The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-06-21
A ROTTEN DEAL
The Duluth Merchants Schemine IN
Injure the Ranges

/
have begun to take active measures,
is one that should be sat down upon
by the range people hard For the
past month the question Of running
Buyers Trains" to Duluth has been
discussed from all sides and accord
ing to the Duluth papers it has been
about settled. to request the railroads
to make the staying time in Duluth
longer. According to the Duluth idea
the Iron Range train should
leave there at about o'clock, arriv-
ing in Ely at 10 O'Clock.
Whether the Duluth & Iron Range
people are considering the matter we
are at loss to say. but we cannot
consistently see how they could fur
ther such an arrangement without
securing the opinions of the range
people and patrons of the road.
The range merchants do the larger
amount OF their wholesale buying i'm
Duluth. That city receives the bulk
of the trade and the money of the
ranges. With the addition of a
trade excursion" to the big stores of
the city from the ranges, there would
be but little left for the men who are
doing business here and who through
their pluck and energy have built up
the towns north of Duluth,
AS it now stands. there is a tenden-
cy by many of the misguided people
to send away their money to thecities
and buy from people who are of no
benefit to them whatever. The
catalogue department and grocery
houses of the Twin Cities, Duluth
and Chicago. are already receiving
more OF the range trade than they are
entitled to. The local merchant
lives among you, pays taxes for the
keeping of the machinery of the state.
city, county and nation in motion;
the keeping of your schools, and in
more than dozen ways assists the
people in pulling through existence.
| Every day there are met on the
|
thing or another. One is out for an
amusement institution another is
collecting for poor family who were
burned ont. sick or disabled. another
is gathering shekels for the churches.
and so on. We could name a dozen
of different things the business man
of the small town is compelled to
donate 60 daily. But. you never hear
of Montgomery Ward, Sears Roebuck,
Il. M. Roberts, Griggs & Co., Panton
& White, The Big Duluth, Great
Eastern or a dozen others, ever tdig-
ging up'' cent.
Their trade is cash. while tie local
merchant is compelled to trust you
sometimes for a considerable length
of time. If you go to bank or
money lender for the amount OF your
months store bill you would be com
PEELED to pay 10 per cent interest. on
the same, yet you look to the local
merchant for credit of 80 days at
least.
The ''trade excursion project
should be frowned down by the rail
roads of the ranges. The proposition
spoken Of in the fore part Of this item
whereby the evening passenger and
mail would arrive here at 10 o'clock
is nothing more or less than selfish
move on the part of the Duluth mer-
chants. Better far, the train would
leave Duluth at 1:30 or o'clock and
get into Ely in time to give the bust
ness man chance to answer his mail
that evening without making a night
of it. A man going from the ranges
to Duluth on business is in almost all
cases compelled to stay over day, il
he has anything of Importance to do.
The Duluth wholesaler should try
and counterfeit this evil influence on
the part Of the Duluth retailOr as it
is to their interest. Give the local
merchants OF town black eye and
you are injuring yourself, your family
and your neighbor.
| If the few cents secured by the city
retailer by reason of "trade excur-
sion" is of more Importance to Du-
luth than the large amount spent
yearly by the. range merchant with
the wholesaler, we'll and good. The
merchants Of Ely and other range
towns should see to this matter, and
the sooner it is done, the better it
will be.