VOL. LXV
INDIANAPOLIS, DEO. 24, 1910.
NO. b*4
Written for the Indiana Farmer:
PURCHASING     SUPPLIES
VIEWED.
RE-
By J. II. H.
Hilda Richmond in a recent issue
says: "The farmer is independent" so
much that he thinks he owns the earth;
"that  he  owes  allegiance  to  his  home
B "hayseed" you know. "Supply and
demand" cut no figure in dealing with
the farmer, but it does when it comes
to the poor consumer.
Take fruits for instance. As soon
as these can be shipped in, the home
merchant does so and sells at top prices.
Just as soon as home supplies come on
the markets down go the prices, and to
make  good  the dealer  charges 20  per
What about the schools? She says
they are largely kept up by the merchant. Let us see. We have a ilisvli
School here. Kvery township has access to this school, provided they consent to be robbed—and they do. If a
pupil is transferred from his homaf
school to the High School a tuition fee
is levied '..gainst the township for this
tuition—and  it is on a high  basis,  too.
poverished because the owners are leaving them to renters, being tired of submission to the demands of the money
lords. Sixty-three thousand rented
farms in Indiana mean something.
What is it?
After reading Mrs. Richmond's article
we happened in Chicago and wishing to
understand the working of mail order
houses,   especially   why   they   can   sell
Grand Champion load of barrows, International Exposition, 1910; fed by Col.  J.  D.  Waters.  Dawson.  Illinois.;  average weight 242 lbs.
town, etc." Unless he gives it that allegiance the town decays,—poor doctors, poor preachers result from this.
She continues in a similar strain
through a column or more. We tire
of this talk. The whole class of money
kings, boodlers, trusts and Board of
Trade gamblers keep the columns of
our papers full of this kind of stuff.
Let us get down to facts. How independent is the farmer? She says he is
independent as to when and where he
purchases his needs. Where else? How
about the selling proposition? Who
fixes the prices he shall receive for his
products. He must submit to the demands of his home markets both in the
fixing of the buying and the selling
juices. If he refuses in these matters
he is boycotted so far as selling to them.
They will go to distant markets and
ship in goods rather than deal with the
farmer that rebels.
Let us see how this can be. His
grain, fruit, truck and stock are bought
in the home market, subject to the ruling juices of the Boards of Trade including the merchants' combine of
every town or some gambling institution that thrives oft the farmer.     He is
cent for selling our fruits and another
20 per cent on what we buy. Will anyone deny this? If he dares to sell on
the street the dealer ships in inferior
stuff sells low and forces the farmer's
products off the market. This is done
every year.     We challenge a denial.
Twenty-five years ago the small fruit
industry in this county was good. These
practices of dealing have driven it almost to the wall. The same holds good
as regards trucking or even worse.
Truck of all kinds is shipped in at high
prices, but when the home truck is on
the market down goes the price, in buying at least.
AVhat about the poor preacher? They
work for money .same as we do. They
do not care especially whether the
farmer waxes rieh or wanes. They are
on salaries, frosts and freezes do not
lessen these.
What about libraries? Carnegie placed a fine library in our town.
We farmers are taxed for the care of
this library but if we want the use of
it we must pay a special "outsiders" fee
set by the library board and yet we live
almost under the shadow of the building.
If this tuition were reasonable it might
do but when the levy is $21 per pupil
for the winter's course in the higher
grades, it is simply a bareface robbery
of the township. It robs the township
school of funds, so as to shorten terms,
it robs such schools of the best teachers because of the short terms and lack
of funds.
She says there are other things in
the world than dollars and cents. Yes
we learned this years ago. There is
greed and graft and craft and a host of
other evil practices. All these are used in dealing with the farmer.
In claiming allegiance of the farmer
to the home town she compares his
dealing with mail order houses to the
selling of his crops off the farm. This
assertion is certainly far-fetched. The
one may impoverish but in what way
does the other. The farmer's ground
will grow as much corn or wheat if he
patronizes mail order houses as it will
if he trades at home, provided he attends to his business. And if 40 per
cent of his crops go to support home
dealers he can save this to employ
help, by dealing with mail order firms.
The  truth   is,   farms  are   being  im-
lower than home merchants, we called
on one of the largest concerns of this
kind in the world. Their business is
based on the principle of small profits
and quick returns. Unnecessary freightage and middlemen's profits are avoided. Goods are purchased direct from
the manufacturers and very often shipped direct to the purchaser from the
factory. All their work is carried on
systematically. Employees are well paid
and have many advantages of enjoyment in the fine surroundings on the
grounds owned by the company. In
their order rooms were fully 500 persons mostly farmers and their wives
giving orders.
In the mailing rooms hundreds of
clerks were busy filling orders. The
shipments made daily are surprising.
As soon as an order is taken from the
letter it is acted upon and in a few
hours the goods are on the way. If
these people can meet the farmers'
wants so cheaply -and quickly even at
the enormous expense they have to
bear, why can not the home merchant
in our towns do so?
The daily postage of this house Is
greater than  all  the  expenses  of the