The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-23
STATE BUSINESS AGENCY.
A LETTER FROM S. w. POWELL,
AGENT.
The Work He Proposes to Ac.
cOmplish.

i q the Editor.
The State Farmers Alliance and the
Grain Growers Associa ton having elected
me their business agent, with headquarters
at Minneapolis, | wish to say to the above
named organizations, and all who are inter
ested in the welfare of the farmer and the
building up of agriculture, not only in
Minnesota, but in the entire Northwest,
that | Will open my office on or about the
9TH OF February, and will be ready for
business. If | receive sufficient encourage
inent | will rent suitable building, put
in a refrigerator for the proper of
butter, eggs. dressed poultry veal, hogs,
etc, and | will also deal in all kinds of
farm machinery and anything the farmer
may wish tC purchase or sell. With your
hearty cooperation | will be able TO put
many dollars in your pockets and save you
many more on the articles you wish to buy.
The object of the agency is to bring the
producer and consumer closer together,
and divide the enormous profit which has
heretofore gone into the pocket of the
middleman, who has lived and fattened off
of the proceeds of others toll. How does
the agency propose to do this? Simply by
having agents at the principal markets in
the state, who are under good and sufii-
cient bonds to receive the farmers pro-
duce and sell it to the consumer, the agents
commission and salary to be fixed by the
executive committee of the State Farmers
Alliance and the officers OF the North
western Grain Growers Association
Where the farmers do not own their
own elevator and warehouse and live SO
far away from the station that they can
not load car with grain or other produce
in the time limited by law, five or six can
so together and help one another, and by
so doing save the profit of the buyer at
your station who has grown enormously
fat while the farmer has grown slim.
Will the business agent at Minneapolis
become a member of the Chamber of Com
menrce? No The agency is created to
break up such institutions as the Mime
apols Chamber of Commerce and the Chi
cago Board of Trade-two institutions that
have fixed the ice Of ali kinds of grain
and produce the farmers have grown for
the past 20 years.
How can the agency break up these pow
erful organizations that have the farmers
and the balance of mankind Oh their knees
begging for mercy? 1t can only be done
BY organization, SO the farmers OF the
Northwest can and Will act as one deter
mined man to regain their tinS-hOnor6d
rights which they have lost by trying 70
fight the rings and corporations single
handed. But, you say, YOU cannot organize
the farmers; they such queer set of
mortals that the majority of them would
rather give some shark in the city $40 than
to give his neighbor 10 cents for the same
service.
Yes, | know they have been doing that
Kind of business bat great many OF them
are beginning to get tired of it. If you can
only show them by actual test where they
can save money hand and make it
the other by becoming thoroughly or
ganized. and choke off the leeches that
have fastened themselves between the pro-
Queer and the consumer, and have sucked
all the real profit off their business, and
have grown immensely rich while the
farmer has grown poor they will see the
necessity of a united effort on their part
to protect their own interest.
Brother farmer, if you have ever been
member of Farmers Alliance and it has
died from lack of interest go to work with
Il determination to revive 1t. If you are
not, go to work and organize one and help
us protect agriculture the broad base upon
which the foundation of this government
rests
Now, dear reader, if you will go to work
and do your part and not depend on some
one else, it will not be long before you can
say to the wheat Spectator and the miller
We will take much for wheat,
not 'How much will you give?" At pres
emf you have nothing to say in regard to
the price of your wheat corn. beef or pork
or anything You grow for sale. L want to
say to you, if you will put your shoulder
to the wheel and help make the alliance
business agency success, and the Grain
Growers Associa ton. it will not be long
before you will see cooperative slaughter
houses in every county in the state, where
there is a lake large enough to get ice tor
cooling purposes, and the farmers beef and
pork will go to market in refrigerator ears
and be sold the counter Of a market
to the consumer
| would like to exchange ideas with those
info tod h.,h I1i1fl If ft.,
agency. Address all communications prior
to Feb. to Box 972 Saltwater, Mimi, and
after Feb. 5 to the office of the Representa-
tive. Yours truly,
S. w. POWELL.