, 1896-10-08
THE MAN WITH THE PACK.

From remarks made by Hon. F. X.
shoemaker at Meannerchor hall.)
| do not know how you do business
in the community in which you live, but
in the town of Plainfield, N. j., where
| live. this Is what happens.
Every once in awhile a nan with a
pack upon his back reaches our town
and we stop him upon its borders and
say to him:
Stranger. what have you in that
pack?
this pack 1 have suspenders to sell,
and table coths and table napkins and
knives, forks and spoons.
And where are you going to sell
them?
| propose to go into Plainfield and
sell them.
And what are you going to do with
the money you get In Plainfiela for
these things?
o, I am going to take it away with
me when l leave.
Are there any s~torekeepers there?
o, yes lots Of them.
But have they suspenders and table
covers and table napkins and the 9TH
er things you have to sell?
o, yes, l believe they have.
Then you are going into their city to
compete with them In the sale of these
things and walk of with the money
you get?
Yes. that Is the idea.
But. Mr.. Peddler, do not the mer-
chants Of Plainfield. against whom you
are going to compete, keep up the city
of Plainfield, its sidewalks. its streets,
its parks, its churches. its courts. its
schools? Don't they do all this. by
taxation?
Yes, l believe they do.
And you are going into that city,
kept up by them by taxation, and com
pete with them in selling the things
they have on sale?
Yes, why not?
Well, MI. Peddler, 1t would be an un-
fair competition II we allowed you to
do that freely. These merchants keep
up the city of Plainfeld by taxation,
whether times are good or dull, and to
allow you to go in there and compete
with them and take out of the town
the money you would get by your sales,
would be unfair. II the competition
were permitted to be free. You shall
not. therefore, be allowed to go into the
city of Plainfield and sell a single pair
of ~suspenders in competition with the
merchants Of that town, SO long as
they have s~uspenders to sell, unless
you pay a peddler's license.
And the stranger pays the peddler's
license, whatever 1t be.
Does he add that license to the price
of his suspenders?
No.
Why does he not?
If he added it to the price Of his sus-
penders he could not sell a pair, be-
cause the merchants in Plainfield ART
selling ~suspenders at the market rate
and if he added the amount of his IL
cense to that rate. he would be above
the market.
Well, where does he take this license
from?
He subtracts it from the larger prof
he would get if he did not have to pay II
Can he afford to subtract the licenst
from his profit and continue to sell?
: Certainly he can. II he could mo-
he would not continue. Every peddlel
: pays the license, subtracts it from hi
profit and continues to sell, showing
that the market price allows him prof
its larger than the amount of the II
cense.
Where does the money that the ped
> dler pays for his license to sell in Plain
field go?
1t goes into the city treasury an,
reduces the taxes Of the citizens 0
! Plainfeld and Of its merchants agahs
. whom this peddler compets, by exact
! ly the amount Of the money he pay
' as license for the privilege Of compel
l ing. Now. II but n peddler come I
Plainield in a year the amount Of hi
, license would be insignificant, but
several hundred or several thousan
: oon,a Tho a~oro~oto oroo,,v,< ~ thalr n