The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-01-14
Replies to
Observer

Editor IlmeS:--l read the IaDoreu
effort of observer in last weeks is
sue of the Times and it has excited
my curiosity just a little, though not
enough to hurt. l have been making
some guesses on Mr.. or Mrs. cob
server" | just think it must be some
body pecunarially interested in the
competition with the chain Of stores
proposition, and I made two other
guesses and you very promptly in
formed me that l was mistaken all
aleng the line. If it had been cucum-
Der time, would have had but one
guess. His gyrations remind me Of
the seizures one would have after
they had eaten very large yellow
cucumber without salt, and with the
usual proverbial result. However, it
doesn't matter who he is, since he
don't think enough of that great men
tai effort to sign his name to it.
He reminds me of the fellow that
went hunting and got very impatient
because he could not get all the
squirrels up one tree. If he prefers
to appoint himself public instructor
Tor all the people, he ought to fit him
self up a good comfortable office on
the band stand in the court house
yard where he would be easy Of ac-
cess.
The belly-aching of observer" re-
minds me of some of the Republican
criticisms of the war administration,
wherein they found fault because they
didn't use all the stirrups the govern
ment bought. | heard that down on
the Hindenberg line in Cape county
they thought it was a reckless use Of
money because they didn't use all the
coffins the government bought. Now,
Mr.. Editor, | don't think anybody
went into this business with any
thought of making easy money. To
me, it looked like united effort to
down this profteering, and Farming
ton has been very, very longsuffering
along that line.
"Self preservation is the first law
of nature. That idea is not only
characteristic of our higher civiliza-
tion, but it goes down to the very low
est depths of the lower animal in
stincts. And that is not strange to
thoughtful people.
| am not defending the character of
these promoters that are led around
our town and shown where the money
is, by these "Wise Old Owls" For
arguments sake, l will admit they are
frauds, which l do not think they are,
You mast confess that when the Bynn
Yam opened up here sugar was SELL
ing at 30c or 35c pound. No sooner
than they opened than sugar began to
recede in price, cent by cent. And
when the Industrial Transportation
Co. opened, sugar got on the toboggan
and dropped from 20c or 25c to lie in
night. Canned goods that had been
selling as high as 65 cents, sold for
46 cents. Whether the housekeepers
bought from the two chain stores or
from other merchants, they got the
benefit of the good influence of the
chain stores, which observer" is
dirty enough to class with race track
Swindles.
Mr.. Editor, | would gladly give the
little money l have put into this bus
mess if it will help to break up the
system of merchandising that has
been afflicting the dear people for the
last few years, and l am not charg-
ing this against the local merchants.
| don't know where the trouble lies.
1t is sufficient say that the Bynn
Yam and the Industrial Transporter
tion Co. has had results in bringing
down prices. 1t is easy for these
high-brow hundred dollar drummers
to join with observer" in these inn
polite criticisms of the people whom
they describe as 'dupes" and "wise
old OWLS" but there is not many of
these "dupes" and wise old owls"
that have had to surrender their last
home for debt and go out to boarding,
( | don't know how Judge Orten will
enjoy this soft epithet Of "Wise Old
Owl", but he is the one that brought
the promoter to my home, and / pre-
sumo one Of the "Wise Old Owls" that
observer" refers to. had never dis
covered that he was unusually wise.
In fact, | don't think he is very much
wiser than / am. But I claim to be
wiser than Bill Tedford. It is said
Bill swan his horse across the Mis-
sissippi river to let his horse drink
out of favorite slough over in Illi-
nois.
Now, Mr.. Observer" come out Of
the woods and show us 5.dupes" and
"wise old owls" who you are, and If
you want to rent Chat band stand
do,,,, in +ha cnurt house ward will