Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-14
Tn. Farmer and the Merchant.

sion this morning, The Mutual Rela-
tions and Benefits OF Farmer and Bus
mess Man" is one in which perhaps
the merchant is more particularly in
terested than any other business man.
Hence we will attempt TO discuss IL
from this standpoint.
L. The farmer is in the market 10
buy as cheaply as possible the articles
he needs.
2. The merchant is trying to sell at
as high price as possible the goods
he has on his shelves.
8. 1t is true as rule the farmer is
DESTROYS of building up as far as pos
sible a home market for his produce,
but that desire usually ceases when ne
learns that in order to have a home
market he will be compelled to pay
more for the goods he buys of his home
merchant than they can be bought for
elsewhere.
AS a matter of fact a large percent
of the farmers of today are renters,
and therefore a movable class, ana as
such are not particularly Interested IN
building up the town near where they
live. at least not to the extent OF max
ing a very great sacrifice to do SO.
The merchant is renter also, at
least large per cent of them are ana
are in the business for revenue, ana
not for the benefit of the farmer or
the dear people of the town in which
they do business.
When business becomes dull and
profits small they trade off their goods
for Dakota land and seek other nelds
OF promise.
The interests of the farmer and
merchant are mutual only so far as
ono Gan help the other without loss
to either.
Times are different now than IN
wears gone by, and customs must
change with the times. The STOCK mar
ket now is at the big packing ceh-
tiers: it used to be largely In the coui-
try towns. The product of the poultry
ward and the farm dairy was at one
time nearly all handled by the country
merchant; not so now. These produets
go to the consumer by way OF the eoiu
storage and creamery route.
Railroad fares are being decreased
suburban electric lines are being con-
stantly built and the farmer Is looking
TO the larger centers of trade 1or nus
market. as we'll as the place IN when
to buy his goods.
Telephones. telegraph and the news
paper bring the farmer in close touen
with the centers of trade. Inc rura'
delivery of mail brings him in constant
communication with the thropolhs
business world.
All these agencies make the world
his market place, to both buy and TO
SELL
1t is no longer true. as it may nave
been once. that the price in land varies
in proportion as it may be near or faf
from a good market. Now land values
are measured largely by the product
iyeness of the land. Freight rates cut
but small figure, comparatively the
matter.
The merchant is always asking, but
never giving. At best he is only dis
tributor, and not a producer. The
problem of mutual benefits and inter-
ests of himself, and the farmer Is
largely his problem, and not the PROP
lem of the farmer
If he wants the farmers trade, he
must not only show him by the use
of printers ink and up to date ads, but
must be able also to deliver the goods
when the farmer wishes to buy
1t NAV be we'll to mention few
things from a farmers standpoint that
possibly would help the merchant In
his competition with the much talked
of mail order houses. 1t has been
thought by some very conservative men
that the great army of we'll paid, Well
fed. we'll clothed (if not always SO Well
behaved) travelling statesmen add very
greatly to the cost of goods to the con-
sumer, and that they are a worthless
piece of machinery in the economy of
present day business.
Why a groceryman in Sibley or any
other town needs to have travelling
man come around every thirty or sixty
days to sell him his coffee, tea and to-
bacco is mighty hard for the farmer TIC
understand.
OF course it is to the interests OF
the merchant, the railroads and the no.
tells to have this army of travelling men
constantly on the road. But not so to
the consumer, for he must assuredly
pay the enormous expense of keeping
them on the road. Said expense has
been variously estimated at from 10I
to 20 per cent added to the cost of the
goods to the farmer.
Department stores in the cities do
away with solicitors to save expense;
why not the wholesale houses also?
The free delivery of goods as prac-
ticed by many merchants in the coun-
try towns is no small matter of ex-
pense to the farmer as he pays the
same price for his goods as the patron
who has his goods delivered.
We all live in an age of progress
and an age Of new methods; constant
changes are going on in the methods
used on the farm, and he who expects
to be a farmer must keep pace with
this change, or he will be overtaken by
this march of progress and be left to
hold the sack while the other fellow
gets the game.
Shame on the farmer who goes out
today to harvest his grain with the
hand sickle! If there are changes in
the methods of farming ought there
not to be some slight changes for the
betterment of the methods used by the