The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-02-06

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have in view the limiting OF the production
Of any article. or fixing the price of any arti-
Gle. OF lessening competition IN the SAFE Oh
any article. TIE TrMEs showed on lhurs-
day that there is nothing IN the spirlt or
essence Of the laws under which we and our
forefathers have ever lived that condemns
any ono Of these acts: that they are necessary
TO free and fair trade and commerce. that
thew are principles Of action accepted by Oil
the civilized world. and that the only agree
ments condemned by our laws arc agreements
that maliciously aim at anothers injury.
That agreements between parties to AID aud
advance their own interests simply. are accept
ed and acknowledged by the law event. they
90 result in the destruction Of som one,
whist the law will not tolerate agreements
that aim only at doing another a harm.
Praying Mr.. Saunders to keep this radical
and Fundamental distinction between lawful
aud unlawful (we mean In the sense OF harm
ful and hurtfuD agreements in view. we Will
show him this morning some Of the points at
which his bill would touch trade and COM
.merce and do them q great injury.
In general business tie manufacturer sells
to the io0ber. the jobber to the retail mer-
chant and the retail merchant TO the con-
sumeI. The tendency OF the day with all
manufacturer is to fix q price on their
goods and 10 require the jObDer when he buys
them to enter into q contract that he wu not
sell them below their prices. All intelligent
manufacturers who require these contracts OF
the iobbers keep their eyes on them and SEQ
that they live up 10 them, and a Joober
caught violating them IS not allowed TO puT-
chase any more goods. Now tnis is not
done. as Mr.. Saunders would suppose. to liz
crease the price that the consumer must pay
for tie article. II is done to protect the
honest iobber and prevent irresponsible
greedy spectators rom running him. Il COM
petition is allowed amongst JODbers tbs re-
suit takes place.
A Spectator goes to jobber A and asks a
quotation on a certain article. Il Is quoted
at a living rate Tor tue iob9er. The specula-
tor says. Il can buy that article at 10 per
cent. less than that at the store Of jobber
b." which may be absolutely false. But job
Der A, fearing TO lose his trade, Is
thereby compelled to quote HIM the
article at his price. The Spectator then
goes to iobber G and tells him he can
get the article from jobber b at the new price
and jobber @ has 10 come down below rs
new price 10 get the sale; and so It goes on
until all profit on the article to the jo6ber IS
taken away and he must give up the busl-
ness.
Discussing this subject with a manufacturer
a few days Jack. he showed the writer a letter
from a iobber in which the latter complained
that lie had handled taenty-four packages OF
the manufacturer goods that cost $50 and
his net profit on the whole transaction was
less than s3-all because the manufacture
did not protect the jobber by a scale of liked
prices.
Now. think of the expenses which that job
Der must pay out Of this trihing profit of less
than three per cent. on tho capital engaged.
lie handles twenty-four packages. He must
make out twenty-four bills. He must make
twenty-four entries on the day-bOok and
transfer twenty-four accounts to the ledger.
He must stand the risks Of shipping and
breakage, the cost of insurance and allow III
terest on the capital. What profit
is left for him out Of 50; Yet this
must happen all the time TO the jobber
if the manufacturer does not protect him
by a fixed scale of prices. Mr.. Saunders will
say perhaps that he cares nothing for the job
Der, and is entirely content that he should
go. But Mr.. Saunders cannot put down the
iobber thus. He is a necessity Of trade. and
Just as necessary to Mr.. Saunders farmer
constituents as he is TO the manufacturers
Tho jobber is the intermediary between the
manufacturer and the country st0reKeeper.
The Richmond city iobber knows the stand
ing and responsibility Of the Franklin county
storekeeper and he knows Just how far he
can give him credit. But the Diston saw
mandatory Of Philadelphia knows nothing
whatever of the s%olyency Of the Franklin
county %storekeeper and will not credit him
for a cent. while it knows the s%olyeucy Of the
Richmond city jobber and will credit him.
The Diston saw Works then credits the
/ Richmond city jobber for saws. and the
Richmond city iobber credits the Franklin
county storekeeper and the franklin county
s~torekeeper credits the farmer until his crop
is gathered, and thus the blessings and bene-
fits of credit are brought home TO oil
three.
But. without the iobber. this could not oc-
cur. The Franklin county storekeeper would
have to buy directly from the saw manufac-
tory for cash aud having no eye on him and
no competition, he would charge the farmer
for his saw just what he pleased.
All this elaborate system OF checks and bal
ances in trade. devised by the wisdom Of mer-
chants in years Of patient investigation and
experience. and all dependent upon the agree
ment to fix prices. blr. Saunders would over
throw at one dash OF his pen. We commend
TO Mr.. Saunders the concluding sentence of
Or. Johnsoa's answer to Soame Jenyns in
quiry INTO the origin of evil"
1t is easy TO object. The hand than can
destroy a temple. may not erect a hoyel."
A WASHINGTON special states that Mr.. Har-