68 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



Barnett Brothers acting; as part of it, |1,5()0, and inside of two months 

 f3,S00 were paid back to shippers by this institution which was vilified 

 Jesterda3^ Now you say, ''Why do you not do it all around?" We are 

 not a collection agency. It remains with you, gentlemen, who grow the 

 fruit, who produce the fruit, to crusii these men out, and if you will not 

 do it, then what can you expect us to do? Suppose John Brown is a dis- 

 honest man and he will keep 25, 50, or 100 per cent, of the proceeds — in 

 fact, he takes the whole business Avithout saying anything to you about it. 

 He has had the profit. Now, remember all honest commission men are 

 not in tliis organization; we do not claim that. We said "come in with 

 us", but there are men who stayed outside for very good and sufficient 

 reasons, by themselves. The dishonest man has had the honest proceeds. 

 Assuming you sell him a thousand dollars' worth of goods, and he is 

 entitled to a hundred dollars of that, he has that and he puts that in his 

 pocket, and witli it includes from two to five and possibly nine hundred 

 dollars. He has that money in his pocket. What does he do? He says, 

 "What are you going to do about it?" That is in plain language, but I 

 was told that in my office b}' an attorney, and the attorney said, "If any 

 of your friends are in trouble, w'hy, here is my card." AV^ell, I did not 

 need his card. I knew where to find his office. I considered it a down- 

 right insult, and that man I know is liired by the year to keep men out of 

 trouble. Now^, our local organization got after this concern that made 

 these large restitutions of which I spoke. We did not dare mention the 

 name, mind you, but we sent east and west, north and south, broadcast, 

 to all of our correspondents, evidence so clean and so direct that b}^ and 

 by they "squealed". Inside of two wrecks I had a telephone message that 

 asked for me personally. I answered it. It said, "I would like to meet 

 you at the Briggs house at lunch." I met him, and we sat down at a 

 table together, and he said, "You fellows are making it terribly hot for 

 me." I said, "I guess you have made it hot for the other fellow% haven't 

 you?" He said, "Yes, but I can't stand this; I want you to let up. Can I 

 join the National League." Said I, "No, sir; your record is against you." 

 Although that man had been to me previously, and I had told him point- 

 blank that I would not sell him a dollar's worth of goods unless lie put 

 up the cash, and even then did not wish to sell him, that I w^as opposed to 

 him and opposed to his practices, in two weeks after that I had another 

 call, and again he begged me to let up. I said, "No, sir; restitution is the 

 only thing." I had several accounts sent in, where they had slauglitered 

 the goods in order to get rid of them, and during the fall they had done 

 the largest fruit and produce business of any firm in Chicago, and in two 

 weeks more they w-ere out of business, and they have not dared go back. 

 That is the direct work of the National League. Now, gentlemen, you 

 have all the evidence and all the opportunity to find honest men, but how 

 do you treat them? I think Mr. Thayer said, "Find your men (I have no 

 question but he looked them up first; he locked the stable before the 

 horse was stolen), and w^hen you have found them stay by them." Will 

 you stay by anybody today? Will the average fruit shipper stay by 

 anybody? Any man that comes and oflers you something for nothing is 

 the one that gets the business. If a man offers more than the market 

 warrants, then he gets the business without any investigation. Now, you 

 should be very careful right here (T wish to guard this point). Our market 

 slumps, and before you accuse a man of stealing, you would better find 

 out what the market was. Mr. Thayer smiles at that. What can you 



