The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-08

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. - Last
week we published long batch of resolu-
tions from an Indianapolis Grange, in
which was the following:
''Resoived, Tina. as the dealers in farming i'm
plements have formed ring and bound nearly
all manufacturers to sell no implements direct to
Farmers Clubs or Oranges, that we ffset this
outrage by refusing to purchase from them this
season, and that we recommend to Changers that
they repair, as far as practicable, the implements
they have and by loaning to one another, and
in the various ways that may suggest themselves
to our minds to avoid buying for this season at
| least"
What caused the drafting of that resolu
ton, we know not, but we do know, Cat
least we think we do) that none of the
dealers in this place belong to such ring,
and we doubt very much if a ring exists in
Central Iowa at all. Our dealers are up
right, honorable men who would scorn to
enter into such an agreement. They
would like the trade of all our farmers,
but do not propose to enter into any ar
rangement for forcing the farmers to trade
with them. If the manufacturer sees fit to
discriminate in favor of his regular agent,
at wholesale, as against transient individ-
uals at RETAIL he certainly has the privi
lege, for one buys and sells his goods all
the time, and sells many, while the other
buys but one or two for his own use, and
is not heard from again. We find in the
Preston (Minn.) Republican the following
curious correspondence, showing the first
result of this experiment with the McCor-
mick Bros One of the State Grange
agents wrote the following letter to the
agent of Mccormick & Bro:
"WYKoFF, Mimi. March 81, 1878.
'Messrs. GRATTAN 81 Co-Do you wish to
make any arrangements to sell machines to Pat
rons. / am one of the seven agents appointed by
the State Grange to procure farm implements in
State, and as the farmers, or all who Patrons
refuse to buy of agents not authorized, by them,
perhaps you would like TO tmake some arrange
ments with them. If SO, please address,
G. .. RUNDELL, Wykof MIMI
MIR. Grattan forwarded this letter to the firm
by which he is employed, and received the follow
ing reply:
CHICAGO, April l, 1873.
IN. Il. GRATTAN, Esq, DEAR SIR Yours of
2Sth ult received. We beg to return M Run
dell's modest letter We would recommend him
clerks for the various country and city stores in
their section, and give notice to merchants that
no gOOus WOulQ De OOuSnt VI them unless Iney
hire certain clerks to do the work. We must be
permitted to engage for agents such men as we
deem best suited to do our work; and when
ever we are debarred from this course, farmers
will not find the Mccormick reaper in the mar
ket You have, no doubt, no tice d what we say
on this question in our circular. We can add lit
tie more. We may say, however, on the ques
ton of time on sales to fv or more in a club,
that might take that into cunsid Grafton If the
five purchasers are willing to indorse all and each
of the notes, thing are pretty sure they
won't do. Prices are things that regulate them
selves and cannot be changed by all The societies
in creation. Reaper making is open to all, as is
farming. If we don't like the price of -four there
is no law that will compel US to buy, and We
know well that no sets of resolutions will induce
the farmers to sell below market price, and the
same is true in our business well.
Yours truly, c. II. MCCORMICK & BRO"