Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-21
THE FARMER DODGE.
Bow the Public Are Duped BY Huck-
sters Posing as Farmers.
SYSTEMATIC TRICKERY IN TRADE.
Consumers and Legitimate Dealers Are the
Sufferers.
TIE FINANCIAL OUTLOOK IMPROVING
OFFICE OF THE PITTsBURe D1sPATcH,I
TUESDAY, Jan. %. \
Tricks of Trade,

OFFICE OF THE PITTsBURG DISPATCH
TUESDAY, Jan. 20
Tricks of Trade.
There is more truth than poetry in the
adage that Americans are not satisfied with
out being humbugged. II the victims to the
farmer dodge played by irresponsible huck-
sters would read the newspapers and exercise
their mother wit. one occupation would soon
be gone. There are not a few making a
comfortable living in this city BY posing as
farmers fresh from the rural districts, with
weIl-loaded Webster wagons, which are
daily filed at the commission houses. But
ter, eggs. poultry and vegetables are
gathered in at the commission houses,
and are sold as home raised stuff
by alleged farmers when the stuff may have
travelled thousands of miles before it reached
Allegheny county. Oleo, manufactured In
Chicago, is disposed of fancy COW butter.
and eggs LAID in Nebraska and Tennessee as
Iresh-laid, nearby stock. a trip along Liberty
street this morning revealed to the market ed
itor of THE DISPATCH some new tricks in
trade. In front of a commission house were
ewo broad-gauge Webster wagons with all the
signs of having just arrived from the country,
the drivers being rugged out 10 represent the
typical Allegheny or washington county
farmer.
The wagon beds were well supplied with
straw, which had come in bales from the West
Drivers had their high-top boots, with pants in
their boots and lower extremities well covered
with mud. The slouch hat, covered with the
dust of the threshing machine, and hair con-
tanning proper amount of hayseed, together
with the hlacksnake whip, all pointed to the
occupation of farmer. And yet q few inc ouiries
revealed the fact that the supposittiousf farmers
were city hucksters who, having loaded their
for NaSf
forth to the Southside or East End. seeking
whom they might devour. Their name is legion
who become victims to these transparent tricks
Of trade. The trader who would resort to such
tricks in anv country of the Old World would
very soon find his occupation gone and himself
behind the bars. But here, somehow, he man.
ages TO live andprosper.
There is nothing under the sun more certain
than that all these tricks of trade will end in
disaster. There is an old book which says: ''Be
sure your sin will find you out"
In the long run nothing wins as well as hon.
esty. The dealer who deals on the square is
the ore who wins. Crookedness never pays.
even in dollars and cents, not to speak of the
wear and tear OF character and conscience. If
we were a BILE to trace the career of ill-gotten
gains. we would find that they never brought
real profit to the possessor. The misfortune
Is that legitimate trade suffers more or less
from the trickery of dishonest dealers.
Financial Outlook Bright.
The Chrisnan Union has a reputation for
rent number has this to say of the situation and
outlook:
wall street is forever discounting not only
probabilities but possibilities. and, for the past
three months, not only has every earthly
theory to depress been brought into play, but
prices have responded by going lower than at
any time for ten years, until j: became evident
that Jhe end of the decline was reached. The
turn up that began three weeks ago has with
slight reactions, been continued, and this week
has witnessed an additional advance of per
cent to per cent, with closing 1T the highest
prices for many months
The effect on the bond market and on in
vestments generally, OF the lst of January dis
bursements has been almost magical Prices
for bonds are makIrg strides upward beyond
the expectations of the most sanguIne and the
pendulum that has swung So far in one way,
now promises to make swing equally as wide
in the other direction. 'Tis the way of the
world; men go to excess: the optimisti: mind
sees visions and dreams dreams aud the pes
simist!c mind gets the horrors and sinks into
profound depths, the man of moderation only
occasionally finds followers. 1t certainly looks
as II the present campaign in stock values was
fixing to take great upward Strides"