The Tupelo journal., 1903-03-27
ARP'S PROFITS SMALL
Says Middle Men Get the Large End
Of Every Deal.
illustrates Truth OF This by Figures
Relating to Sewing Machines and
His Recent Book-Commends
SenatOr Hoar's speech.

/ was Illuminating about the grand
army of middle men that it takes to
carry on the trade and of
this country. Iverily believe that they
make more money than the manufac-
turers and there are twice as many
of them. A friend of mine recently
visited a large ma%nufactory of sewing
machines and the superintendent told
him that the prime cost of a first
class machine was $500 and they
jobbed them off at $13. The jobber
sold them for SIS to agents. The
agents retail them at $35, for he has
to rent a store o and keep a horse
and wagon and make repairs free and
sell on installments and sometimes has
to take a machine back for non-pay-
ment. When the original Bill Arp
moved to Texas he took his wife's ma
chine with him and left his note be-
hind with ten dollars unpaid. Shortly
after that a. new agent was sent here
who was not acquainted with the Arp
family and he came out to my house
and wanted me to pay the note. l had
hard work to convince him that l was
another Arp. The note was signed
William Arp, his mark, and Cinderella
Arp, her mark. My wife was very in
dienant that she should be suspected
of making her mark.
Well, now you see how much money
went to the middle men after the ma
chine left the factory 22-tWlce as
much as it cost to make it. Just S II
is with thousands of other things that
90 through the hands of middle men.
Twas Illuminating about this because
| received q report of 500 copies OF
my new boook that Mr.. Byrd had sold.
The book cost SIS cents to electrotype
and print and bind it, and | was o have
the profits arising from the sale. The
price was $1.25 postage paid, which
was II cents. Thirty copies had been
sold here at the book store for $3.50.
The book store kept 25 per cent, or
$9.37. Mr.. Byrd got $2S.13. h freight
and incidental expenses amounted to
three cents a copy. So the cost was
IS cents, and it melted 90 cents and
my half of the difference was two and
one-half cents on a copy. The publish
err and agent or middlemen get about
all there is in the book. L am not COM
planning at anybody but myself, for
Mr.. Byrd told me that the price would
have to be $3.50 to- make anything,
But | wasn't thinking about agents
charging so much, and | wanted the
people to have it as cheap as possible,
but it can't go on this way. The pub
LEGATION must stop or the price be
raised to $50, and if an agent won't
sell for 25 cents a copy, he needn't sell
at all. He runs no risk. He loses no
time. The books sell themselves on
the counter. But Mr.. Byrd can con-
tinue to sell on mail orders for $1.25.
and ten cents more for postage. This
will be a fair divide all around and give
the poor author about Is cents a
copy.
Senator Hoar's speech at Chicago is
before me. Nothing since the wal has
so cheered me and impressed me as
that beautiful speech. Why doesn't
every newspaper in the south copy it,
or that part of it that pays such a
tribute to the southern people. When
L finished reading it L would have
Rugged the old man, if he had been
near enough. Listen: My life, po-
litically. has been a life of constant
strife with the leaders of the south
ern people, yet as | grow older, |
have learned not only to respect and
esteem them, but | love the great
qualities which belong to my country