The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-02-17
MISERY OF A MIDDLEMAN.
JAKE SNYDER UNBosoMs HIS GRIEF.

JAM oN1DEh ONDOSOMS HE OhlEt.
A New York huckster makes full confess
sion of his crimes in the columns of the
Tribune, but gives lesson in facts and logic
that may be studied with profit by those who
indiscriminately condemn the middleman
and think he ought to be abolished /
am one of those dreadful people who live
by extorting from the farmers their hard
earned profits. 1 am a useless, worthless be-
ing, whose labor adds nothing to the wealth
of society, an incubus upon and a curse to
industry. 1 am well aware of this, for L have
been told it very often, until at last L have
come to believe it. And here is my confess
sion: 1 would reform, but that is impossi-
BILE. / ave a large young family, and have
been in this unfortunate business for so many
years, and ~have,grown so old in his%iniquity.
that / cannot now change. / live in the
country, but am not rich enough to own a
farm, and get my living by buying produce
from the farmers and shipping it to the city
markets. / am a poultry, egg, and butter
dealer, and sometimes / buy hides and calf
SKINS, and wool. / have a good deal of
money invested in my business; if / were to
get all my debts collected, which is very i'm
probable, and sell my horses and wagons, /
might own three or four thousand dollars
L have worked over go years to save that,
late and early. in cold and wet, and have
lost in bad debts, during that time, at least,
an equal amount / pay cash for everything
/ buy fromthe farmers, and here is my crime.
What l buy from them L sell again at a
higher price. / admit my guilt, but, in ex-
tenuation, / would plead that l must do so
to live, and that my living is an absolute
necessity to the farmers of my neighbor
hood tor L am upon the road all day, collect
ing my poultry, eggs, ETC., and get up long
hafOrn. Aox1frht xrhnn fho mn - oil
snug in bed, to pack my stock, and take it
to the depot for shipment. / do this for a
undred farmers at least, who are my Gus
toners, and how are they to do il for them
selves, / would ask? Then 1 send my stock
away, and have TO wait many weeks be-
fore
THE CONES BACK,
and not seldom / lose quite a sum by the
failure of a dealer in the city, who goes I'M
der in the panic. Then again 1 am often
docked, and lose weight on my stock, for my
customers will feed the fowls a lot of dry
corn, and let them cram themselves. and
leave a pail of water in the chicken house,
so that when / weigh the fowls they have
each at least a pound of soaked corn in their
crops, which / pay ten cents a pound Tor;
but of course that is loss to me, and how can
/ make it up but by paying less Tor poultry.
1 often nave added eggs get in among the
fresh ones, because the farmers don't like to
waste the nest eggs, and being honest far
mers, cannot bear the cheat themselves, net
even out of a rotten egg. Then, when l go
home and candle the eggs, Ihavea few dozen
eggs to throw away. Besides / have to sort
over the wool, and pick ont the dirty tags
which farmers will put in the middle of the
~fleeces, and shake the dust out of the hair of
the hides, just because the farmers will drag
them about in the dirt, and that makes them
heavier, all of which extra weight pay them
for. know 1 am guilty OF all the farmer
charges me with. / get a little out of him,
and a little out of those to whom / sell, bat
l think my case admits of some extenuation;