The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1872-01-12

IN hand as among the brightest jew
els which bedeck the human mind
We may be thankful that this feelin,
pervades the minds of intelligen,
people in every cline, and yet a
times the unworthy minority seem t.
hold sway like tho ''Tammany Ring
until the people representing The
character of injured innocence, arise
en- masse and put an end to such irreg.
ularitics.
The farmers Of Howard County
arc constantly reminded by some o.
the Cresco merchants, tina nix fortune
not all Of thcm) that the grain
buyer is an unnecessary evil, and
that the product Of our farms should
flow directly into the Golfers of said
merchants, with out question asked,
or groan uttered.
They say TO US. the Cresco wheat
buyers don't pay enough for wheat
and other produce We have for sale,
and that other stations are paying
more, and all this with such a degree
Of shortsightedness that they don't
even stop to consider that in proper.
ton as they advance this idea, they
drive trade from their own doors.
This state of affairs has existed to
our certain knowledge for several
years. and We bad supposed until
Grange prices were established at
10 FER cent above cost, that we were
buying goods at mere nominal price
above cost. This led US to inquire
into the matter, which resulted in the
information that Sc eral of the croak-
ing merchants, who came here four
years ago with but $1,000 to $4,000
with which to start their business,
have now. many of them, hundreds OF
acres Of land, fine business houses,
and dwellings, together with every
luxury that heart can wish, and it is
well said that mans greed enlarges
with his possessions.
The wheat buyers of Crcsco collect
very slowly Of this worlds goods; they
have no private marks by which to
buy or sell their grain, and We have
only to 50 to the station to ascertain
the exact cost of shipping grain,sand
then refer to our Chicago and Mil
waukee papers to arrive at the exact
profit made by the wheat buyer.
Being indebted to one of these
merchants for goods, and being
threatened With having to pay the
expense Of a course Of litigation. an
less We settled Immediately, we were
compelled to market our wheat imme.
diately after thrcshing. We deliver
cd it in the Cresco elevator and sold
the receipts for 600 bushels. at sscts.
We had referred to the file of circu-
lars kept in Beadle & Slee's Office
for the access of the farmer. and
found that on the day of sale wheat
in Milwaukee was worth SLIP; We
added the cost Of shipment and ex-
pensss and found that tho buyer had
made one and one-eightb per cent.
The buyers said they bought at from
| to 3 cents bushel profit and TAX
ing the maximum profit and placing
the average price of wheat at $l,0O
per bushel We have 3 per cent profit.
We will make few figures and see
who are robbing the farmers. The
total lumber Of bushels of wheat
shipped last year from Cresoo were
294, 900. Tho profit to the whe at
buyer on this amount at 3 cts, q
bushel (and the average margin is
not moro than q or 2 cts., is
$500 which divided among 500
farmers gives $l7,64 for each to pay
on an average to all tho grain buy
ors; or to each 1924.
Now let US see what tho croaking
parties have done. Any intelligent
farmer can easily learn by looking at
Chicago quotations that the average
Of the merchants profits, aside from
Grange considerations, is not less
than 25 per cent. Now there are IL
merchants in Cresco and according to
Mr.. Mobiles rendering several Of
them sold over $4,000 worth of
goods last year. but let us make an
average Of $500 each. which
makes the aggregate sales $500. 900.
25 per cent Of which makes $4,000
profit for tho merchants of Cresoo,
which divided BY 500 (the estimated
number Of farmers who 60 to Crssco
to trade) gives $3.50 Of this profit to
be paid BY each farmer; each farmer
paying to each Of tho merchants
$3.50. nearly six limos greater than
each pays to the wheat buyer. A