State Convention—Better Education, Etc. 16B 
York, as I know of a person a year ago doing, when wheat was 
about $1.50 in New York. He shipped ten car-loads from Oakfield, 
Wisconsin, with the prospect of having an increase of twenty cents 
on the bushel by not letting it go to Milwaukee and intermediate 
points. The shipper shipped directly to New York in his own 
cars. This wheat was delayed two weeks in reaching New York. 
By that time the price had fallen so the profit was all gone. If 
there had been any damage the shipper would have been responsi¬ 
ble for it. Will the gentleman give us the practical road by which 
we can accomplish better results? Will he surmount these diffi¬ 
culties for us. He has also made another point. I had some ex¬ 
perience myself. He says he went to the shores of Lake Superior 
and other places and made himself a market, where he sold directly 
to the consumer. He secured a larger margin of profits and opened 
a varied market for his products, and that they were always a su¬ 
perior article, being shipped fresh from his hands and always being 
what he guaranteed them to be. Gentlemen will remember that I 
made such a point a year ago before the horticultural society. It 
was of little importance what the article was if it was always up to 
the standard grade, or a little better; there was always a market for 
it, especially the higher quality of articles. 
If Mr. Smith has ability and business tact, why don’t he embrace 
m its benefits A, B, and C, who will ship with him, who have nei¬ 
ther ability nor business tact, nor the knowledge to follow in his 
footsteps? 
Mr. Smith: I did state what my practice had been. I have not 
confined myself to the northern markets exclusively. I have been 
shipping to Indiana—jumped Chicago. I have not experienced the 
difficulties Mr. Benton alludes to in transportation, and in shipping 
directly to Colorado, instead of going through all the hands, my 
goods went direct, and reached Denver City within a reasonable 
time; as soon as I could reasonably expect. In those instances he 
relates, it is possible that no one may have been to blame. It is 
possible it was an unintentional delay. I will say for myself, I have 
had very little trouble in that way. I have had annoyances, and I 
have been swindled, to put it in plain language, by the railroads, 
but I have got my goods to market. 
Secretary Field: I wish to say one single word. The point struck 
