Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-03-14
WHY WE MEET.

puDllSneu Dy request report OF the
meeting at Fish's Rink, Port Huron,
by the merchants of Eastern Michigan,
purporting, | presume to be truth.
Allow me, as one who was there,
to say that it is absolutely false in its
statement-no reporter was there as
admitted. Who will vouch for the
truth of the statements made. Echo
answers "Who?" To antagoniZe the
farmer or Patron If he wishes to style
himself as such (or by that name)
would be foolish in the extreme on the
part of the merchant, knowing as he
fully does that he is dependent on him
for sustenance. So, likewise, it is fool
ish on the part of the farmer Cor
patron to antagonize the merchant
who has been to him and is as Aaron
and Hur were to Moses at the time
Joshua was fighting Amelik. They
sustained his hands and Joshua pre-
vailed. To any unprecedented mind
! this must be conceded that the mer-
chant has and is sustaining the hands
of the farmer in all of his financial
emergencies and whenever that sus-
| tenance is withdrawn Amelik will pre-
vail Interest on notes for machinery
or buggies, yes even on the farm and
the hand must be grasped earnestly
and vigorously by the sustainers (mer-
chants) or all is gone. This point |
wish you to see. If the merchant
should demand payment and force the
same at 80 or 80 days, as the case may
be. the farmer would not have the
money to raise his notes, to pay his in
terest, &c. But to return to the point
in view. The COmmercial-Tribun of
Port Huron and its adherents seem
anxious to know what the merchants
met for at Fish's Rink and the little
room back of the clerks office. We
have already said it was not to boycotte
the Patrons for the merchants have no
reason to do so. We believe every
man has the right to buy where he can
buy the cheapest and if the patrons
can get some merchants to sell them
goods at loss it'stheir gain. We have
no sympathy for the man that knows
so little about business as to undertake
to sell goods at the margin he agrees
to. The quicker such man is dead Gin
trade) the better for all other mar
chants and all farmers too. You ask
why? Simply because he is as the
wholesale trade looks upon him-a
Knave or Fool. \ Knave because he
is putting fictitious wholesale prices
on his invoices and then drawing the
percentage upon the addition as well
as upon the legitimate price thus
knaving the farmer by pretending to
be honest with him yet making him
pay from % to 1871 per cent. y Fool
because he does not know what it costs
him to run his business. But / have
diverted again. The system adopted
by the Patrons we antagonize believ-
ing it is detrimental to all Legitimate
business and destructive to all legiti-
mate competition, for without com
petition we would be at the mercy
of the few in business. Look
about you nationally, look at it local
lily. the result would be the same III
either case only to greater or less
degree. Again the retail merchant
needs protection from the wholesaler
not only in overcharges on boxes and
carriage, but III coming in and absorb.
ing the retail merchants trade by sell.
ing hotels or anyone who is able to
buy whole packages. Again. the re-
tail merchant is subject to the attacks
of the dead beat going from place to
place getting goods and merchandise
and leaving without paying for the
same to practice it in some other local.
ity, therefore the retail merchants
must have some organization to guard
against such. While we wish to aid
the honest man we do not want to be
duped by the dishonest one. In fact
legion arc the subjects 10 be discussed
with best methods to Alright them
Hoping this will satisfy the curious
and answer the inquiries what were
the merchants assembled for in Fish's
Rink and the little room back of the
Clerks Office" | remain yours truly
one who advocates business on bust
ness principles and denounces all sys
TENS and men when acting hypocriti