Practical papers—co-operation. 
441 
can and must be done by organizing and establishing granges and 
clubs in every town in the state. 2d. We should buy our farm 
implements and machinery as far as possible, direct from the man¬ 
ufacturers, either through farmers’ clubs, granges or county agri¬ 
cultural societies. For instance, if the Dane County Society 
would amend their constitution, so as to make it the duty of the 
secretary and treasurer to order all machinery and farm imple¬ 
ments that the members of the society require, direct from the 
manufacturers, or other parties that would agree to sell at the same 
price they do to special agents, a great saving might be made. 
The fee to the officers of the society for such work, would be 
trifling. The larger the organization, the more influence will its 
officers have with manufacturers in-making purchases at reduced 
prices. 
I am willing to pay fair prices for all farm implements; but 
am not willing to pay special agents from 50 to 100 percent, more 
than the article costs at the factory. A special agent bargains 
with the manufacturer to have exclusive control of the sale of any 
article in certain localities. He operates by charging such prices 
as he chooses, and you are compelled not only to buy of him, but 
to pay nearly double what the article cost. Those special agents get 
hold of the most popular machines, and you cannot buy them of 
the manufacturer at any price. He will refer you to his special 
agent. Special agencies are monopolies that give one man the 
power to extort from others who desire to buy of them. How 
would the citizens of Dane county feel if one man had the special 
agency for the sale of all the clothing !n the county, or of all the 
boots and shoes, or the tea and coffee, or the hardware, and they 
were compelled to purchase, if at all, at prices they chose to exact. 
Local agents are not objectionable; they are useful and con¬ 
venient where their charges are moderate. There should be no 
special agents. Local agents frequently accommodate farmers 
with time contracts, upon which the farmer expects to pay higher 
prices and interest. If farmers would pay cash for what they buy, 
I think there would be no difficulty in making arrangements with 
manufacturers, at reduced prices, for all the farm implements de¬ 
sired. Th^re was a convention held in Cleveland, Ohio, a short 
time ago, of manufacturers of reapers and mowers, and one of the 
