The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1908-12-17


when this compared with forty
years ago, it appears that
change is needed, and we are
glad that in this able letter the
question of the selling agency of
the Farmers Union has been
brought in in connection with this
question, for the farmer, seeing
that from two to three men are
sampling and buying his cotton
in every little town all over the
south, each one of those fellows
receiving an enormous salary for
his work, which must in turn
be taken out of the profits of his
cotton, when totaled up at the
expiration of the year, as the
total expenses of the mercantile
drummers are, all having to be
paid out of the cotton, the farmer
ris up and said, eve think that
one man at warehouse at every
town and one man in each sales
office throughout the south, and
each sales office in Europe and
America being paid a stipulated
salary by the company would be
less than one-twentieth of the
cost now paid in marketing cot
ton." Hence the step in that
direction to eliminate, which
comparison would do to apply,
it appears to your Uncle, for the
mercantile business.
Your Uncle Newton went to
the railroad not long ago and,
standing around the stove of a
merchant friend, in less than an
hour five drummers called on
him, and we asked the question,
care they this thick all the
time?" And the merchant said,
eyes, they come every week"
Then your Uncle Newton sug
gested that the farmer was not
directly the only man being hit
by the system; and we asked our
friend to tell us where most of
these people were from. He said
they represented Little Rock
merchants. Discovering a tele-
phone on the wall, we asked
what it cost to telephone to Lit
tie Rock. The merchant said,
"two-bits." Then we asked the
question, Gould you buy over
the telephone anything you want
ed from your wholesale house?"
And he said, "Yes. g." Then it
popped into your Uncle Newton's
head that if every merchant
could do that too, 'twouldn't be
any use in the Teller who used
the goods a bein' taxed to pay
railroad transportation and hotel
bill for so many travelling men in
order to get the goods.
Now your Uncle Newton has
been figuring on the wholesale
question, and finds that for Ar
kansas there are wholesale houses
in several different towns, each
one of them having separate
district, and in these districts are
travelling men, and we have been
thinking that it would be mighty
pretty, and mighty little ex-
pense, or in fact, heap less ex-
pense in selling their goods to
have telephone connections with
all of their customers, that the
customer could order any film
order he needed and let the tray
cling man be cut out and 60 to
producin' somethin' long with
the rest % the producers. Now
mind you, Uncle Newton wants
to be plainly understood. he is
not an enemy to the drummer,
or to the merchant, but this tariff
business has got us wonderful if
Their Amt some way to lessen the
expenses, and in concluding this
article we want to notice the
query in the closing part of "'Mer-
chants" letter. Can any of
these agencies be done away with
as enumerated by him?" We
answer no, that no requirement
necessary to remove the rail
roads, the methods of carrying
goods, the jobber, nor the retailer,
the shoemaker, the producer of
wheat, or in fact any other pro-
Queer or beneficiary medium nee
~ a.