27-1 ANNUAL REPORT 



Mr. Eegester. I don't know anything about j^ou or your firm 

 but I know that Fairfield is a swindle; 1 know that. 



Mr. May. It is pretty hard for me to be responsible for all 

 the men in my employ. 



Mr. Eegester. I might tell a little circumstance. This Fair- 

 field was in our neighborhood at the time. 



Mr. May. What location ? 



Mr. Eegester. Granite Falls, Chippewa County. 



Mr. May. Oh, yes. 



Mr. Eegester. He was through there and wished me to go in- 

 to the business and I thought perhaps I would ; he met me on the 

 sidewalk, and said he would give me a little lesson as I was 

 thinking of going into business; so I listened to him, and it is 

 the first lesson and the last one that I ever took on the business 

 of swindling, but he gave it to me in such good shajje that I 

 thanked him and told him if that was the way — 



Mr. May. You might tell it and enlighten some of these other 

 gentlemen so they will have a chance! 



Mr. Eegester. He said to take up one or two articles, put 

 them forward and praise them up to customers and keep their 

 mind right there as he did with me; if they go to talk just talk 

 them out, don't let them have anything to say, and occupy them 

 until you get them magnetized. I was swindled to the tune of 

 twenty dollars but he didn't swindle me any more; you see I was 

 a "stranger" and he took me in. [Laughter.] 



President Elliot. I think we have gone about far enough; we 

 have spent half an hour. If Mr. May will furnish his list and 

 the prices attached we may in correspondence the coming year 

 be able to develop something in the oparations of this L. L. 

 May & Co.; for I propose as one of the executive ofi&cers of this 

 Society to follow this thing; auj^ if there is such a thing as hedg 

 ingout these itinerant tree peddlers, these men from Eastern firms 

 coming in here and putting upon our State and upon our people 

 stock that is grown in a southern climate, that is wholly and to- 

 tally worthless, why we propose to do it. [Applause.] 



Mr. Harris. We propose to make the firm that sells responsi- 

 ble for the work of their agents. 



Mr. Latham. Mr. Chairman, I don't know how much has 

 been said on this subject before I came in, 'and I don't know 

 what the view of the Society is in regard to the amount of re- 

 sponsibility that a firm shall take as to the character of the agent 

 that he sends upon the road. Messrs. May & Co., of St. Paul, 



