Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1902-08-29
Had TO COME THROUGH
Gang Of Iowa Vehicle Peddlers Made to
Contribute to County's License
l.== Fund.
ROUNDED UP BY SHERIFF
Leader Of the Outfit Produces Seventy
Five Dollars and Pays Under
Protest.

Sheriff Potter this week performed |
a distinct service for the county by
up foreign outfit of vehicle
peddlers and compelling them to con-
tribute SIS to the county's license
fund.
For some time past the ranchers
have been pestered with a gang OF
peddlers in the guise OF
statesmen for vehicle manufacturing
establishment of Iowa. Not content
with working their graft singly. the
peddlers trebled on the people Of the
county by coming in threes, each with
a separate outfit of carriages drawn
in trail by team from ranch to ranch.
BY selling on long time the outfits
have been doing a thriving business,
delivering vehicles at the ranchers'
doors in exchange for interest-bearing
notes, regardless Of the fact that in
ferior workmanship and cheap mater
ial usually enter into the construction
OF wagons and buggies hawked around
the country by itinerant individuals.
But paint and varnish cover multi
tude OF defects. and make any old
cheap thing look good to the uninitiat-
ed and unsophisticated buyer.
So, out OF regard for the maxim
about patronizing home institutions
and with an eye single to the financial
interests OF the taxpayers, the ubiqui-
tous sheriff went after the leading
man in the bunch OF buggy boosters
and, after much trouble, finally pre-
vailed upon him to contribute to the
county eXchequer. The sheriff endeav
ored to make the fellow pungle UP $50
under the license law which taxes
peddlers $50 each where two horses
are used in the work, but the manager
of the three outfits only had S75 and
this he paid to County Treasurer
Wright under protest, claiming that
he and his mon were not liable for
peddlers license, alleging manufacture
ers' exemption. The question has
been submitted by Sheriff Potter to
Attorney General Donovan. But, any
how, "Pott" made the peddlers pun
gie.
These peddlers have already dispos-
ell of nearly a carload of vehicles in
the county and SO easy have they
found it to work their graft that they
are now considering the proposition
have an easy, off-hand granger style
OF ingratiating themselves into the
good graces Of the ranchers and deliv-
er their little set speeches with all
The sang frDil OF a veteran auctiOneer.
IN the course of their memoriZed, al
ing tale they incidentally tell the
vehicles can be sold So cheaply. It's
an advertising scheme, they claim,
and the price q cheap one, made so in
crdcr to get the factory's product in
tiodnced They easily overcome what
ever prejudice exists against patroniz-
ing foreign concerns with talk about
disposing of few vehicles simply to
advertise the make preparatory To
placing the line Of vehicles with home
dealers, who will handle them as soon
as the introductory sale from house
toulouse creates demand for this SUI
perior line of wagons and buggies.
One of the strangest things about it
all is that the peddlers find little trou
BILE in getting more money for these
Iowa vehicles than any of the stand
ard makes bring. 1t is fact that
the vehicles that these peddlers get
from $11O to $l40 for are being sold
in standard makes by Red Lodge deal
ers for from $50 to $110. One farmer
thought he was driving a great bar
gain when he took carriage from
one of these peddlers for S14O, giving
his note for 500 and turning his old
buggy in for the balance, $40. When
he finds out that he can get a better
vehicle from the home dealer for 800
and still retain the old carriage he will
doubtless begin to think that he was
victimized by that smooth peddler.
1t is estimated that in the aggre-
gate the ranchers of Carbon county
have, within the past two weeks. sent
out of the country some $1,000 more
than an equal number Of vehicles Of
infinitely better make could have been
purchased for if bought from Red
Lodge dealers.
Some day these suckers will go the
way of all flesh, but in the meantime
new crop, just as verdant, will
have sprung up to bite the bait and
preserve the family from extinction.