The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-03-06
SWEET ANSWERED.

| Forum: have read Hon. w. ID.
Sweets article on Catalogue Houses 4
in your issue of Feb. 81, and it caused
me to Smile srnole" The "gifted
gentleman" must certainly be looking
for more political honors" for his
article might easily appeal to a ma
Jority of his constituents. viz: Mer-
chants, manufacturers, professional
people, wage earners, etc, all city peo-
| pie, who, as rule, have money every
day, or, at least, once week, and who
live where large stocks of goods are
kept, and owing to sharp competition
and a practically cash business, are
sold with small profits. But regardless
Of his ability to hypnotic and com
pei our admiration" by his flights Of
oratory' and magic PEN what, I say,
what, does he know about the farmers
position on this subject? Why. he
don't know any more about it than "the
| city maid knew about milking cows =
and If he were to make any such plea
before a farmers jtirys he would
simply be sentenced to .eat' a. bale of
hay" Mr. Sweet would soon sour
with the average "up-to-date" farmer
Instead of trying to educate the farm
er, why don't he turn his efforts to-
wards the manufacturer, the retailer,
the middle men, the trusts, etc. |? The
catalogue houses are supplied by the
manufacturers and, owing to their large
requirements and ready cash, at many
times less prices than the small re-
taller pays. It is easy to figure OUT
results on such deals / don't mean
by this that Mr.. Sweets firm Cone Of
the best in their line in the northwestJ,
sell their product to any catalogue
house No, simply because there is no
catalogue house in Fargo, but you don't
have to go any further than Mime
apolis 70 find such a State of affairs
he country merchant represents the
greatest axioins Of political economy in
bringing the consumer and producer In
closest touch oh, @rot. Of 9rots!''
Wouldn't that drive farmer to drink
his fornaldehyde, and raise sfiiat in
general? Now, Mr.. Ex- Mayor if
you were a common, ordinary farm
err with a clean conscience" I" owner
lof nice farm, .sfree from encuni-
brance, with few ashackles' 'giri your
Jeans, credit good at the local z bank,
having acquired all this BY s'honest eff
| fort, and selling your products In tlie
open market for what they would
bring. having had to divide your right
lful profits with the elevator trust, the
wheat ring. rotten inspection, rank
dockage: having your screenings
stolen and sold after you have paid the
freight on them; unfair weights; the
fiaxseed trust; unreasonable freight
that more than cut your profits in
two on a grain crop, not to mention the
beef trust that makes you sell cattle at
s cents and buy beef at IS centstllen
Al YOU were such farmer would you
feel like walking right UP to the
country merchant and pay him s$35
for a set Of harness that you could buy
|elsewhere for $27, just to get in closer
touch with the man who made the
harness for the manufacturer? If you
had to buy your binders of trust, your
tWife of a trust your illuminating and
|lubricating oils Of trust, your coal Of
a trust, your tobacco of a trust, etc,
wouldn't you feel like welcoming with
sopen arms, any fellow or firm, even
the notorious catalogue house, with
its horrible sapssucleing teilticles, If
1T offered you one single opportunity
to get a square deal?' a chance to buy
something without having several
classes of middle men reaping a
profit off your hard earned dollarss
Methinks you would That touch
stone Of progress CREDITS a thing
.of the past 1t may have been a bless
ling iildeveloping new country (many