The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-02-28
AS one FARMER Sees IT.
A Pertinent Suggestion Anent the
Material Reduction of Retailers
Prices ON All Commodities Which
the Farmer Must Buy.
Sims Ridge, Feb. 27, 1913.
Editor Courant,
Bottineau, N. d.

. sH d
Dear Sir:
Re several recent articles about the
mail order houses. AS one man states,
where the home merchant has dealt
fairly he. doubtless has nothing to
fear, but don't you think that if our
home merchants would use their in
fluence with the wholesale houses and
have them reduce the number of high
salaried travelling men to- the mini
mum number, thereby reducing the
cost price Of the goods, it would in a
great measure be the answer to- the
problem? For instance, I've heard
of cases where man representing
large grocery, house had man
along with him selling one article,
such as baking powder as some one
article that might just as well have
been on his own list as to have the
extra man for the purpose. These
men are drawing, (including expense
account) / am told, from $4,000 to
$5OO.0O per month. This amount for
each Of these men and there are
thousands of them, comes out Of the
people who purchase the goods and
who usually blame the retailer for the
extra cost, and its not his fault.
The retailer lives here and pays
taxes, helps us to make the country
what it is, and undoubtedly in most
cases his entire capital is tied up IN
the business. He buys from Us and
usually pays us good prices; why
shouldn't he have our support and
work with us? His interest is our
interest. Whatever is best for North
Dakota is best for us all, if he could
only see it, and join with us for the
betterment of all concerned. On the
other hand, what interest have the
grip fraternity, or most of them, n
North Dakota or its prospects, except
insofar as their salary and expenses
go? Why not unload the majority OF
useless ones from the backs OF both
consumer and retailer and let them
90 to work for living, the same as
we do? They've no time for the
present government Of the state nor
for the consumer nor for his politics,
either for the matter Of that, and
most of them (there are exceptions)
never loose an opportunity to boost
the Big interests their interests) ana
to knock the farmer and his every ef-
fort to improve his condition, and yet
his fat salary comes out Of you and
/ and every other farmer and retail
er in the state. There were, the news
papers claimed, between 5000 and 4OoO
Of these gentlemen putting IN their
holidays at Christmas time in the
Twin Cities, waiting the change ex-
pected in time cards in order to, get
over this territory in the least possible
time and get the maximum amount
out Of it. I'm told one large firm,
controlling four large houses, has men
covering this territory from eacn
house. eve pay the freight, and
MANY Of these gentlemen seldom miss
an opportunity to knock the businesses
and the methods of the very people
that are supporting them (mostly the
farners), frequently showing con o.
tempt for the source Of their incomes.
In some cases the wholesale houses
have printed the price upon articles
shipped here, presumably for the ben
at of the retailer &? } whose real m
terest Is with us, not with the whole
saler nor against US. The catalog
houses could not very well andersen
local merchants except that he and
wa carry the added load Of high-pr1c-
al travelling men. Is not this the MAN
root of the evil complained Of (
Fred E. Sims.
Willow City, N. OAK.
nv tie flrst of December we had ex-
norted All our surplus wheat. 1et
bgre ~ Europe's insistent call for
,.nra ~, We must send II i the war is