Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-03-12
How Boom of W,llmar Would
Help the Farmers.

Help the FARMERS.
We meet occasionally business
men in our towns and also farm.
ers in the country VIII" entertain
a notion that the interest OF
country and 4ssssyn, of farmer and
merchant, iszlitagoniStic. This
notion is founded on the delusion
that our ordinary legitimate
trade partakes always of the ma
tnre OF sharp tricE-bargaining:
1t is admitted that there are mer-
chants who trade with the object
OF making all they can, foul or
lair, and that there are farmers
who do the same thing in turn
whenever they get chance. But
we hold that such trading is the
exception and not the rule. We
know that farmers often COM
plain OF being treated unfairly.
And now we ask such complain
ing farmers how they expect to
remedy this unfair trading,
where it really exists? The an
swer is, bv getting a chance to
trade with some fairer dealer, by
competition among dealers. But
to be sure Of that healthy CON-
petition among business men
that keeps prices down to fair
living profit in all branches of
business there must be a certain
size of the town, and the larger
the better. OF course business
men sometimes combine to keep
up prices, but if the range
OF prices is too high, and the
town of any size, such arrange
ment cannot last long. We say,
if the town is of any size, and the
volume of business large, some
enterpri~ing outsider will soon
discover this fact, and come in
and bid for the trade on fair
terms. This then is the advan-
tage of large town: that there
is always sharp competition and
goods OF all kinds at fair prices.
The latter may be true, and very
often is true, of small towns, but
Of larger towns it is always
true. Excepting OF course goods
whose prices are set by manu-
factureIS, trusts and combina-
tionS. Hence, looking at this
question from a farmers stand
point pu1ely, we assert that a
large trailing mart within days
drive Of a farmer guarantees the
latter absolutely against unfair
dealing in trade. If his home
town treats him fairly, we'll and
good, there is where he ought to
trade; if not. he can hitch up his
team and go to the larger town
where the numerous business
houses and more intense cOmpe-
tition assures him Of fair deal.
Hence it is directly as a matter
of fair prices for goods. and in'li-
rectly in many other ways, Of the
greatest i'm portance to the farm
ers OF Kandiyohi county to have
a large trading mart within the
county, and the larger the better
So when the Tribune urges the
upbuilding and booming of Will
mar it works directly for the ben
eft of the farmers Of Kandiyoh
county as much, and perhaps
more so, than for the interest o
the property owners and bust
ness OF Willmar. Nor should any
OF the smaller surrounding towns
feel Jealous. and we are certain
they do not, because every intelIi
gent business man knows tha'
the boom OF Willmar would di
rectly benefit them all. Suppos
Willmar should get all iron foun
dry. Would that hurt New Lon
don, or Atwater, or kerkhOven
Surely not. Because it is moral
ly certain that neither Of thes
places would ever get such a plan
and WiIlmar is the nearest poin
to either OF them that such
plant can be established. Such
plant at Wi|lmar would be {
great convenience and benefit t
all the surrounding towns. SUI
pose WilImar should start mp
boom and attract that Ch1cag
road headed for her, distant onl
a. few miles southeast OF tn
county, would that hurt an,
body? Nay, isn't that just whs
would do in some measure justi<
to the long suffering patience
the Lake Lillian farmer, and bel
eft this hole>ertion ofc"untry
The Tribune believes in po'itic'
reform, but it also believes
business reform right here
home among ourselves. Weha,
studied these problems SOM
what, but still we may he WrM
in some particulars. But if '
81 are, we should like to have som
body correct us. We invite crit
cisnl aud discussion Of this ma
~ ter in the Tribune. .,'''. T.
We call especially the farme
2 .. attention to our FARMERS WAN
AND For SALE COLUMN begun:
this issue. This Ii only one