Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-08
Retail Implement Dealers of
Iowa Will Fight the Har-
vester Combine.
HEIR BUSINESS, AT STAKE
Belief is Expressed That the Interna-
tional Harvester Trust Will Even
tuaIIy Drive the Retail Implement
Dealers Out of Business Entirely -
Eckert's Address.

les Moines, Dec. S.-That tile Inter
national Harvester Company will
eventually drive the retail implement
dealer out of business and will con-
troll the entire implement bus ness of
the world, was the note of warning
sounded by o. v. Eckert, OF North
wood, Iowa, pioneer and successful
implement dealer, in an addre IS before
the Association of Iowa Implement
Dealers yesterday afternoon. The pa
per brought out one of the most
heated discussions ever held ON con-
vention floor of Des Moines. Darkness
closed on the convention, and The argu-
ment still waged. The body was COM
PEELED to adjourn until this morning,
when this question will be again taken
up.
It Is probable that resolu ions de-
nouncing the contract which the big
trust is putting forth for 1905 compell-
ing the dealer to handle it's products
exclusively, will be presented and con-
sidered by the association tod ny.
Three representatives of the Interna-
tiorlal Harvester Company were pres
ent,- A. b. Funk, c. A. Laufflnan and
H. S. Murphy. A. B. Funk spoke for
the company, but took no pat in the
active debate, blandly assuring the
dealers that the company lad only
their best interests at heart.
The harvester company was not
without its friends among the retail
dealers, some Of whom took especial
pains to keep the real facts of tho
discussion from reaching the newspa-
pels. The reporters were excluded
from the sessions and officers Of the
association denied that any heated dis
cussion had taken place when APP
preached by reporters.
Mr.. Eckert reviewed the history of
the giant merger Of harves :er COM
panies with it's $12O,00O,00( capital,
some three years ago and lis subse-
quent swallowing up of other imple-s
me,nt manufacturing concernsi and nm
ally to the contract proposed for 1906
which, it is said, is more dra stic in it's
terms than any ever yet pro posed. He
said that the retail dealer wis simply
furnishing the store house for the.
company's goods, that ret;hl sales
agents took the business out Of the To-
cal dealers hands, violated confidence
with the local business MANS custom
ers and disappeared at the end Of the
season with valuable inform alton for
the further conducting Of the trust
company's business by dealing direct
with the farmer.
Hot Shot for combir e! Fl
Regarding the experience of the
country dealer with the international
Harvester Company's retail expert.
he said:
"He receives his salary. IF course.
from the company, and is under their
direct control. He comes to us unso-
licited, because he is in charge OF the
cempany's part Of the retail business.
He is required to report everything OF
interest to his employer The COM
pany has impressed us witt the fact
that he only is qualified t., sell our
goods. We allow him to 10 all the
business and report sales of all imple-
ments to the company. He is profici-
ent in making sales, and more SO In
making promises that would be ruin
o-ls for you to try to fulfil. Sudden
lv at the end of the selling season he
disappears. You then find in many
instances, there has been flched from
you all the information to make val
liable business for others, WHO are fast
selecting retail stock of their own.
All that is valuable in our business
| namely, profitable clienta ye-is inn
periled or transferred because of our
placid designations to development
and prosecution of q world vide retail
business. Because of our &C operation
we promote the interests o.. a world
wide competitor and we stir lulate him
to greater activity. This is one of
the appliances used by the. company
for universal control Of retail bust
ness We are told it has others. It
has been charged by the Imperial Age
of using unbusinesslike metz DDS in the