Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-03
whole thing lies in concentration. We

have got to establish a monopoly.
Mr.. Stephens-That argument is falla
=! cious-will not hold good. Concentrate.
will prove disastrous to the grower 1t is ;
true and time honored maxim that com
| petition is the life of trade" Every mar
| upon this floor knows that when he ha:
several customers for the same article he il
going to get g good round price. We want
| more buyers-men who will come here
with Eastern capital.
Mr.. Bates-I want to state here and now
that am opposed to allowing Mr.. Porter
to buy fruit at all. He can't buy and shiI
fruit to sell alongside of mine. | don't be-
lieve in doing business in that wav. If he
is going to be our agent let him be our
agent, and in no way allow him to be our
competitor in trade.
Mr.. Stephens-You have heard read the
contract. Mr.. Porter can buy Just as long
as Mr.. Buck will permit him TO do so; j1sI
as long as the manager of the association
will permit him to do so. How long that
will be no one knows.
A LITTLE RIPPLE.
Mr.. De Long interrupted rather excitedly,
and confusion reigned for few moments.
He said: We are going to let Mr. Porter
purchase and ship our cherries, apricots
and early peaches. We won't allow any
one else to do it."
Mr.. Stephens said it would be sad
catastrophe, and the fruit interests of the
State would be entirely ruined if Mr.. Porter
should happen to die, he being the only
man who could manage the fruit either in
or outside of the Union.
John Crofton said If Mr. Porter dies
we have Mr.. Brewer, who can take his
place"
Mr.. Stephens said he would like, in this
connection, to make a statement. Mr..
Porter was present, and if he misstated
facts he desired to be corrected. In 1888
Brewer Farnsworth consigned their fruit
10 Mr.. Porter. The consignors failed. The
speaker lost $1,000 by that failure, Senator
Routler lost an equal amount, and others
lost IN the aggregate about 100000 None
OF those parties ever received one cent. II
was total loss.
MR.. PORTER RISES TO EXPLAIN
Mr. Porter-Thev consigned some classes
OF fruit to me, but not all Mr.. Brewer
looked over my books and satisfied him
self as to all his transactions with me. The
date OF arrival and sale of every box was
booked so plain that there was no difficulty
IN ascertaining what his fruit sold for. Mr.
Brewer told me himself that in one season
he cleared $4,000 in his dealings with our
house
Mr.. Stephens-He did not. however, look
over your books at the same time to ascer-
tam what you sold your own fruit for.
Mr.. Buck said he did not believe Mr..
Porter Will want to, or ask to ship fruit,
after any one in the Association begins
shipping. He then stated what success he
had last season IN shipping his grapes East,
consigned to Mr.. Porter. His returns
had been very salts H.
concentration. When the cars reach Omaha.
Porter knows their contents, and can have
tnem snatched off to st. Louis, New York.
chicago, or which ever point is most desira-
pie. lhere IS as much in concentration as
there is in reduction.
Mr.. stephens asked him if the same
shippers whom they are now seeking to
crush out were not in the field when he
made his shipments to Porter. which net
ted him such splendid returns.
MIR. Buck admitted that they were.
MIR. Hatch said that concentration was
the only way to prevent the fruit from
coming into competition in the East. If it
does we get nothing for it. What would it
dement, us II freight was free, if we got
nothing for our product? We want TO sell
all the fruit we can, and get the best nrice
possible. We must not glut the market.
but distribute the fruit in proper auanti-
ties to the best markets. We don't want
to longer labor for the Spectator. We
want union of producers and not union
of shippers.
u. w. Hancock-What the fruit-growers
want Is multiplicity of buyers, good
market at home and abroad for our fruits.
which can be secured by a reduction of
freights.
Mr.. De Long referred to speech made
by Mr.. Hancock at a fruit growers meet
ing IN Sacramento, in which the latter had
criticised the acts of the Trustees of the
Union, and the local papers stated that he
denounced their acts, and had not hesitated
10 call things by their proper names" He
severely criticised the remarks made bv
Mr.. Hancock on that occasion. and said If
Mr.. Hancock had not used the language
accredited to him he should have de-
MED 1t through the columns of the press.
HE HAD NO APOLOGY TO MAKE.
Mr.: Hancock said he had nothing to
take back that he was aware of He gen
orally spoke bluntly. emphatically. and al
ways meant what he said. He then re-
ferred to what he had stated at the meeting
referred to. Gou say you have got us fastened
Tor one year, and say to us that we must
take our medicine" You cannot blame MS
II we try to mix for ourselves a sweeter
potion. | don't believe one man is better
knows more, or can serve us as well ms
twenty. If one is better than the many
why is the Legislature composed of on,
hundred and forty members instead of on :?
Mr.. Hatch (interrup,ing}-Wh do they
put one man at the head of an army?
MIR. U2ncock-That is not fair COM
parison.
Mr.. Hatch-Oh, yes, it is. We. had 4
II m NAr- n l..
Union army, and they failed; bat when
we put one man at the head. n soldier WIN
said, " We will fight it out on this line if
1t takes all summer" We won. ZAP
plause.
Mr.. Stephens--Our forefathers were on
posed TO concentration of power They
were right, and they won.
Mr. Hatch-Ot course they were right.
They put Washington at the head am, Vie
tory perched upon their banners. Weare
going to put our Washington Porter at the
head OF the Fruit Union, and we also will
win. Laughter
a dozen gentlemen here entered into a
lively discussion and confusion regned for
a lew moments. Mr.. Stephens was called
to order by Mr.. Buck. who stated that the
gentleman from Sacramento was fighting
over again the battles Of the revolution.
Our personal liberties were not now in
question. The Chair declared the point of
order well taken. Laughter
Mr.. Hatch in spirited speech defended
the 5-per-cent. clause He said the ones
ton simme7ed itself down to this: Dc YOU
want shippers Union or do YOU want n
growers Union?
Mr.. Hancock said: No, sir; Won are
mistaken. Il is, DO you want a Tree Union
OF & overs, or 90 you want trammeled
Union The Fruit Union means a cutting
OF prices, a culling ont of BUYERS. a crush
ing of trade. Somebody's fruit shipped to
Porter is going to be dumped upon that of
some individual shipper Somebody's
fruit IS going TO be lost and an extra com
mission involved He had heard that GER
tain members of the Union had said they
would donate fruit for that purpose. Mem
bers of the Board of Trustees, it was stated.
had also said that if they could not have
Porter for their agent they would have
nothing TO do with the Union. Concentrate
ing power in one mans hands, claiming
that he is superior to dozen Others, is a
humbng, is extremely silly, purely moon
shine and sheer nonsense.
coNDEMNING THEIR TACTICS.
Mr.. Stephens said it was not fair for the
Trustees of the Fruit Union to assert that
the California Fruit Growers Association
was run by the shippers, when they knew
that this was false. The shippers of Sacra-
mento did NOT c1Dtro1 u