The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-03-14
ARE ALL COMMITS
sion MEN THIEVES!

1t was not so many years ago thas
the confidence man, the lightning rou
agent and the gold brick manlpulao
or reaped a rich harvest OF oollaL9
from the inhabitants of the rufai
districts. Today the greater portioh
of the farming communities are WISE
to ricks so hoary with age as sae
gold brick game, and even the llsn
ming rod agent is obliged to put ms
work on a scientific basis IN order 10
do business with the farmer. Not-
withstanding all this enlightenment
the farmer is still rich picking Iof Ile
unscrupulous commission merchant.
We farmers have recited again ana
again our bills of particulars against
this system of robbery, but stlll coi,-
tinue to consign our produce regard
less of the almost certainty that we
will be victims of robbery, instead Oh
organizing properly to handle tne
produce ourselves. There are very
few reasons why we should give pat
ronage to the middleman, eSpeclaiiy
when every loophole is open for NTH
to defraud us of our rlghtful snare
of the profits.
Mr.. William lehman in talk be-
fore a Michigan farmers CLUB gave
the following Illuminating experience
of a Michigan farmer with a Cnl-
cago commission man. we might
multiply these incidents by the huno-
reds, but one is sufficient to demon
strate the futiHty of farmers trying
to get a square deal from the aver
age middleman operating at the ter
nnnal markets:
II am not prepared to say that
there are no honest commission mer-
chants; neither am l prepared 10 say
that there are no angels IN Dante
Inferno. / suspect, however, that the
one class is about as numerous az
the other. AS long as the produce r.
patronize those fellows, so long will
they increase and multiply and wax
fat upon the hard earned produce
from the farming communities.
1.-THE federal government recog'
nizes the existence of these blood
suckers and is grudgingly endeavo''
ing to legislate against them, or try
ing to do something to compel then
to be half way honest. The farmer
will continue to patronize them anf
continue to be the victim of theil
thievery till both the national anc
state government shall throw arount
the producer some legal safeguard
!, that will protect him from the ras
Gals who are growing rich by thei
J stealings from the producing classes
1--WE are glad to learn that once i
, a while we can find a man who ha
means, determination and gil
enough to follow up his consignment
, and cau the rascals to judgment.
'sThe particul ar case that illus
trates what / mean occurred her
; only couple of weeks ago, whe'
, Mi. Henry C. Boughner consigne'
, 225 Bushels of new potatoes and s
crates of cukes to a commission mer
Chant in Chicago. Each crate con
y tanned seven dozen fine cukes, tina
/ were quoted on that days bulletin a
e from $3.50 to $685. crate. The ne1
!, homegrown potatoes were quotes
/ from sI.7h to $225 a bushel on tina
e date aud the da,e following.
\ Commission Man Caught.
e "Mr. BOUCHER, as we all know
r is a man of means, and has rubbe
V I'D against the world until he ha
h reached a point where he is not
particle afraid to assert his right!
: and he absolutely refuses to submi
to being waylaid and robbed of tn
: fruits of his toll.
L "a few hours after the train ths
carried Mr.. Boughner's consignmer
n left the station, he took the nigh
y express for Chicago, where he al
Il rived several hours before the freigf
e train.
after eating his breakfast at on
e of the down town hotels, he hired
e taxi and was driven to the office {
e his consignee, where he posed as
# prospective purchaser of potatoe
e and cukes. Of course he gave tict
e tious name, and the commission me
e chant was all smiles at the prospe'
Y of selling a large consignment to
cash paying customer. He informe
Boughner that he had a car comm
that would be in the yards in fe
s hours, and that it came from me-
2 in Michigan who never consigned ar
! but prime goods. An appointmel
o was made for 80 p. m. to examil
& the produce.
is Boughner was on hand to meet tt
ID engagement, and was taken to Il
rs yards and shown the produce he b;
Is consigned the day before. The cor
mission man was loud in his prai
of the produce and said that he cou
always depend on getting good pr
duce from Boughner of Michiga
Boughner paid cash for the emit
consignment. He paid 1925 for t
~ potatoes and $6.l5 crate for t
!" cukes.
Gin the meantime he had made a
engagements for the sale of the pr
IS duce to another merchant for ca
~ down on delivery; and he had t
consignment carted there. He I
ceived $3.50 for his potatoes a.
er $500 for the cukes. He then I
3" turned to his hotel to wait till /
son back on the farm could send hi
the invoice, bulletin and check fro
- tbo conoroi cci on merchant RI who