The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-10-23
THE PICTORIAL PROOF.
MISREPRESENTATION OF THE FREE
TRADE PRESS EXPOSED.

The Truth About Export Discounts.
Readers Befogged by The New York
World and the reform" Club-Farm-
ers Too Intelligent to Be Deceived.
The Democratic papers throughout
the country continue to reproduce what
they call the pictorial proof or facts
about export discounts as they original
ly appeared in The New York World.
A more brazen attempt to humbug and
deceive the intelligence of the country
was never surpassed, even in the col
umns of The World. It is pretended,
in the so called pictorial proof" that
the same agricultural implements are
sold to foreign countries at from 20 to
80 per cent. below the price at which
they are sold in the United States. In
order to befog still further the readers
it is left very artfully to the imagination
to determine whether the prices are for
consumers or for dealers. The article
carefully avoids specific information on
this subject
A plain statement of the facts in the
case will serve to satisfy every reader
first that the statements of The World
on this subject are deliberately intended
to deceive its readers and the readers Of
other journals throughout the country
which might see fit to copy them. In
the first place, the price lists at the low
rates said to be intended for foreign
countries are the net prices with all dis
counts taken off at which foreigners can
buy these implements in the United
States for sale in other countries, with
cost of transportation, dealers profits
and other expenses added. The other col
umn, representing the same instruments
at very much greater prices, represents
the prices at which American dealers
may purchase these articles with vari-
GUS discounts which, when taken off, re-
duce the net price to a point as low or
lower than tho rates advertised for for
eign markets in the other column.
That this is the plain truth may be as
certained by any person who chooses to
make inquiry either Of the manufacturer
or Of the dealer Of whom he is in the
habit of making his purchases. There
is nothing secret about it, and nothing
which either the manufacturer or the
! dealer need have any reason to conceal.
To substantiate what we have said we
have the deliberate statement of The
Mail and Export Journal, a reliable
journal, in which the advertisement re-
ferred to has appeared. We have also
| no ,@o% % -
these implements, and many of the
wholesale dealers who sell them both
for home and foreign consumption.
The distinction in the prices Of these
different articles is therefore plainly q
distinction between the wholesale and
the retail price. If it be said then that
this distinction is SO enormous as to be
an injustice to the consumer, we might
reply that that objection has no bearing
upon the discussion so far as regards the
tariff question: it is matter for con-
sumers and wholesale dealers to settle
between themselves, whether the differ
ence between the manufacturers whole
sale price and the retail price to con-
sumers is unreasonable or not. We will
not undertake to argue this question,
but admit that the handling of agricult-
ural implements, of plows, horse rakes.
etc., is very costly business, and often
times involves greater expense than the
original cost Of the article itself. Farm
ers and others familiar with the facts
will readily understand this.
1t is not practicable in q short article
70 n o4oi1 ~
which might be required by persons not
familiar with the business to sub
stantiate the statements given above
but this argument is addressed tt
farmers and consumers who are suf-
ficiently intelligent and sufficiently ia.
miliar with the details of the business to
judge for themselves of the unreason.
ableness of the circumstances and of the
position we take It is comparatively
easy for any Of them to ascertain the
facts for himself, and if he is sufficiently
interested in the charge against Ameri
can manufacturers he will take the
trouble to make inquiry for himself,
and he will then ascertain that our state
ments in regard to the so called 'pic.
torial proof and the allegations of The
New York World are literally true, and
thereby that it is strictly true, as stated
at the beginning, that there never was 8
more audacious attempt to deceive and
delude the intelligent farming popula,
ton Of the United States than this
which has been perpetrated by The New
York World, and is now being widely
circulated in the hope that it will benefit
the Democratic party. We are conf
dent that in this hope they will be bit
terry disappointed, for it will be foun6
in time that the farmers Of the United
States are too intelligent to be thus mis-
led, and when they recognize the attempt
to deceive them, their indignation will
recoil upon the party which has intended
to do it.