The Cairo bulletin., 1908-12-20

could purchase tne same goods 10
here: but they were attracted by thu
loffer of a premium the cost of which
was more than made up to thu
dealer by the high prices he charge,
fo- his supplies. Mr. O'Shea sale
the 35c coffee which was bought ny
these clubs was In reality the grade
sold by Cairo dealers for 20 cents
per pound.
The retail grocers did not object
to the hucksters who gathered uT
|prodrce from farmers and came here
to sell it to them (the grocers); but
they objected to those hucksters
who came here and refused to sell
to the grocers, but insisted on sell
ing to the consumers direct.
Patrick Doud the Walnut stree
grocer, and ex-alderman from the
First ward, said the grocers did not
wish to prohibit hucksters from com
ing to town or peddlers from ped
ding. They wanted these people to
pay reasonable sum for doing busi-
ness in Cairo. The present ordi-
nance was beaten by Attorney
Leek," said the -ex.alderman, so we
hired him to draw up one which he
couldn't beat, and to be sure we hal
one we could enforce" Mr.. Doud
said the city needed revenue, any
way, to keep up her brick streets.
Prof Clendenen assured the gro
GERS that the consumers were their
friends and he believed the grocers
should in turn be considerate of the
consumers. The proposed license tax
on hucksters ana peddlers would, he
believed fall on the consumer in the
end; and he hoped the grocers would
not bear down too hard on the con
Mr.. Spence, president of the Retail
association. asked how
mGch peddlers and hucksters con
tributed to the lighting plants of the
city, to the city's revenue, to the
cost of public improvements. He
said the producer was not asked to
pay any license. As for the con:
sumers, many of them, under present
bought from peddlers
what they could get, paying always
cash, while running accounts with
thei goreers for 80. 60, or 80 days,
and some didn't pay at all,
Chas. Feuchter believed the huck-
sters and peddlcrs who came from
the country or across the river were
not altogether as great menace to
the city as some would make 1t ap-'
pear. These people come here with.
uasss 'cf produce, gathered up from
many farmers In Ynall quantities..
ind after disposingE of their ware
lerc they returned home with wagon
oads of merchandise, including gro
,eiies, dry goods, etc.
j B. Magee said number of the
business men of the city were now
contributing monthly to keep the
'erry boat going, and the cry OF the
people had been for a free ferriage,
n order that the people from Ken
lucky and Missouri might be induced
o come here. The proposed license
ooked to him like gross inconsist.
'ncy, In that It would be in the ma
ure of a barrier against the people |
# the adojoining states. If the ordi |
IaEces were passed. and a huckster
anne here and found the grocers |
tocked up he would not he able to |
dispose of his wares. There were |
wills in peddling which ought to be
egulated.
G. S, Carey. president of the Ma
ional Lumber and Woodenware Co,
aid even now Cairo had the reputa-
ion of being a very expensive town
D live in, and the proposed ordi-
ance would tend TO make II more
o. The argument that the peddlers
hall be made to help pay for brick
treets was not good. A very large
uIk of the cost of such improve
rents fell upon the consumers who
-eNs taxed heavily for that purpose
he proposition as 1t stood meant to
rotect the fifty or more grocers of
ic city. and make the 19,050 other
cople ia Cairo pay for 1t. Other
nes of business were not thus pro-
,cted in Cairo. some of them were
ven made to pay a license. notably
he lumber business, and he could !
Dt see why the grocers could not /,
IT along without such protection.
w. NJ. Hurt, manager of the
fought il was time to protest. He
elieved there was much merit In
Ie position OF the grocers. They
ere subjected to unfair competition
ON peddlers, who were nothing but {
'tailers on wheels Cairo was too
X in enforcing regulations on itener
Il yenders. Only o few days ago
2 train he overheard a eonversa
on between two strangers one Of
HON bossted that he had been
crking Cairo and boasted that he
nj taken orders for rings 10 the
nornt of $1,000. The man said
afro was the easiest town he had
'er worked. Another had taken
ders for lace curtains. and stilI an
her bad been here with plans and ,
'ccificatiOns for houses. offering 10
nd all the material from Chicago ,
~ put up the house here-actuaIlyl /,
'ddling houses. Il was time to ,
'Otect the retailers of Cairo from ;
cf fcrYar,rffsao n N. IA -. sLs..4- I