNt it Is u source o
revenue to tho city. Granted; but who
pays all that revenue? The butchers wht
rent the stalls, and all Others who pay thu
market tax, add this cost to the price o
their commodities, so that our citizen
pay it all Mt Inst. If they paid only
this II would not he so bad; but th'
system affords the butchers and hucks
tcrs opportunity and excuse for add
ingt to legitimate prices much more thai
the actual taxes and rents. If the city
must have the revenues let II DO laid n
other taxes are. 1t costs no more to pA!
Il directly, nor indeed so much; tornow tn
people Of the city pay large margil
which goes into tho pockets Of tho markG
people. But even lift were necessary II
get this revenue by laying these taxes ol
the trade in marketing, itshould be consid
cred that IL the market houses were takeI
away, grcm.grocorics would at ono
spring up in all parts Of the city, and tn
licenses paid by these would yield th'
city probably quite rs much clear revenue
rs the market houses, which arc the &C
casion of considerable annual expense.
But the city ought not to depend 70
revenues on taxing the trade in market
ing; for this Is u tax Of which the poorcs
nay quito MS much rs tho richest A tn!
on the nCcessarics Of life Is the most obi
ous and unjust that it is possible to lay
II ia taxing tho meat and potatoes, o
which many u poor man and many
widow finds It hard enough to get'a sup
ply for their little ones under the most fla
vorablc circumstances. In these thing
there ought to be the most absolute frcl
trade, for the moro unrestricted tho compc
tilion tho moro chcaply and more con
vcnicntly will tho people Of the city b.
supplied. When the city interposcs, rs |
now does, and adds to tho cost ofthe ncccs
saries Of life, first, by taxing the traffic OF
them, and second, by making arbitrar!
regulations under which the sellers ar'
able to take advantage of the buyers, win
cannot help themselves, 1t docs not onl.
an injudiclous thing but positive wrong
The present market system onght to b
broken up because
lst. It raises revenues by laying take
on the nCcessarles Of lie, exacting as mucl
from the poor as from tho rich.
lnR stFl