The Grange advance., 1873-11-19
From the Western Rural.
HumbugS.

The magnitude of the business done
by swindling enterprises Of various de-
scriptions is almost incredible. It is a
fact Of a discouraging character that the
victims Of these business subterfuges are
most largely those Of the agricultural
class, who have SO long been the doomed
prey of not only sharpers who use strict
ly legal methods of commerce and trade
to defiaud them, but of the scoundrels
who operate by secret and cunningly-de-
vised means to fleece the unsuspecting
people.
The Western Rural has always endeav-
ored to do it's best to protect its readers
from imposition, and hence is sure that
they have suffered comparatively little
from the schemes of swindlers. But
there are thousands and thousands of
farmers who read no journal devoted to
their especial interest, and there are too
many OF them who sneer at such journals.
Such are the legitimate and usual victims
Of the sharpers. They rely mostly for
their reading upon journals that only
aim at perumtory success, and whose ed
itors trim their sails to suit the indica-
tions in the political horizon, and whs
can be boug ght or Influenced to favor this
Or that political or business enterprise,
according to the amount of inducement
offered them. 1t is no secret that many
rgely-circulated journals are understood
+o ,,,,,1l f,o,,, bo+
they 10 not publish as from what they
do.
In the Western Rural, three weeks
ago, we made a full expose Of the opera
tions of an enormous swindle in Chicago,
callin:' itself the "Union Furnishing
Company, Geo. B. Hodge Il Co., Man
ayers" We did our best to induce other
leading journals to copy the same, Or
give its substance to their readers. But
very few did SO, and some of them did SO
very tardily. We say it is a shameful
fact, but it i* ii fact. Such editors say
that, if you 10 expose such swindles, the
people do not appreciate your work, and
it is thankless and pro6tless. The Union
Furnishing Company's business contin-
ues on an immense scale, employing
about fifty persons We shall give more
particulars concerning it, soon.
We might have made: probably, $l0,-
600 ecithin the present gear, by suppress
ing facts of which we were cognizant ;
but We did not do so, although money is
doubly valuable just now. We will not
countenance or conceal rascality- ty-if we
know it. And we have faith, still, that
the people-the farmers, will sustain us
and encourage us, in this business.
| We now have resolved to open a
special department in connection with the
Western Rural, to be called Private
Detective and Special Information Bu-
reau, for the benefit of our subscribers
and supporters. Full particulars of this
will be given as soon as our plans are
completed. All our subscribers will have
the free benefit of this department.
| ONE portion Of community are never
allowed to suspend. They are the tax
payers. Come good times or bad, rain
or sunshine, they must grind out the
public grist. They cannot hold on to
deposits, get extensions, or discount on
what is charged to them. The blood has
to come every time without reference to
favorable or unfavorable seasons, business
losses, sickness, or other calamities.
Nothing comes about with greater regu-
larity, or is more certain, death excepted,
and that is not more sure. Nor is any,
thing more depressing than these tolls on
industry: When excessive, they drive
communities to despair. a
The Grange Aduance is the name of a new
paper from our neighboring city of Red
Wing, devoted exclusively to the interests
OF the Patrons of Husbandry in this State.
It is in the form of neat quarto, and well
filled with matters pertaining to the farm
ers order, and should meet with liberal
patronage Lake CITY Leader.
The Grange Advance is the name of one
Of the latest and largest papers in this
city: Il is devoted to the interests of the
farmers, and gives summary Of the latest
and most important news. Il is decidedly
farmers paper, and is worthy Of their