The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-02

With all its projections, the intricate
modern commercial system rests, after
all, on the simple underlying principle
of barter as practiced by the most
primitive communities. The man who
has produced something must swap it
state of trade this barter must, obvious
ly, be carried on between the two
parties face to face. A higher de,
without personal contact; but it still
remains general principle that it is
more convenient to buy where one
sells.
velops great ss receiving R'i and distribu-
ing markets, and which has built up
the city of Minneapolis to occupy this
position with regard to the north
Eest The prinepatf product Of the
is wheat; Minneapolis has long been
the greatest wheat market of the
country. Her mills consume more
wheat than any other group, of -four
mammoth elevators handle, store and
ship enough to feed an empire. Under
the circumstances the farmer looks
naturally, to Minneapolis for the sup.
ply Of th tb things which he tSs m 1na
cal result Of these conditions that
here grew up the most important
farm machinery and implement dis
Fbuing market ets in the o Morld and
the special direction of supplying the
needs of the great agricultural COM
murity which sends it's product to this
Ali this is the A. B. G. of commerce;
but it is we'll to get back to first prin
ciples once in while in these times
when the interdependence of all classes
of industry Is apt to be forgotten. ?.
country than the ' country " can do with,
out the city. Their interests are
mutual. One community cannot pros
per while the other suffers. They
must stand or fall together:
principal product Of the northwest and
was used as an example of the princi-
pie Of interdependence of country and
city; But. while the leading product
the only. one. All the grains, garden
truck, dairy products, beef cattle, hides
and pelts, eggs, fruits, forest products,
including logs, finished lumber, and nd
sPePs aeesntss and az" al Of F3 hes
cles find ready market in Mime
apolis.
Thru bein~ great receiving market
Minneapolis can at all times handle
what may be. offered Of the produce of
ordinarily stable. If one were to sup
pose that the central market did not
exist in the northwest and that only
some dozen scattered towns, each OF
one-twelfth the size Of the city, were
to take its place, it is easy to see thai
the producers of the northwest would
find the facilities for selling theil
product extremely poor,
On the other hand, there Is an i'm
mense advantage to the consumer il
having 6. large distributing marke
from which to draw supplies. Good
handled died in laFg s quantities anti les. are in
bsr at for s eTss 5here
choice; there is the legitimate result
of competition.
Shrewd business men, nowadays, ur
derstand the absolute dependence .
city and country upon each other, an
deplore all iealousies and misundel
standings which arise-usually becaus
OF onehT ON The ae ede as as on hs
Of the country. It is men who loo
at the problems Of commercial life
broad way who appreciate most higl
ly the work of the Minnesota state fai
Which thsl is doing perhaps , more than an
understanding and confidence betwee
city and country.
The state fair is distinctly educ
tional In it's purposes. 1t is matt
of common remark that most city pc
pie are lamentably ignorant, not on
of the resources Of the northwest, b.
of the life of the smaller towns al
farms. The fair brings. them into tout
with the farmers and shows them VIII
they are raising and marketing, b
what they are thinking and talkil
, about, and, in way, how they lv
No city man can visit the state ia
examine it's exhibits, touch elbows wi
people from every county in the stat
and talk with the progressive and we
Informed representatives of the ag
cultural communities who make up
large part Of the visiting oontingel
without having a higher appreciate
of the state in which he lives and
honest respect for it's people of eve
walk and occupation.
The country folk, on the other hal
find practical benefit in mixing wi
people from other communities, be
urban and rural, in examining othe1
we'll as in getting the point of view
the city man, for the once. AS g
eral proposition, both the country a
the city thinks better of the other af
each succeeding annual fair.
It will be seen that the fair does
by any means confine its education
efforts entirely to the farming &C
munities. 1t is true that, such work
the Introduction OF pure bred l1vestt
and the promotion Of better farm
methods is a most practical line of e
cational work for the farmers which
very highly appreciated and which
having definite results; but the.
quaintance of city people with the ia
about their state, the instruction of
boys and girls in the, towns and eli
in the things pertaining to country
is function of much Importance.
The Journal has taken the
portunity afforded by Minneapolis
at the state fair Of 1904 to call to
attention of the people of the mol
west some of these questions of tt
mutual relations and to suggest
possibility of still better understand
of the parts which city and country
called to play in the commercial
velopment of the region.
1t is we'll understood in all busir
institutions that the better all
workers understand the nature of
business and the more harmonio1
they work together, the better will
the results. In a great manufactu1