Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-01-22
Cooperation in Buying and Selling.
By JAMES A. CREIGHTON.

In discussing this question 1 shall
consider. simply, viii it pay the farm
er? Can he save money by co-opera-
ton In buying and selling?
The present system of buying and
selling through long chain of agents,
or middle-rnen, reaching from the manu-
facturer to the farmer. and back again
from the farmer to the consumer, is
greatly to our disadvantage. We pay
all the expenses both ways. A manu-
facturer IN one of our large cities, for
instance, of reapers or sewing machines,
In order to reach his customers, employs
a General Agent to take charge of his
business In a given territory; under
him State Agent for each State, and
under him County Agent in each coun-
ty. And instead of buying of the manu-
facturer, we buy of the County Agent,
who gets from 20 to so per cent the
State Agent, say 10 per cent, and the
General Agent per cent. So there is
from 35 to 65 per cent of what we pay
swallowed up before it reaches the
manufacturer Thus, when we buy a
500 harvester, at least 35 per cent-S70
or If an $50 sewing machine, so per
cent.-S40-of what we pay for each
machine sticks to the fingers of that un-
necessary chain of agents through
which these things reach us. And the
same is true of almost every article of
merchandise which the farmer uses.
The smooth-tongued gentleman who
calls on us with his matched greys and
fine carriage, and persuades us that we
need reaper, or our wife that she needs
a sewing machine, must be paid for his
visit His fancy rig and handsome
salary are wrung from our hard earn
ings. The manufacturer does not pay
a cent of this expense. He must have
back all the money he invests, with his
full profits ON the investment.
In short, under the present system,
the farmer buys everything he uses at
an advance of from 25 to 100 per cent.
above cost of production. at least
one-third OF all the money he pays out
goes, not to pay the cost of producing
the article he buys, but to pay commits
sions and profits to the agents and
merchants through whom he receives it.
My plan for buying would be some
thing like this Let there be grange
or club In every township; elect con-
tract agent, who shall represent all the
farmers IN the State, and make arrange
ments with manufacturers and whole
sale dealers to supply us with such
things as farm machinery of every de-
scription, furniture, lumber, building
material, groceries, and everything else
we need that can be had cheaper by such
an arrangement. When the State Agent
has secured the best terms possible, let
him issue a circular containing the
names of all the articles he has arranged
for, and the price at which they are to
be furnished, and have this circular sent
to every grange and club In the State.
Then any member who desires to buy
anything on the list can notify the Secre-
tary of his grange or cub, who can
order through the State Agent anything
desired, which will be shipped to his
nearest freight Office at the price pub
hshed, to be paid for ON receipt. The
order should be made through the Secre-
tary, or some other officer of the grange
or club (of whom it would be We'll to
require small bond), to protect the
Agent from loss through irresponsible
persons, or those not members. By this
plan the most favorable terms can be
secured for anything we may wish to
buy. Through our State Agent we can
offer inducements to manufacturers and
Wholesale merchants that will secure
better terms for US than can be had by
any single agent or retail merchant. By
concentrating our patronage we will
actually De able to make our purchases
at less than ordinary wholesale prices.
We have tried it In Wayne county, Ill,
and find it works well. When we COM
pleted our county organization the first
Of last June, Racine wis. wagons were
selling there, complete, at S11O; with
out box or seat, $780, Now We get
them complete, at the shop, at S74 !;
without box or seat, 1854.
Double-seat spring wagons with three
springs were selling at S145. Now we
get them at the shops for $50.
Eight-horse power threshing ma
chimes were selling at $50. Now we get
the same machine for $3.50.
The Keystone Superior, / X L, and
Buckeye Wheat Drills were selling at
from s65 to $50. They are furnished us
at $50 to S65.
The Home, the Victor, and other sew
ing machines we're selling at S75 to 1925.
We now get the Home for $33, the Vic
tor for S37. so, and several others from
40 to 30 per cent. off.
Walking cultivators were selling at
S36. We now get them at the shop for
S18.
The Champion Fan. Mill Tor wheat
FAM was selling at $35 and could not be
bought for less. Now the manufacturers
furnish them to us ct ST.
Steel Center breaking plows Lad
never sold for less than 500. We now
get them $3.50.
Diamond corn plants were selling ut
S65. We get them now at $40.
Moline breaking plows were sold by
the agents at from $13 to $40. They are
furnished us at from ST. to S11.25 ac-
cording to size.
We have arranged for almost hun
dreds of other implements and articles
at from 25 to so per cent. off of cata-
logue prices.
There have been but very few In.
stances where manufacturers or whole
sale dealers have refused to sell to us as
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