The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1906-02-17
NORTHWEST MERCHANTS MAKE
PROTEST TO CONGRESS.


PROTEST TO CONGRESS.
w. J. Rouleau, business manager OF
| the St Paul Trade Journal, filed with
| Congressman Stevens, for presenta-
| ton to the postoffice and post roads
| committee of congress, a petition con-
| tanning the names of a majority OF the
| general merchants, wholesale mer-
| chants and manufacturers Of the
| Northwest, protesting against the en-
| actment by congress of any form or
| parcels post legislation.
| The petition, as presented by Mr..
| Rouleau and filed with the committee,
| is as follows:
Whereas, there has been recon-
menced for Consideration and action
by your honorable body, legislation
| providing for the consolidation of the
| third and fourth classes of mail mat
| ter. and the transmission of the same
| at a less cost than now is provided
for by law; and,
whereas, we are profoundly i'm.
pressed by the knowledge that such
legislation would prove inimical to the
! best interests Of the people Of the
United States as a whole and to the
retail merchants, wholesale mer-
chants, manufacturers and others en-
| gagged in commercial traffic, particu-
| larly, and in our opinion, based upon
experience, would work great hardship
upon and place the above mentioned
| interests at great disadvantage in the
| pursuit of their business calling by
| favoring centralized interests in the
shipment of merchandise direct to
| consumers through the mails; now,
| therefore,
eve, the undersigned, general mer'
| chants, wholesale dealers and manu-.
facturers of the United States, do
| hereby numbly petition your honor
able body not to enaut any law that
| will admit of the institution by the
government Of a parcels post, so call
ed, or any law that will in any way
| tend to reduce the present cost OF the
transportation Of merchandise through
| the mails"
The petition is the first to be filed
from this section against the parcels
post bill, known as the Henry meas.
ure, and is the largest ever filed by
country merchants.
Speaking of the results of his trip
to WASHINGTON, Mr. Rouleau said:
while the petition that filed is the
only petition of its kind to be present
| ed thus far, it is we'll known that 9TH
ers are being circulated in various
parts Of the United States and that
several others will follow the one that
the ST. Paul Trade Journal has filed.
In addition, there is not member OF
congress who has not received person.
al letters from his constituents among
the merchants, protesting forcibly
against the proposed Henry bill, and
| in addition resolutions protesting
against the measure have been filed
by practically every retail merchants
association that has held a convention
this year.
| .The general merchants, wholesai'
| ers and manufacturers of the country
fully realize, however, the great force
that is back Of the proposed parcels
! post legislation, and they 'are in readi.
ness at any time to bring all the in
| f1uence that they have to bear against
such legislation. For there is no ques.
| ton but what if the government un
| dertakes to transport merchandise
| through the mails at low carrying
| cost, such action soon will cause the
retirement from business of a major
| itv of tho retail merchants of the cOUn-
| try, and with them the jobbing inter
ests The business of the country
will be carried on by vast aggregations
| Of wealth, centralized in one or more
| OF the chief distributing centerS OF the
| United States, and, as their field is
| thus increased, they soon will be man
ufacturing their own goods, which will
| also centraliZe and monopolize great
manufacturing interests of the country.
| "This is not a pleasant picture to
| look upon, but it will be the inevitable
| outcome Of the cnactIon in this coun-
| try of a parcels post law, which will
serve to do away entirely with the
recognized method of doing business,
| i. e., from the manufacturer to the job
Der, through the jobber to the retailer,
and from the retailer to the consumer,
it being proved that this is the most
equi+abl and most satisfactory way
OF placing manufactured products in
the hands of the people."-St Paul
Trade Journal.
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