The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1915-03-11

will not permit them to look upon a
farmer as something to be exploited
and short-weighted, but as a human
being who has an inalienable right to
trade where he pleases and keep his
money at home lin his home, not the
merchant's), and build his churches,
school houses, ETC., himself, and not
turn the job over to the whim (prob-
lematicaD of the local dealer.
He, the local dealer, must also take
his Book oath that he will not, when
out joy riding, chase the farmer, his
wife or the hired man off the road or
way out into the fields at the immi-
nent risk of his or their (the farmers)
neck, or cause him to use language un-
fit for publication; that he will not
scatter beer bottles along the road to
get broken up and the pieces get into
his horses feet, causing more bad
language, and then blame it onto the
farmer.
He must also prove to the satisfac-
ton of the commission that he never
did and never will sell piece of goods
that was all doped up to look nice and
turn out to be shoddy the first time it
got wet. If he sells stoves and shows
and sells to the missus the newest up
to-date and when the old man comes
after dark to load up and he loads up
an old model onto him and he lives 16
miles from town and don't find out till
the next day. Oh for breath to utter
what is like thee. That he will always
patronize the home market himself
and will always buy the farmers pro-
duce, especially potatoes, and will nev-
er send away for any, even though ne
could buy them for 80 to 40c per BUSH
ell less. He, the local dealer, must
prove that he has the scads to buy
with by paying cash for country pro-
duce instead of in chips and whet-
stones as at present by local dealers.
He must also advertise his goods in
the same manner as the catalog house,
making it plain as day just what he
has to sell, with price and quality ex-
actly the same as the catalog house
does, so my wife can pick out dress,
towel and a yard and half of inser-
tion and give me the numbers and I
can hand them to the clerk and get
just what she wants, same as the cat
alog house does, instead of being as
now, so flabbergasted l don't know
what she did want and take home a
clothesline and some soap, hoping that
was it.
He must also do all his advertising
with the local paper instead of sending
his order away (the P. M. says more
money leaves Des Laos for advertis-
ing than is spent at home). He must
also put up a bond that when he gets
cheap rates of interest he will sell his
goods cheap, and be content with the
same rate of profit the catalog house
gets, plus the freight. That he will
sell his goods on the same terms as
the catalog house, viz: If not salts
fled, take them back, return the money
without squealing like a stuck pig,
and to generally comport himself as
the catalog houses do, and abandon the
campaign against the catalog houses
and give the home customer the bene-
fit of the money so spent. If the local
dealer can qualify with all these con-
ditions, the commissioners could then
license him to 60 into business and he
could get busy and in time would real
ize that the farmer is not blame
fool and will trade where he can get
the most for his money. Oh you Muir
ray! Don't you know that this is a
government of the people, by the peo-
pie and for the people, and the right to
use the mails is as inalienable as any
function of the government, and to
place the censorship of the mails in
the hands of the postmaster general
would be to surrender the right of
trial by jury, the keystone Of our
| liberties Hic facet.
By one who feels that the farmer
has been held up once too often.
H. D. DAVY.
Des Lacs, N. D.