Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-02
|H[ RURAL PROMOTER
Good Times Bring the Organizer
and Promoter Into Rural
Districts.
creameries. Horse Companies
and Canning Factories Seek
the Farmers Patronage.
Telephone Cooperation Entirely
Successful..Why the Farmer
Grows "Grouchy."

1
| The era of prosperity that has settled
in the land has brought to light the
promoter, who can only flourish during
/ good times when the people have mon
| ey for which they are seeking invest
ments. The promoter does not coafine
himself to building railroads, electric
lines and other large ventures, but de-
votes himself also to the interest of the
rural districts, looking carefully after
/ their needs.
Perhaps the greatest scheme is the
promotion of creameries. The first thing
this promoter does Is to find location,
! then get some one farmer who has al
ways wanted a creamery at home" to
go in, with the understanding that he
is to be president in case the company
| is organized. Then he hires this farmer
1 at a good salary to go out with him to
sell stock to his neghbors. They usual
| ly start out to build a $4,000 building
complete and in running order, selling
usual thing they sell enough to build it,
and when complete they turn over to
the company small creamery which,
at the outside, did not cost to exceed
$1,000. The farmers meet and elect a
board of managers. hire butter maker,
and at the end of the year have to reach
down in their pocket to pay a deficit.
| This usually results in row, the pat
rons withdraw and then there is an idle
creamery, which eventually rots down.
no one caring much, as they only had
500 or so in it.
About this time man drops in with
a fancy draft stallion that is worth
$1,000 to $1,000. He forms stock COM
pany. selling his horse for $4,000 to So
500, according to the wealth of the COM
munity. He goes thru about the same
performance as the creamery man, with
the results that he leaves his horse,
cashes $4,000 worth of good notes and
seeks another field. Then the farmers,
after few months. disagree as to who
shall keep the horse, this one and that
one gets mad and sells out, with the re-
suit that some one has horse at the
The ideal cooperative association is
the telephone. 1t seems to be the one
thing that the farmres can get together
and stay together on. Perhaps the rea-
son for this is the fact that the do their
own promoting and do most of their
talking at long range. and when they
get tired of hearing the other fellows
complaint they hang up the receiver
and it is all over. When they meet they
talk about Z cent hogs, the prospect for
crops, ETC., but never discuss the tele-
phone grievance. One farmer says
THE reason we never fall out over the
telephones is because the women folks
won't be without it and we don't dare
get mad enough to take it out, so we
simply let things run along"
In one portion of the state today you
will find a man organizing a home
canning company" His only interest is
that the wholesale grocery companies
pay him salary to start canneries, as
the present factories can not meet their |
demands. They must have more goods
next year. SO are taking this method to
increase the output. There will be no
trouble to sell the output, as the gro
Gerry companies will tumble over one
another to get 1t. This is the story told
by this particular promoter and when
the company has been fully organized
ne is able to inform them where they
may get machinery and equipment at a
cut price. The result is that the pro-
noter figures we'll financially at the
inish.
The average American farmer is like
my one else, If he sees chance to
make little easy money he takes it in,
tut in talking with many men who
nave gone into the various schemes
hat are offered, it is the usual result
hat the promoter is the only one who
makes any money. Many men whose
BUSINESS brings them into connection
With the farmer complain because he Is L
uspicious. wants to know all about the
letails and wants a day or two to make
Up his mind All this is because he has
ave grown to feel that every travelling
nan is robber, and his coming is for
nybody's good but the farmers.
A farmer told me the story of a man
Who died few days ago wha had all
rays helped build and buy everything :
hat came along, and when his friends :
ad gathered to pay their last respects .
nd they had removed the lid for the .
lst look at the deceased, he raised up .
nd said: Get me $1,000 at once; Jim {.
ones and 1 are going to start brew !.
ry over there" The money was placed
4 his hand and he lay peacefully down
gain and was buried. He was pro
loter" to the last. >
GEORGE F.. THAYER. .
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