The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-25
A POINTED PROTEST FROM a FARMER

L
II is usual when men have grievance to |
wish to air it in the public press, however
private this grievance may be. l suppose |
this arises from one of two things-a wish
to get before the public. or wish TO gain |
puolc sympathy. The writer cares LOT
neither of these things; he is simply actu-
ated by interest in the welfare OF the ousi-
ness men of southwestern kansas-by a
wish that their rghts-and all will agree
that they have few rights-mlght be
protected.
A few wears ago Wichita was strug-
Cling little city OF 5000 or 1900 inhao't-
ants, combined with the nerve aud GO
ahead of city of three times is actual
population. The EAGLE was there in It's
eyrie squalling for tue coming town or the
southwest: by and by business men from
ali over the country were attracted 10
this growing, rustling western town
made so more by the articles OF Editor
Murdoch than perhaps any other cause,
excepting its location. He it was who
named it the Magical Mascot Of the
Meridian" 1.-The Peerless Princess OF the
Plains" Bnilaing began, wholesale
houses came and led, the stock yards
were located and packing houses bu!lded.
and so Wichita, from a struggling western
town, became the wholesaling point Tor
the whole southwest; and who among It's
citizens or of its surrounding country Is
no: proud of its quick and permanent de-
velopmeni?
Now comes the point: The commission
business at the stock yards was over done'
there were enough firms organized TO 90
the business now done at the principal
stock cen,ers of country. There were
enough wholesale houses located 10 sup
ply the need of a territory four times the
size OF that tributary TO Wichita. But
business men of the surrounding country
were loyal, and are yet loyal to the
Peerless Princess"
Now time has come when trade Is
dull, aud the stock. the grain and the
wholesale men Of Wichita feel it.
What do they do? Do they stand by the
men who in the past have enabled them
even to exist for the past six years? ny,
[ am informed by very good authority
that at least two of the wholesale grocery
houses have men driving through the
| country soliciting orders from the farmers
at the same prices their travelling men are
selling TO the local merchants; however
true or false this may be we do know that
the local stock shipper is confronted every
day with the commission men from the
! stock wards driving over the country buy
| ing stock; snd then should the local sbl
per 90 to Wichita with his stuff these
same sharks want to sell it for him and
charge him good commission for doing
80: and this is not all, he will even in some
instances, sell it to his brother In trade at
"A good profit and get ''whack up on the
| deal.''
How long will this sort of piracy last:
1t is just the same i'll the grain business.
The writer Of this had occasion to notify
one of the strongest grain firms in Kan
sas today of the fact that ne would have
few cars OF grain for sale. They imme
diateiy sent their agent to this point FOL
the purpose of buying it. At Mulvane he
met the representative of dutch" who IN
formed him that it would be a useless trir
as they lthe "dutch") had an agent al
every station from Mulvane to Englewood
and there were no other buyers on the
line.
Now this same firm had but four agents
on this line and was trying to buy grain
for about cents less than the local buy
ers.
To explain the way these sharks work il
we will give AN example: This would-bt
mouopolizer of the grain business gets OF
at V, he meets few farmers who asi
him how the grain market is, and he tell
them sit is down little, but we are pay
ing just rs much for wheat this weei
as last" when the truth of the matte
is. grain is higher. Asked what he is pay
ing for wheat he quotes price or 5 cent
above the market, when, by this time tn
train has started and be must go, leayin!
the impression with the farmer that TIA
local buyer Is robbing him of his grain.
, This is a sample of the tactics of th
} grain and stock men of Wichita. We q
not wish to include in this category all tn
firms. for among them are men or mono
and integrity who would scorn to do sue
, a dishonest trick for the purpose OF gain
= inc A few dollars or losing it to those wh
3 have helped to give them start and
sustain a market at Wichita in the past
nut it candidly to you, Mr.. Editor. an
to the honorable business men of you
l CITY. has not the local merchant and ship
! per a grievance. and can you expect
S build up and control trade by permittln
I this kind of sharp practice?-permittIn
/. and abetting these dwelling sharks {
1 trade to run at large?
: Notwithstanding the best efforts c
|, vourself and the honest efforts of the hol
o orsble business men of your city, such
f course will but result in the overthro
y of all those fond hopes which we once ha
J, of the proud city of Wichita becoming til
: center of the wboiesa.e trade OF the souti
;, vast T r. MCCULLY.
y Peotone, Kan, Oct. %. 1893.
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