The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-06-28
TRADE ANnss>
OF ITS EVILS Soy

"Ouru SIo0Uy lessen the cost sTtade
XIX DIS of manufactured pro G5TSI Of al
the first place we don't be5lieTouiG; tS.
lessen the price of anything 10 ~ ~ L|"OQa
sumner; on the contrary we TboSInie co..
would be increased. Let ono oVaueVe
n firm have the exclusive non mta1 O
the mercantile interest of a ftoonnlrol d
that man or that firm O I W and
extortionate and intolerant anoSScOn8
bearing. He takes it as a mo-. OVa
course hat there is no other q. d
your reach and you belong to b5;;uo6e b
that you will be compelled to Iul and
whatever price he puts on b;SSo a
chandise and await his nIon nS ns
serve you. Did you ever 90 To- "' . =
that had no competition and n0tio.l4~
indifference IN which a ma ioritT[ : Qe
customers were treated? ny WR
rule will apply to a store, bIacko@Sn4 :
shop or any other industry tbot IIQ
things its own way. 1t is one " 1a
characteristics of the human fo.l95e
not to treat their felIowmen wit% o'lA!
more consideration than their OWL any ~
terest compels. There are some no. n
who are naturally kind, consi99ooo.PH.e
and polite, but it is not reasOnaTi.oa%R
suppose that the centralized tradoT 40 ~
be given up to the exclusive c0ntro ~
this kind of persons, and whennvorIUr
have the merchandise of a town o w
tralized into one huge concern thar W. u.
can look for eXtOrtiOnate prices on3
Indifferent treatment. We favo ny
country for the people and its aff3ia
controlled by the people in it's breads
sense, and don't think there is oTr
thing more dangerous to the civil II
critics of people than the tendon.
that is now being developed to cpntr.i
ize trade of all descriptions. The s~
elusive control of the currency is cSH
tralized into the hands of nations
banking corporations and thas crnataj
distress, misery and want throuohoMt
the length and breadth of this 6roo3
nation. The control of the tobacco IN,
terest is fast drifting into the hands
n vast concern, carrying destructim
and poverty in its wake. And unless
something can be done to Countpra@
it's influences the cultivation of tob9rco
will have to be abandoned. It is a.
ready abandoned to some extent in tIa
old tobacco counties, and it is sIInqr
ceeding cotton in others but unless
the trust is disOrganized it will hardy
get a permanent fOOthOld in it's newly.
acquired territory. An attempt has
been made to centralize the cotton
trade with success enough to reduce
the cotton planters to almost a state Of
poverty. 1t appears that all corpora.
tiOns prosper and soon become immen.
sely rich. And another noticeable fact
is that while corporations prosper the
farmers and other labOring classes be,
come poorer and poorer in proportion
as the corporations become richer and
richer. Those facts are certainly no
argument in favor of centralized
trade.
We don't think it is or ought to be
the policy of the Farmers Alliance to
eliminate the retail merchant or mid.
die man, as he is called. We think
that honest merchants, when there is
a healthy competition between them,
are essential to the welfare of a cOun.
try, but when they pool their Interests
and cOnspire to defraud their fellow.
men, then they deserve the execration
Of all mankind and to be let alone to
perish in their own corruption. The
business agency system of the Farm.
ers' Alliance, in my opinion, furnishes
the best possible arrangement that
could be made for the farmers as faras
furnishing them with goods is con.
cerned. 1t don't necessarily centralze
trade into the hands of any one con
Germ, and it affords ample protection
against eXtOrtiOn on the part of the
merchants. All the farmer has to do in
in trading with his merchant is to pre-
sent his price list as published in The
PROGRESSIVE FARMER and if he cannot
get goods on satisfactory terms he can
order them through the State Business
Agency.
For the Farmers Alliance to elimi
nate the host of small merchants IN
favor of large concern would, In
our opinion, be exceedingly bad policy
and the worst thing possible that they
could do for themselves.
Mr.. Murdoch claims that on account
of the large number of small merchants
the trade is so divided as to give each
but a small share and so much COmpe.
titiOn necessarily cOmpela them to sell
at a small profit, and that large mum.
bers of them fail every year. That
may be so, and it furnishes one OF the
best arguments against centralized
trade and in favor of the retention OF
the small merchants. If a merchant
in almost any town is selling out al
cost all the time it is certainly no disad'
vantage to the farmer-hard as it may
be on the merchant-but there. is one
peculiar feature we have generally no.
ticed about a "busted merchant
they live better, wear better clothes
and go in better style than the farmers
do. How is that? There must De
something wrong about the farmer OF
the busted" merchant one or the
other. Can you tell which it Isl IN
stead of centralizing trade and sending
all but a few back to the farms, y
would be much better to send some OIL
those who are now on the farms to the
towns. l have noticed that those VINO
leave the farms and go to town II they
don't do anything but peddle fish they