Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-01-02
Racketeering and Pedding Should Be Taxed

Pentywood business concerns, who pay taxes, support or schools,
churches and community organizations are entitled to protection from
every ln@ting swarm of racketeers, peddlers and solicitors who come to
Plentywood.
Racketeers and peddlers have been canvasing Plentywood for years
and have not only taken the cream from many Pentywood business hous-
IS but many times the milk They squeeze the life blood out of any COM
peitve business by following the line of least resistance. Peddlers and
rackeeers "n town today and gone tomorrow" do Pentywood no good.
They take money out of here-money that will never come back and many
times they get the best of you.
Rackeeering and peddlng at its worst wa demonstrated in Plenty
wood several weeks ago. A bunch of fy-by-nght parasites descended on
Penywood, rented a couple of rooms down town and high pressured
people into having their pictures taken. They werein sistent. Many fell for
their line. They took a lot of pictures all right. Prices quoted for pictures
we're low, but in many instances they were much higher when they were
delivered, higher than what pictures could be gotten for in Plentywood.
Just sickers at the game. And more than that, the quality of work vas
not up to the standard of that which car be secured in Plentywood.
Now, Plentywood has a good photographer. He gives Plentywood peo-
pie the best of service and work Those fyby-nght photographers took
many dollars from Plentywood that should have stayed here. Christmas
Pentywoods photographer ws robbed OF 80 percent of his Christmas bust
ness by the vultures Not only that, but the peddlers undoubtedly hurt his
business for months to come. Pientywoods photographer is a taxpayer
here. He buys in Pentywood. He deserves Pentywoods business. People
here who purchased from solicitors were not fair to him.
A photographer is not the only one to suffer from soliciting by out-of-
town concerns. Laundry and dry-cleaning trucks ply in Plentywood con-
every week. 1t must pay them o they wouldn't come. Pentywood has
three ry-cleaning establishments. AS far as we know they do fine work.
We have ever had ause for complaint. BUT STILL A LOT OF THE
DRY CLEANING BUSINESS LEAVES BRENTWOOD. Penywood dry
cleaning establishments pay taxes here, help support our schools churches
and institutions. They are entitled to patronage.
Other business houses suffer too from peddlers. Hardly a week goes
by but that some salesman selling printing such as leterheads' state
ments, sales books and other supplies, does not come to Sheridan county
and take the cream of the business.
There are many deserving printing plants in Sheridan county who OPP
crate a printing business 35 days out of the year. They strive to pay sal
aries to their employees. They pay taxes here. They give employment and
THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY HERE. They are entitled to what business
is done here. They have no protection from sohctors-even at prices to
meet peddlers competition.
Before Christmas printing houses in the east had statesmen canvassng
N Pentywood and Sheridan county selling printed Christmas cards They
sold a lot of them too.
AT least five business houses in Plentywood sold Christmas cards this
year. Printing plants in the county also handled them and printed them
as cheaply as what solicitors offered. But still solicitors GOT THE
CREAM OF THE CHRISTMAS CARD BUSINESS.
DID THEY PAY ANY TAXES INTO THE CITY TREASURY OF
PENTYWOOD? DID THEY CONTRIBUTE ONE IOTA TO THIS COM
MUNITY? is THERE A SINGLE ETHICAL REASON WHY ANY RESI-
DENT OF THIS CITY OR ANY CITY IN SHERIDAN COUNTY
SHOULD PATRONIzE SUCH A BLOOD SUCKING BAND OF WAN
DERERS?
The Herald does not believe that people wifuDy patronize such leech-
es with sincerity at heart. The Herald believes that they are high pressured
and persuaded into buying from them.
Photographers are not going out n the streets to spot racketeers and
see that they are u out of town. Neither are the newspapers Oh the dry
cleaning establishments Neither is the clothing salesman who is robbed
of much of his just business from in and out peddlers.
THERE is ONE WAY TO STOP IT. Adopt on ordinance making it
compulsory that tanstory peddlers and solicitors pay a permit Or license
fee to the City of Pentywood. That license should be set at a high figure.
If a pedlers business is legitimate and not a 1yby might proposition he
will gladly pay that tax. If not, he won't stop here, and a big majority of
them won't. The law should be strictly enforced whether it be a travelling
photographer, clothing peddler, dr. -cleaning solicitor or someone selling
magazines ito work their way through college"
Houseto-house solicitors and pedders canvass Plentywood. Many CT
ties have ordinances prohibiting pedHers and solicitors from going on
premises without the invitation or request of the owners o. occupants. An
ordinance such as that is a good one.
A RIGHT KIND OF AN ORDINANCE WOULD PROTECT PLENTY
WOOD BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS. BUSINESS THAT SHOULD STAY