Connecticut western news., 1890-12-10
Editorial
 STUBBORN FACTS.
EXCURSIONS AND PACK-PEDDLERs. FREE

AND PACK-PEDDLERS. FREE
 TRADE AND PROTECTION. The merchants in the Housatonic val- ley from Pittsfield to New Milford, in- elusive. object to the Housatonic R. R. company running excursions to Bridge port and New York. Such excursions are running the mercantile business in the Housatonic valley. They fill the coffers of city merchants but neither the countrymen who patronize the ex- cursions, or the railroad company itself, are benefited thereby. In fact the rail- road company is killing the goose that lays the golden egg. In the first place if the railroad company cannot afford to sell tickets less than it's present rate of local and through fares, or cannot afford to sell 1000 mile book for less than $200O. how can it afford to sell excur- sion tickets from Great Harrington to Bridgeport and return, a distance of17O miles, for one dollar, or sell excursion tickets from Pittsield to New York and return for S3. 25? Then again, if excur- sionists come home loaded down with packages and parcels which they bring with them into the cars, the railroad company loses the freight on said arti- cles but they would get pay for said freight were said articles purchased of country merchants. It is generally ad- mitted by the excursionists themselves that on the average they cannot pur- chase goods any cheaper ln the city than in the country, when they take into consideration the time lost, the rail- road fare, and the necessary incidental expenses, and also the foolish expenses incurred on trip to the city. But here is the vital point that must not be for gotten. A country merchant has no inducement or encouragement to keep large assortment of goods if his towns men persist in leaving their money in the city instead of in the country, when he could give them an equally good equivalent for it. The country merchant pays his share of town taxes, helps sup port schools, churches and home enter prises and activities. How can he do it If his townsmen do their trading in the city? How much does 8 city mer. chant do to support country town ? The policy of a railroad should be to encourage and build up the towns on its line instead of impoverishing them to increase the wealth of cities. Sup. pose the country merchants should ''strike;' should close their stores fo1 three or six months? Would the rail road company give housekeepers free transportation every day to Bridgeport or New York to purchase a small quan. tity of flour, sugar, tea, kerosene oil, g spool of thread, g paper of pins or the numberless little articles needed every day from the merchants' shelves? Just imagine if you can what condition oi affairs it would be if country merchants should close their stores; and yet the present policy of the railroad tends tc freeze out country merchants and bring about just such result. Who wants to live in town where there is no store: How long could mills and factories ex. ist in town without stores, and what will become of the railroad if the towns along it's line become deserted? These are questions and facts worth consider ing whenever the tempting bait of ar excursion IS offered We understand that during the past summer the mer chants of New Milford presented peti tion to the Housatonic Railroad Go. asking it not to run excursions tt Bridgeport or New York as such excur slons were damage to the mercantil, interests of New Milford, and in realit, no benefit to those who patronized sucl excursions, but the company ignore, the petition.
 We know of only one mercantile frn in the Housatonic valley that does no
 strongly object to excursions Sai
 firm say there is no use in trying to pel
 suade the railroad company to abando excursions, but said firm claim that tn
 worst injury to their business is pack
 peddlers who go from house to hous selling inferior goods aud either scarin housekeepers into purchasing somethin
 to get rid of them or by downrigh
 swindling impoverish confiding farmer
 and others. Said firm want the legisls ture to enact bill to prohibit spac
 peddling or else compel the peddlers t
 procure license in every town whe1
 they make sales. They claim the pee
 dlers are nuisance; parties who pay n town taxes, do nothing to suppo1
 schools, churches, etc., etc. Very true but excurs1ons and pack-peddlers ar
 the best illustrations of free trade thu
 we can mention; best because they com
 right home where we can feel and SC
 the effect. And this leads us to remar = that very few men in the United State
 are actually free traders at all times an 5 under all circumstances. When the
 want to buyanything they advocate ire
 trade. but when they want to sell an,
 thing which they have raised in agricult, E ral pursuits, or produced in manufactu
 ing industries, they advocate protection
 The muscle or the skill of the America 3 day laborer and tradesman is their cap !. tai; their stock in trade. When the ;. sell it they desire to sell it at protectio 5 rates, and not in competition with tl : pauper labor of Europe or in compet d tion with unskilled labor, and yet tI