The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-20
President Wilson il.
..-" .. .M ~~m
Gave Audience to
Retail Merchants

at the same time fill their advertising
with denunciations of the home
merchant and misstatements and
falsehoods as to the superiority Of
their oWn wares over those that might
be purchased at home.
Much has been said in. recent years
about the encroachment Of big bust
ness upon little business, and the con-
c~entration' OF great power in our
banks. ~
I believe I am speaking for everyone
whom l represent today when l say
that they are more than rejoiced that
you and your administration and the
congress that is assembled here a this
time are attempting to do much along
the line of curbing the greed OF great
ag~gregat1ons Of capital in monopoliz-
Ing. not only the business, but the
money OF the country. You and all
with, you are to be congratulated that
the country has received with APP
prevail your work and labors in the
direction of tariff revision and cur
rency reform.
Menace of Distribution Monopoly.
There Is, however, we believe an
other tendency to monopoly in this
country to which the press and public
men of the day have given scant at
tentton. ] refer particularly to that
very evident disposition on the part
Of great aggregations of capital to
monopolize the distribution at retail
of merchandise of every kind. The
agencies and powers at their COM
mand are unlimited. To indicate to
you that this Is their. goal, I quote
from a letter recently written by a
mail order house to a citizen of Iowa,
as follows:
I'VE think and know that IL you
will give the matter consideration,
you will agree with us that a busi-
ness of this kind conducted as this
one lie, is the ultimate solution of the
high cos of living, n we do not
think 1t would mean the ruination of
the small towns, or any reduction in
land values to have trade centralized.
On the other hand, we are under the
impression that it would be a benefit
to all. The retail merchant at the
present time belongs to that great
class Of middlemen which are neither
producers or consumers.
I'VE know that the time Will come
When, except on a very small scale,
the middleman will be entirely elimin-
ated. o will naturally ask, What
will become of the country merchant
In reply to this question we would say
tuaI ne WOulQ become a. per-
haps be a farmer, or engage in some
other business that would mean that
he would give something to the cons
munity instead of taking away from
1t, IS he now Is"
Ilsubm1t to you, Mr.. President, that
lie the head of n -dP the great trusts
of this country should SO declare Its
policy toward the public, that the
press OF the country would display
such a piece Of news under double
headed columns, and the editorial
pages would burn with condemnation
at the proposal OF such a cold-bIooded
premeditated policy.
AS you have said, and to which we
can not object, we care not how bic
business may become, but when bust.
ness becomes big by denunciation anc
Misrepresentation Of the little business
man 1t lis wrong in every sense, and
when fully understood, we believe vii
not have the approval OF the greai
body OF u people. There is no ques.
ton, MI. President, but what today
the lines are being formed for {
monopoly and control OF the retail
business OF the country, first, ane
more particularly, through the grea;
rnail-order houses.
Much has been said relative to tn,
~interlocking directorates and thu
4 financing or great enterprises In Wal
M& GAE