Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1874 — The Merchant and the Granger. [ARTICLE]

The Merchant and the Granger.

Among, the many false impressions ■which have obtained currency concerning the Grangers none arelnore erroneous than that they are making war against the merchants as a class. The Grangers are opposed to extortion, and wherevet they find it, whether among wheat : bcyers or wool-buyers, commission merchants or sewing-machine agents or any other class of traders, they 'will get out of their grasp just as quickly as possible, To those who are doing a fair and honorable 'business we can safely say and we be-,

\ieve the whole Order will back us in the assertion, vou have nothing to fear from the Grangers. The farmer don’t want to keep store. He don’t know how to keep one. It is a trade in itgelf, a legitimate, useful and honorable Trade, and the farmer don’t want to stop his plow to measure ribbons. It don’t suit him. He feels out of place handling silks and satins. He would rather see the I streams of wheat coming from the threshing-machine than shelves full of dry goods. Shut the farmer up in a store and he can scarcely breathe. He wants to get out and fill his lungs with the pure air of heaven, and while the merchant is content with fair profits the Grangers will be only too willing to allow him to conduct the business which he has Jearned and understands, while the farmer does the same. As a general rule we have been opposed to the establishment of Grange stores, but there are circumstances where they are justifiable. Whenever merchants attempt to overreach or take undue advantage of the straightened circumstances of the farmers we hold it to be their right and duty to free themselves from the oppressor. We believe there are but few places where extortion is practiced by our country merchants. There is 100 much com--1 petition for this, and in most cases goods , are sold as low as they can be sold and , give a living profit to the merchant. There is one thing which, if it could be brought about, would result in great good to both classes, and that is for onehalf the merchants to sell out to the other half and turn farmers or manufacturers. There are altogether too many merchants. Were the number reduced by one-half, the remainder, by 1 doubling their trade, could afford to cut down their percentage of profit and still make more money. Still there is no room for a warfare between ♦he merchants as a class and the Grangers, and there should be none. Their interests are mutual, and the best of feeling should exist between them. It is not only bad taste, but extremely bad policy, for the merchant to look sour at a man because he is a Granger, and to feel that he is an enemy and wants to take away his business. All the Granger wants is fair, square, honorable, up and down dealings, and he will attend to his own business and allow you to do the same. There is one class of merchants which the farmer must learn to avoid before he is safe. It is that class which has no sympathy with, nor interest in, our institutions, or in us, except to enrich themselves upon us. As well might the farmer place his head in the lion’s mouth and expect to live as to allow one of these soulless traders to get him and his farm within his control and hope And here comes in another of the grand and glorious Grange commandments : “ Pay as thou goest as much as in thee lieth; this do and thou shalt live.” This is the only safe policy for the farmer and works no injustice to the merchant. We repeat, there is no war between the merchant and the Granger.— Pacific Rural Press. —Jenny June got a hat that turned up on one side and her husband criticised it so severely that she wore her old bonnet when she went to see “ The Sphinx,” and lo! it was the only one there. Everybody had on a new hat and every one had it turned up high on the sides. Said her husband: “ Good heavens! have all the women gone crazy?” “Yes,” replied she, meekly, “ and why can’t I go crazy too?” “My dear,” said he, “you may; it would be ridiculous to he the only sensible woman in the world.” So hereafter she is going to wear her gray fell turned up on one side, in peace.