St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-11
\ MONTANA BOYCOTT.
MONTANA STATE M=RcH4RTS AFTER
MINNESOTA J0B8ERS.
1T SEEMS VERY FOOLISH.

The Montanians Say Their Action
Grows Out of the Crusade of
Twin City Jobbers Against
Silver-ProducingS States - The
Jobbers Plainly Are Not Guilty
of the Charge.
The people of Montana are greatly
alarmed at the prospect that congress
will repeal the Sherman act, and are
resorting 10 strange tactics to create OPP
position TO such action.
In a letter received yesterday by q
local jobbing house there was this state
ment:
"In this town, as in all others, a boy
colt has been instituted against Mime
apolis and ST. Paul jObbers on account
of their unreasonable crusade against
the silver producing states. All the
merchants have pledged themselves to
discontinue trade with your jObbing
houses. and the merchant who fails TO
uphold the boycott is boycotted at
home"
A GLOBE reporter yesterday after
noon called the attention OF a number
of local jobbers to the extract.
With the exception OF few of the
older and larger houses, Minneapolis
jobbers sell very little in Montana. The
representatives of several of these
firms acknowledged that they had heard
OF the boycott and that copy of cir
cular declaring it had been sent them.
They were, however, averSe to being
quoted i'll the matter. The senior menu
Der of one firm that has for years en-
iOyed large trade in Montana said
he thought the boycott a very foolish
one.
The Minneapolis jobbers," he said.
"have made no crusade, either reason
able or unreasonable, against the silver
states. | presume the Montana people
have reference to the sentiment in these
cities for the repeal of the Sherman law
and against tree silver. Ii that is it.,
they are unreasonable in holding the
jobberS accountable. Our ASSOCIATION
has never declared either for or against
silver. If the Montana merchants declare
boycott against all anti-free COLL
age cities, | don't know where they
will be able TO buy goods, as Chicago,
Milwaukee and New York are all more
pronounced against free silver than the
Twin Cilies."
At another place the credit man of
the firm announced:
minneapolis and st. Paul have got in
ahead of Montana on the boycott. Col
lections are very hard out there, and
we are not selling goods to every one
who wants them"
Mir. Cross, of Harrison, Hopwood 4
Cross. said his firm only had light
trade with Montana.
81 don't think the boycott will amount
to much, and the less said about it the
better. There is no sentiment in bust
ness, and if Montana merchants can buy
$3.50 article for 81 they are going to do
it, and not ask any questions as to the
sentiment on the silver question of the
locality in which the purchase is
made"
I'VE do not work the Montana terri
tory" said MIR. Patterson, of the firm of
Patterson ~ Stevenson. II don't be-
lieve the boycott will seriously affect
the Twin Cities, and don't see where
Montana merchants are going to buy
goods in the future if they are to boy
colt all the commercial centers where
the sentiment is opposed to the free
coinage of silver"
j. c. EIiel. of the Lyman -Eliel Drug
company, was pronounced III his express
SONS.
The people Of Montana are very fool
ishly injunng their credit when they
talk about GOycOtting the Twin City
jobbers," he said. "Ihey ought to
know that if they inaugurate boycott
against US we will crowd such as are
owing us. and they are not in a position
to be crowded. They have no right to
attempt to dictate to US what we snail
think for the general good. The mer-
chants themselves do not, and are not
at the bottom OF the boycott. The
blatherSkiteS are making the trouble"