The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-16
B0XGAR MERCHANTS
THEIR BUSINESS BEING MADE
UNPROFTTABLE IN MIN
~ta NESOTA
STATE DEPARTMENT rs ACTIVE
Leng-Growing EVIL Being Rapidly
Stamped Out by Vigorous Pros
ecution-NOrthern Min
neSOta Case.

The state dairy and food department
during the past six months has waged
q successful warfare on box car mer-
chants, which has been of great benefit
to the mercantile trade as well as to
the consumers The department is daily
III receipt of letters from all over the
state commenting its efforts to suppress
this particular form of evasion of the
law.
This had grown to be great evil. The
ltinerant vendors came into Minnesota
and sold their goods that would seldom
stand the test of the state food laws, in
competition with merchants who were
selling pure goods, and who paid taxes
out of their earnings to support the
state To compel these box car mer-
chants to keep up the quality of the
goods they have sold, and to compel them
to conform to the laws of the state as
well as the resident merchants, a number
of cars of goods have been inspected, and
in every instance they have been found
to be much below legal standard and the
prosecution of the vender has resulted,
with the result that many of the So
called box car merchants have found
Minnesota an extremely Improbable state
in which to work and have gone where
the dairy and food commission does not
enforce the laws SO carefully and con-
scientiouSly
This policy has met with the uniform
commentator Of all retail and whole
sale merchants in Minnesota and has ac-
complished much for the consumers of
the state. Some of the goods sold by
box car merchants were dangerous to the
health, while others furnished no nutri-
ment to the system and the driving of
these irresponsible dealers out of the
market had prohibitive effect on other
merchants of the same kind.
One of the latest cases of this charac-
ter was that of j. c. Glynn, who can
Vassef the country surrounding Fosston
Mimi, and secured a number of orders
from farmers and others. He sold mer
chandise of various kinds, such as is
usually sold by this class of vendors.
and did fair amount of business
Inspector w. L. Chappell, Of the dairy
and food commission, whose home is at
Fergus Falls, was promptly on the
ground as soon as it was reported that
Glynn was, engaged in this class Of
traffic, and took number of samples
which We're Immediately sent to the state
chemist for analysis. They were found
to be adulterated and in violation of the
law.
Inspector Chappell Immediately caused
the arrest of Glgnn, and he was fined $50
and costs. The case was dropped on
LA0 dSISHIntHL bIidL flynn would reShiD
the goods adulterated to the wholesale
grocers, Lowering, Brown & Co., of Chi
cago, to whom they belonged Glynn
had delivered only small part of the
goods, and the fine and costs amounting
to $7S the justice believed met the de-
mands Of justice.
Merchants III the northern part of the
state are we'll pleased at the result Of
the work done by the department. They
have been troubled to a considerable ex-
tent in years past by tlNse intinerant
vendors who have invaded that section
Of the state when the farmer had plenty
Of money, and who h&ve sold him goods
while his money lasted. AS s&oll as
the farmer demanded credit they with
drew from the field and the local mer-
chant captured the business, but the lat
ter frequently had to carry his custom
ers so long that it was not very profita-
BILE to him. The dairy and Food COM
mission is therefore being highly COM
mended by, all classes of people. The
farmers especially are jubilant because