The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-04-10
FARMERS STORES.
THE HOSTILITY OF THE MER-
CHANTS.
A Personal SANDER Under Cover OF
aForeign Tongue.
GARDEN MERCANTILE Co.,
INCORPORATED.
GENERAL MERCHANDISE AND
MACHINERY,
VArrrv Mimi March 10


Ing the farmers of this township Gar
den, Polk county,, have organized CO.
operative mercantile company, and
are now doing business. For about
month from the time we opened we
proceeded nicely without any trouble;
but alas! The retailers trust, decided
to put us through their mill; and the
wholesale houses Of St. Paul and Min
neapolis refused to fill our orders. But
they will find us hard nuts to crack.
We are still doing business; we are
now ordering goods through certain
party in Minneapolis. In case that
this sidetrack should meet with OBJ
struction, could you name us some re-
liable dry goods, grocery and hardware
wholesale firms in Chicago. We have
determined not to be roasted out. The
retailers of Fertile and other places
have stirred our blood. They fight us
in politics; they fight us in every move
we make to better our condition.
They tell US, you farmers have no buSl-
ness in politics; you have no business
to buy and sell merchandise; you have
no business to buy Irvine manufac-
tured by convict labor; you have no
business to complain whatever about
anything. You lust attend to your
farming business. Work! Work! and
be contented.
| do not favor the boycott idea; but
to boycott those who make such utter
ances would only be to give them a
dose OF their own medicine.
We will try to ship our own pro-
ducts, such as butter and eggs; and
we are glad to see that the State Alll-
ance has made an arrangement to
handle such stuff and hope that the
farmers will patroniZe Mr.. Powell. 1t
will undoubtedly be success, If the
farmers know their own interest.
| enclose a clipping from the Skan-
dinaven of Chicago. / hope you will
get some one to translate it. 1t states
that you in company with others, have
skinned the poor farmers Of Marshall
county; that you have collected money
from them with the understanding
that you should give them back the
farms that the railroad companies
have driven them off of. Respect
fully, H. B. HOGENsoN.
We have never encouraged the idea
of farmers not trading with their
home merchants. The State Alliance
has always proclaimed the merciful
doctrine of Give and let live" We
would have been glad to have seen the
heartiest and kindliest feeling main.
tanned between the retail merchants
and the farmers; but unfortunately,
as Mr.. Hogenson says, the merchants
fight the farmers at every point and
seem to rejoice in their miseries. They
take their cue from the wholesale
merchants Of Minneapolis and St.
Paul; and these get their cue from the
bankers Of those cities; and they de-
rive all their ideas from the bankers
OF New York; and they in turn are
but reflection from the Money-power
OF the old world. And hence the poll
tics of the interior Of the United
States are controlled by the Roths-
childs and Earrings, across the water,
seven thousand miles distant. The
result of all this is that the farmers
are incensed at the stupidity of the
local traders, who are destroying the
prosperity of their own customers and
bringing themselves to bankruptcy,
And hence the farmers say: If these
merchants are our bitter and unre-
lenting enemies we will have nothing
to do with them. We will start stores
and buy our own goods and get them
at wholesale prices" And all this
breaks up that pleasant harmony
which should exist in neighborhoods.
But who can blame the farmers? 1t is
just what might have been foreseen.
We would suggest to our friends
that they correspond with the Mime
apolis Supply Association, which ad-
vertises in our columns; also with H.
K. Eagle & Co., Chicago, also patrons
Of this paper. These firms are outside
the wholesalers trust and exist in
spite of it.
We would further remark that the
Chicago Skandinaven is the most no.
torious liar published in the United
States. 1t is hired to tell falsehoods
which no Scandinavian paper pub
lished in Minnesota would print.
Some years since a committee of
farmers from Marshall and the adjoin-
ing counties came to me with the re-
quest that l make a contest before
Gov. Merriam and the Attorney Gen.
eral, to prevent the issue of deed
from the state, to the Great Northern
Railroad, for some millions of acres.
of what were known as the "indemni-
ty lands" l told them 1 was not
practicing law. although educated in
that profession. and that l had lee
ture engagements at the time which I
would have to relinquish: and l re-
commended two or three good LAWYERS
as proper parties for them to call upon
and employ. They feared, as the prop
erty at stake was worth millions of
dollars, that lawyer of any promi-
nence would charge them $1,000 or
1000 or possibly $1,000, which, as poor
men, they could not afford to pay; be-
sides that, they said they had conf
dence in me that l would not sell them
out, and they had very little in law
yers generally. Under these persua-
sions l at last reluctantly consented
to act for them.
1t was an immense task to get at
the status of the congressional leg
islation on the subject, reaching
through twenty years; and the de-
decision of the courts on similar Ques-
tions; had to abandon all other
work and spend weeks at St. Paul,