New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-31
A MIDDLEMAN'S VIEW
In Justifying His Existence he Tx
noses Some Tricks of the Trade.

article written by a middleman VINO mas
snent many wears in the produce business
and who writes with absolute and intimate
knowledge of the subject, may dlspei sumo
highly impractical theories and may DE reau
with interest by the intelligent ana IAN
minded producer and consumer
Did Won ever see the nearby truck FARMER
from Long Island, from Staten lslaho "
from nearby Jersey farms, with ms pis
farm wagon and his fine team OF horses
pIodd,ng patiently TO the New York market
every afternoon, during the season WIN
his load of green stuff? DO you kho" .""'
for many years the city has maintained d"
open-air market at 18th and west stree'''
called the Gansevoort Market. where the
farmer can sell his own stock direct 10 '"e
grocer and eliminate this blood-suckins
middcman. who guarantees all bad dep's
and who starts work at midnight or carrier
and who works eighteen hours day. anu
who charges the extortonate fee Of per
cent for his labor? And do you kno" tha'
this public market has been an aosoiu'e
failure and has gradually dwindled away
to nothing? Did you ever start 10 ahai'@e
lust what the economic theory Is or IDS
producer TO consumer idea. which ~ as oio
as the hills ard which is ever being brought
forward by some new fanatic with re"
extra trimmings. and who advances 1t as
the "curo-all" for all evils born, nourished
and raised in his own wonderful. fertile and
ina ginative brain? II appeals strongly 70
the producer because he has visions OF SELL
ing his products at a much higher price,
and II is very attractive to the buyer Ce-
cause no thinks he can buy at much lower
price
The motives are directly antagonistic ana
one or the other must be disappointed. 80
your midd!o man, who is the balance wheel
who gets A fair value for the producer ana
sells at as reasonable a price as posslo!e
to the grocer who forces sales III times OF
overproduction, and who carefully dlV1des
and distributes 10 each and every buyer ~
times Of scarcity, Will always he 'ndispen-
sable and worthy OF his hire.
The whole nation feeds New York ~
draws its fruit from Florida TO California,
its potatoes from Maine to Texas. It's live
and dressed poultry. butter and eggs from
Texas to North Dakota. Every farmer
within driving distance Of New York. yes.
every farmer within radius of seventy
hNp miles 81 Now ofk. foulu SnAiI 'lS W"
continue operations and the cold storage
man would not even know 1t.
Your best apples come from Oregon
Missouri and Illinois. Your Philadelphia
poultry from Indiana. Ohio. or maybe Ne
hraska and Kansas Your fine Rhode ISL
and or Maryland turkeys from Missouri.
mos, likely. or maybe Texas, and your
Long Island ducks from Iowa Your roast
loin Of Jersey pork I'm all proba bility
comes from tho pig that rooted apples and
ran Wild until ready 10 fatten for market
on tho plains of OHIO or Indiana The
chduces are your quail on toast is young
guinea hon. Your Canada mutton browsed
peacefully on the rich plains OF Montana.
But why dispel these lifelong and time
honorcd phrases Your butcher wouldn't
dare TO sell sou Texas turkeys or Ohio pork.
You who complain against the high cost
~ LIVING and no would cast out the
middlenan and his per ent would turn
.up your nose and would Indignantly rush
To- his competitor. who would smilingly
sell YOU Texas turkeys and call them
Rhode Island, Ohio pork and call II Ier-
sey and who would charge you three
cents pound more. Then he would
grayely sell you one dozen nice white
eggs packed In a nice. expensive carton
that he bought from his middleman as
the finest April storage packed at - cents
y dozen aud call them strictly fresh right
off the farm. and charge YOU 30 cents
dozen for them. lie would charge you
five cents dozen more because they were
white eggs. not because they were any
bo,
You would order them sent home ia an
extensive automobile delivery wagon. and
then maybe go to your favorite restaurant
and give your wife quiet little supper.
Now. honestly. would you order guinea
hens on toast and roast Iowa duck? No,
you would 20 To another restaurant and
get the same thing under different name,
and pay twice as much tor II. SO you. Mr..
Consumer, actually compel your grocer.
your butcher and your reStaurateur 10
fool you. Then you tell your friend about
the high cost OF living.
You have some idea that somebody has
raved about an unnecessary middleman. IL
must be- somebody, and why not the middle
man? You have read an article somewhere
in some yellow journal written by some
learned Judge that doesn't know the diff
ference between a duck and turkey, that
II IL all caused by the mddleman. so It
must be so.
The farmer Is a mighty power and your
politician has his ear To the ground listen
ing with great care and attention to the
mutterings and rumblings of the farmer
Woe to that politician from the agricultural
districts that antagonizes the farmer! Your
consumer is "A still mightier power. and
must he handled with Kid gloves and ox-
ceeding care IL YOU would please him.
So your politician looks wonderfully wise,
and with one high. mighty right hand he
grips the hand OF the consumer. and with
his left he grasps the horny hand OF the
sons OF the SOIL and with his feet he kicks
the mddleman. Then he goes to Congress
and talks for months and months and
months about the high cost of living. and
Congress appropriates another half mil
lion of the peoples money to investigate"
COMMISSION MERCHANT.
New York MAY q, 1912.