The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-09-02
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 1897.
GAZETTE BUILDING DIRECTORY.
THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE.

Cities and Chicago, aside from that
taken by this paper in connection
with the cheap excursions that have
been run to the first two cities for the
benefit of the department stores.
The Republican touches upon the
merchants excursions to the Twin
Cities, whereby the latter get few
cents knocked off from the regular
fare on certain days in order to give
them an opportunity to 60 down to St.
Paul and Minneapolis and do business
with the jobbers there. The Repub-
lican points out that Mankato and
Winona are in manner distributing
points, having wholesale houses, ETC.,
and that this very question of cheap
or low rates for the country merchants
to run into St. Paul and Minneapolis
is a discrimination against those two
towns. We presume that our con-
temporary will not protest if The Ga
zErrE includes Duluth as being anoth-
or city having wholesale jobbers who
will be affected by this discrimina-
ton. T.
The Republican remarks that the
Twin City jobbers have replied to the
charges of The GAZETTE with some
what unnecessary loftiness by pre-
tending to say that the simple coun-
try critics do not know what they are
talking about" It then recites what
the association purports to do, remark
ing that the Twin City merchants are
the sustaining members of the associa-
ton, and that all of the merchants of
the Northwest, it is naively added, are
eligible to membership and member
ship cards have been sent to oil of
them without charge, and these cards
are on-assessable so far as the coun-
try merchants are concerned. -
The deeper person looks into this
question the more bold seems the con-
spiracy. AS we understand the inter-
state commerce law its very object is
to prevent railroads discriminating
against certain points in favor of other
points, and the general or common
law is strongly opposed to that sys-
tenn that seeks to create monopoly
of business, holding that no man can
sell his own good will or right to again
enter into business after he has dis
posed of his stock. Or the law that
will permit railroad companies to give
reduced rates to country merchants to
20 and see their wholesalers of St.
Paul and Minneapolis certainly must
be framed so as to say to the whole.
sale merchants of Mankato, Winons
and Duluth, "you, too, are entitled te
the same privilege" But the jobbers
of St. Paul and Minneapolis seemed
to look at this question in another
light. They seem to think that the
railroads can discriminate in favor o1
them and in favor of the wholesale
jobbers of Chicago and against the
wholesalers of the smaller towns. This
is what the law, when enacted, was
undoubtedly created to correct. The
law means to say that the hardware
house of St. Paul shall have no more
rights than the hardware store of Wi
mona, and that the Chicago hardware
stores shall have no more right thar
those of st. Paul and Winona, but tina
all of these institutions shall be place.
on the same footing Of the law, where
by if they have any advantageous pc
sition they must be of natural kint
which the law cannot correct-a kim
such as a greater population, great
or field, etc.
The GAZETTE is frank in stating
sees no difference between the dis
elimination asked for by the depart
ment stores of st. Paul and Mime