Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-09-20

and middle-men of all grades, who seek
TO reap where they have not sown."
This last class has, perhaps not inaptly,
designated the "cormorant Glass; The
manIpulators Of these rings are not IN
animate. They are especially lively, and
like the Frenchman's fee, when you hrd
him you feel him, but when you put your
finger on him, b. GAR he Is not there.
The trust inanimete is controlled by the
animate. For years the animate heads
have been pulling profits" from tire
farmer, whatever the trust may be; for
ell is fish that comes to its net.
The plain duty OF the farmer, therefore,
is to economics whenever he may do so
wisely. It Is, however, not wise TO econo-
mlze IN reaiing matter that will keep You
posted III what is nov in agricultural art,
or IN cIrcumveuing the schemes of knaves.
Their name Is legion those VINO seek to
prey upon the farmer. Do not, therefore,
believe any man who makes spccjOus
promises, particularly that class which
would impress you with the idea that they
are giving you hundreds for one. This
IS the trust most unworthy of credit of
the entire lot-sWindlels IN fact, albeit
petty ones. Any person who claims to DO
business ct a loss to himself, or he who
assumes to propose to be working for
your benefit, he who pretends to offer you
something for nominal sum by which
you may gain large money. the man who
with tiolid prints of some wonderful ag-
ricuitural product, seeks to impress you
with the idea that the purchase will make
you rich-ali these, and many Others OF
''that iilk," are swindlers
The average man is quite apt to listen
to the speech Of this class; to listen is Of
ten to believe. To believe leads him to
to bay; to buy Is to be swindled. Who is
to blame? The man who parts with his
money, equally with the sWin6Ier who
pockets the cash! Business men do not
seek to work for nothing. The farmer
expects half return for his labors, if the
contingencies Of the season do not pre-
vent. The Prairie Farmer does not pro-
pose to work for IT'S patrons at a loss TO
itself. It does not offer seeds and other
goods by which the subscriber is aliege j
to get the paper for nothing. II it did,
the seeds or other goods would be trash.
All are cormorants who do. The sooner
every man understands this explicitly,
the sooner will the vocation of the cor
morant class be gone.
There are cormorants and cormorants.
Trusts, syndlcates and other monopolie5,
which cheaper product to themselves,
and dictate prices to others, should be
put down by the law-making power.
Some time they will. The travelling ped
der with his album OF wonderfully pic,
tured specimens of agricultural products,
your order Tor which ne would like to get,
is one of the small cormorants with big
pay. His seeds and plants are fraudu-
lent.
Any man who offers you something
said to be worth half or more than the
price of his paper, is another cormorant
to avoid. You are swindled to the amount
OF the allegdd price of the article. More
than that, the paper is sure to be trashy
as the thing offered. The honest journal
ist offers his paper at the lowest cash
price that will allow him a fair margin
of profit. He spends money on the make
up of his journal. Let these few exam
pies suffice. You may follow out the
lead Indefinitely. You will never succeed
in getting something for nothing.