The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-13
CREATE AN INTEREST.

EN
standing question among alliance lead
ers is this: How can we create more in
terest in the alliance work? The farmer
when he tills his land and sows his grain
spares no effort for he expects his reward
in the form of a good crop. The average
farmer has no time for pleasure, but you
will always find him ready for work; there
fore, give the members thing to do
at your meeting; something that will pay
them for spending a few hours each week
or month, and which will reimburse them
for the outlay incident to keeping up an
alliance. But now the fquestion is, how
can this be done? The'Jvery method is a
good business department.. Let any man
ask himself every time he buys any article
Am l getting this, at d fair price," And
every time you sell anything, Did l get
all this was worthy Well this is not
fair question now. a13utY Did l get all
could have got for it?' How do you know?
All you know about it is what the merchant
told you, and he knows that you take his
word for it, We don't want to be misun-
derstood. We don't claim that the mer-
chants and business men are rascals On
the contrary, we do claim that their
chances are open, and if they stand the
temptation they must be more honest
than the average human being and we
doubt very much if the farmers could with
stand it themselves. Someone will say
The people would kick" This is as nat
ural as the seasons of the year. and, like
cclipses of the moon, these kicks will occur
sometimes, but do no more HARM for the
reason that long as the people do not
know the prices the ground for all such
kicks are prejudices and are just as
liable to be unreasonable as not. To il
lustrate: A few weeks ago the merchants
of this place (Sauk Centep began a run on
sugar. The price was 20 pounds of granu-
lated sugar for 81. One man hung out a
sign, "Twenty-two pounds for ST." and
this brought on the war which terminated
in q or % pounds for ST. and when one
merchant sold sugar al that rate we hea
a man censure him for not giving 80
pounds, while the merchant, if he sold the
amount of sugar he said he did, must have
lost $40 to $12 in one day. Would we adj
wise the farmers to send off for goods?
Yes, if you cannot get fair treatment at
home. Elect some wide-awake man pur-
to keep getting price lists and catalogues
of all kinds of articles wanted or which
are liable to be wanted Look over the
ads in The Representative and send for
prices. Also instruct your business agent
to interview the merchants at home and
get prices, and, when these are fair get
your goods at home; but, if you happen to
get a bargain at time on certain
article do not take it for granted that you
are getting everything else at the same
low figures. Keep posted and buy where
you get your articles cheapest and
best, and you will be surprised to see how
soon you can save 20 cents, the annual
dues for each member to the alliance.
The members of Kandota Alliance, No.
$40, had an experience in this line imme-
diately after our organization in $780, 1900
pounds of Irvine was wanted; committee,
of which the writer had the honor to be
member, was selected to ascertain the price
and conditions, and report to a special
meeting. We found the price of the best ca
manila 1712 cents and standard 10 cents in
the local market, and reported accordingly.
We were instructed to place our order for
standard Irvine if it could be had at IA
cents, but the Irvine agents refused to do
anything and some would not even sell to
us jointly for cash. What could we do?
We sent and got our Irvine from Peoria
ILL.,, and got the 600-foot MANILA Irvine laid
down at the station here for 1872 cents.
But the Irvine agents were not idle and by
the time we had the Irvine, the same Irvine
for which we offered IA cents was sold for
less than II centsn The next year they
thought they had fixed us plenty. We
could either buy their tWine at their price
or send for it and pay more, we had
done the year before. but when they found
meant business we got our Irvine here
for cents less than the going price. We
had the same experience with barb wire
and plows. The price of a pillow was SIT
q h0npht 1g onn
plows for s13. and the price came down,
so that now there is practically no differ
ence in the price in the focal market here.
Now, have we accomplished anything?
Another thing cab be- done on a small
scale until we get our state business agency
in shape. That is. athere is probably no
alliance in this state in which there is
sell, which may be wanted by members of
some other alliance! for instance, the sec
rotary of the State Alliance has on his
desk a letter from an alliance man in st.
Louis county, asking where he can buy
good timothy seed. He can buy it in Du-
luth, he says, but would prefer to buy it
from some alliance farmer The secretary
does not know although he has no doubt
there are hundreds of farmers in the al
ance inthis state who have an article for
sale, and do not know where to sell it.
Some alliances are so located that their
products are of one kind and that of an
other is different. We will say the mem
berS of one alliance have cord wood Tor
sale and are buying OATS another alliance
has oats and is buying cord wood. We
would suggest that any member OF an
alliance in good standing who mas any
thing to sell which is likely to be wanted
by some other alliance notify the secre-
tary of the State Alliance, giving quantity
and price, and that all alliance members
oil