The Saint Paul globe., 1899-07-22
LOCATING A MARKET
EIR. HARRIS TAKES A DECIDED
STAND AGAINST THE THIRD
STREET SITE
IT MUST BE FOR THE PEOPLE

Produce CrOWdfng the Home
Grown Out-.HFostering" the
Wrong ThIng--Bad Faith of the
City Toward the Farmer.
To the Editor of the Globe:
The Pioneer Press says editorially on
the locating of the public market In
st. Paul; The commission men pur-
chase the produce brought by the farm
erS and gardeners in heavy quantities
requiring drays and large wagons for
It's transportation. Many retail grocers
receive their supplies from them, but
most of their stuff is for shipment to
other points. They but a good deal for
Immediate shipment by rail. 1t is of
great Importance to the commission
men that the market be so located as
not to require long haul to the stores
or the steam railroad track"
Just so, but you see, Mr.. Editor, the
commission men don't do any of this
hauling to the steam railroad tracks or
stores, either The grower does that. In
case of an Immediate shipment" the
grower puts it right into the commission
mans car. Where in the deal does the
shippers drays and large wagons come
in? MANY retail grocers receive their
supplies from them," says the Pioneer
Press Where did the commission men
| get this? They did not get it from the
home grower, that is certain. Most
likely the Pioner is thinking Of a con-
Signment from Missouri or some other
place few hundred miles away. 1t is
undoubtedly the stuff that comes in
here and is sold in competition with
what our farmers grow. Much OF this
Shlpped IN comes in demoralZed con-
dition. This is SOLD by the commission
men to the grocers and hawkers and by
hon floA 7flH 1AT
our farmers and gardeners are without
paying market il they can sell at all,
and so our growers must sell to one OF
these shippers. 1t may be that his
stuff will go to St. Louis or some otheA
point near where the stuff came from
that our people consume. Thus the
railroads are fostered and the commits
sion men are fOStered, and this is what
is wanted by the Pioneer Press, so Tar,
at least, as the latter is concerned. Fos-
tering the commission business has the
effect Of bringing into our city thou
sands of carloads Of produce from
points hundreds of miles away that
could be better produced at home. The
money realized is sent to the non-resl-
| will guess that 80 per cent of the
food consumed in st. Paul comes by rail-
and you wonder where all of the money
goes to. The returns from the home
grown produce is paid to our merchants
and manufacturers for what the farmer
| needs. If his business is fostered, he can
supplied and if he gets d good price ne
has more to use. The business of our
merchants and manufacturers is increased
and more men by them employed ana all
become customers for the necessities. Let
| us create demand then for what is here
produced, whether on the farm or in the
factory. The home market is the best.
'PatrOnize home industry" l am glad the
people are moving for an exhibit hall
where the goods manufactured in st. Paul
can be seen. Let the good work go on.
Foster everything of this kind. Help the
farmers, also, they are of us; give them
every facility for disposing of their prod
ucts to the home customer Their prod
ucts come to you when at their best.
Why ship these away and consume that
shipped in? The Pioneer Press would
have you think only of the commission
men in locating market when, in fact,
they should not be considered at all; says
the commission mems business should be
fostered. 1 would say in fostering, don't
foster the wrong thing lest you unfoster
the thing that should be fostered.
Yes, Third. street comes in for foster
and the Eagle street site must be fOstered
and the big corner groeers. whose advertis-
ing patronage is several thousand dollars
a year comes in for one, and it is thought
that locating a corral for the farmers
where only the grocers and commission
men will find them will do all of this foS-
tering. This Eagle street site has been
in the minds of some for a long time But
that old market house property was suffi-
cient to buy a central location, and more.
1t must be gotten out of the way; and it
got. AltnOuSn a strange proceeding little
would have been said, though much was
thought, but for the great poverty howl
that went up from those advocating
the Eagle street site whenever any other
location than that was suggested. EIdi-
I torial after editorial has appeared urging
this Eagle street proposition; nothing
could be more ridiculous than the men
ton of 1t. Every farmer and every one
desiring to trade with them is insulted.
Not long ago some of the good people of
St. Paul, seeing that the stae was in
| 40 nfC tlng~c- fn DIN1
tiVate the vacant lands of the state, that
thereby the city might prosper, sent out
large quantities of advertising matter. Is
good faith belG~ kept? 1t is not enough
that our soil is productive and climate
favorable; large crops alone do not in
sure prosperity.
| are grown and marketed at an actual
loss to the producer. Large crops require
much labor and when shipped the freight
| is enormous. Add to this the middle
mems profit and nothing is left for the
grower. If home market can be
created, it will be a great boon to the
! farmers as it will do away with much of
the shipping which is now so ruinous.
| The chamber of commerce found that
there was little trading between the pro-
ducer and consumer. The Pioneer Press
finds the same thing; I guess no one has
had any better success than they In
deed there is but little.
How could it be otherwise under the
circumstances? There has been an in
fuence at work, which has culminated in
what we now all see, a destruction of
nearly all of the selling to the consumer
| by the producer. Have we had any mar
ket to do it in? You may say yes having
! in mind the Grand Central market facing
! st. Peter. Third and Fourth streets This
place was well fitted up and the farmers
| wagons were stationed near, but the peo-
| pie did not go there to buy It was too
much to one side. Many men lost what
| they had there Another instance in
proof of what I say about this location:
A very elegant double store room was
| lifted UP at the corner of Fourth and St
Peter streets, large stock Of groceries
went in there. This mans stay was brief:
another stepped in, and another, and an
| other. and another; the last of these
! parted this life in the Father of Waters
/ think there must have been as many
! as six different parties in there in half as
many years. A man who would start a
grocery or market on Third street ex-
| pecting to do retail business, should
| nave cOnServatOr What dealer TODAY
| is doing a retail business on Third street?
| Who Is it now I ask. Can YOU mention
! any one there doing a general trade? and
! vet you want to locate the city market
there. Would it be convenient for the
puPIic to go there? If it is. not for the
| public, Won should not ACQUIRE It, There
| is not land enough to build it on. so a
| castle in the air, with basement is sug
| geSted. The Pioneer Press does not just
! fndorse this. How can it after its great
| poverty plea? says we have got lust
money enough to buy the Eagle street
VIII you urge the acquiring of mar
ket at public expense just for the use Of
! the commission men? You say thev are
to be chiefly considered.
| Glass legislation is more harmful than
trusts and combines and they are bad
To the farmers and gardeners. Tho