Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-03-23

wentinto the scheme, then one-third on
ly of the business men in the state would
be ruined Now let yosr imagination
have free plav and select various cities
and towns with which you are ac-
quainted in the state, and try to picture
to yourself just how they would look
with one-third of all the business
houses closed up-deserted-and then
remember that this can be effected
without making any reduction in the
price of goods-simply by withdrawing
custom Having completed this mind
picture as to Kansas. give To the wings
of your imagination a broader fight
imagine the same state of affairs in the
whole west and northwest, and going
farther east behold in all the large
cities from one-third to one-half of all
the large wholesale blishments
closed up Now ask yourself what are
all these men, employers and employees
to do? There is but one answer
Either swell the ranks of the army of
tramps or go to farming All, there!
Are there not already a million or two
OF idle men? Do we not hear a gre at
deal about over-production? And is It
not the farmers alliance writer and
lecturer who says that it is no: over-pr. :
duction but under-consumption? And
now then will it work to increase the
production of farm products and de-
crease the consumption of the same?
Go to! You who pretend to be alliance
men and yet advocate the claims of
this national octopus. Italicise this
fundamental proposition: So l0ng as
ace HUe under the competitioe system Of So
ei0l economy, the chief concern Of the
farmer lies ira the direction Of keeping as
nadny men employed IN other occupations,
at good cages, as can consume his surplus
products. Both parties to an exchange
must have something to swap The
farmer will prosper better under an
era of good wages aud high prices than
under system of low prices and idle
men. The farmer of all men, should
be interested in the enforcement of an
eight-hour law and the conversion of
every idle man into a food con-
suming laborer. The policy of
the National Union Co. would
reduce the capacity of the farmer
to buy, by destroying the domestic
market for its products in a much
greater ratio than it would decrease the
price of the goods he had to buy In
deed-as most business men, on ac-
count of low margins of profit, sooner
or later have to go into banl1ruptcy-
all the National Union Co. needs il
order to kill off competitors is a pledge
of the custom of the farmers.
There is no doubt that all those con-
nected with or advocating the claims
of this vast boa constructor have asked
themselves the question, What is there
in it? Let us see if we can find out
From the Advocate of January 90, l
clip as follows:
You will remember that some days since we
were discussing the national commercial union
and promised to write you the results of any
investigation could make of the matter and
have since seen the printed propositions and
contract and have arrived at the following con-
clusions, which may not correspond with the
final agreements, as the first may not be
changed.
A represents the local store B. commercial
union; c, customer. A has store with 1900
paid up capital; buys the store with 81 600 de-
benture bonds; buys at retail of local store
$4,000 of goods.
There is a district trade commissioner pro-
v1ded for who does the purchasing of goods at
wholesale, who receives u per cent on gross
purchases. Local agent gets IL per cent on
gross sales; customer gets 2 per cent rebate on
gross purchases; estimated cost Of clerk hire
ont froi ioh or < MOI aaUf.