The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-09-07

Boycotting By Business Men.

The American people are noted for their
Independent spirit and their love of fair
play. They are antagonistic. by nature, to
any attempt to bulldoze, whether that at
tempt be made by neighbor or stranger
Our readers, therefore, will doubtless learn,
with some surprise, that combination has
been formed by agricultural implement
dealers throughout the Northwest to boy
colt all wholesale agricultural dealers ana
distributing agents who advertise their
goods in any paper which publishes an ad-
vertisement Of the T. NJ. Roberts Supply
House, Of Minneapolis. That means that
the Minneapolis wholesale houses are Tor
hidden by the petty crossroads press cen
sors to use the columns Of any Minnesota
farm paper because the publishers thereof
believe that Mr.. Roberts is an American cit
izen and has right. as such, not only 10
sell his goods at as Tow a price as he sees
fit, but also to advertise those prices. We
did not discover this situation through Mr..
Roberts, directly or indirectly, but through
one of the most reliable dealers in farm i'm
plements in the city.
We believe that Mr.. Roberts, if he knows
Of the boycott is going on serenely attend
ing to his own business, and letting the
jealousy of the extortionate country deal
ers work out their own discontinue, but
we feel indignant at the attempt OF those
who cannot meet the prices of their legiti-
mate competitors. TO resort to the I'M
American method of a boycott and We
hereby serve notice that so long as the
present manager and proprietor Of this pa
per are in control that policy will be to
stand by those who refuse TO be boycOtted
or bulldozed. We are not speaking in the
interest OF the Roberts Supply House es-
pecially, but in the interest of the public.
The Improvement of modern years in the
matter of mail and freight, and in the sys-
tematiza ton of business methods, have
made the modern mail order supply house
as much part of business economy, in
place of the little country store, as the mod
crn steam wagon works in place of the
country handmade wagon shop. 1t is just
absurd to expect to destroy the great
central supply houses. by boycotting papers
which carry their advertisements, as 1t
would be to crush the manufacture of
threshing machines by refusing to buy Oil
Of any firm which sells oil to the thresher
works.
The thresher has superseded the fail, the
steam locomotive has superseded the OK
team, the newspaper has superseded the
town crier and the general supply house,
with its immense stocks bought directly
from manufacturers toften absorbing all
that several large factories can prOduce)
the immense supply house with it's alert
managers and expert heads of every de-
partment with its careful study of the mar
ket demands, and ample means of connect
Ing the consumer directly with the producer
and thereby saving many milde-mens
profits. has superseded the old cross roads
store with its out-of-date goods and extor-
Tomato prices. -
The change is all beneficial to the country
consumer. We know, from experience how
the country dealers have been accustomed
to compel farmers to take whatever they
happened to have in stock and as their
sales were small, the dealers were obliged
to charge prices which gave them enormous
percentage of profile. They could not make
living if they did not do so. No fault
should be placed with the country dealer
therefore, for protecting himself at the ex-
pense of his customers, and yet no one will
accuse the average country merchant Of
needing guardian to see that the Gus
toners do not get his goods too cheaply.
But when that dcoer undertakes, by boy
colt other unfair means, to bulldoze his
customers. his supply house competitors
and even the public press into permitting
him to continue his extortion in an age
when eXtortionate prices to farmers are no
longer necessary, then 1t IS time to call a
halt, the Representative believes that this
boycott will only serve to show the farmers
where their own interests lie.
We are gratifed TO note that not all the
wholesale dealers are in the combine or are
afraid of the boycott. We suggest that our
readers should make a careful dscrmina-
ton on that point.