Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-24
Business Talk.

The Lansing Journal of last week
apropos of visit of scalping solicitor
of foreign printing establishment to
that town, improves the occasion to di-
rect few plain and sensible remarks to
the business men who gave the inter
loper their orders. No people are more
jealous rightfully so-of the in
cursions of peripatetic traders upon
their legitimate field, than merchants
and business men. They appropriately
argue that, as their interests are identi-
cal with the community's in which they
do business and in which they help bear
the burdens of taxation, and as they
furnish the means for supplying the
wants of the community through times
of depression, when there is little or no
margin of profit in their business, as
well as in flush times, besides giving
long credits and accommodations to
their customers, they are entitled, on
fair principles of reciprocity and JUS
tice, to the trade of their neighbors over
travelling merchants who bear none of
these burdens, and who have no interest
in the community except to skin it-of-
ten swindle it-and who go elsewhere to
spend their gains.
As we said, these considerations have
peculiar weight with business men
when their own interests are at stake,
but too many of them ignore them when
solicited for orders by the agents of out
side printing concerns. In many such
cases they seem to forget that the
home printer, too, is carrying burdens
and furnishing facilities for trade, and
in various ways building up and sustaio-
ing home interests, their ewn included,
for which he would have no extravagant
return, even though they should prac-
tice the principle of reciprocity which
they preach But it was not our inten-
ton when we commenced this article to
enlarge this far upon the subject, but
to introduce the remarks Of the Journal
which here follow:
Several of our business men gave an
eastern piratical printer who was
through town recently, orders for letter
heads, bill heads, ETC., because they
could get them few cents cheaper than
at home, they thought, instead Of pat
ronizing either one or the other offices
here We know that either Office would
have done the work just about, if not
quite, as cheap, and thus what little
money there was in the transaction
would have been kept at home. What
if the printers and our people generally
adopted the same course, and would
send away from home for their dry
goods, groceries, and other necessary
commodities because they could get
them little cheaper? Would these
merchants feel like piling goods upon
their shelves to lie there unsold, as the
printers have supplied their Offices with
stock for the accommodation OF these
merchants and business men? We
think not. This is mighty poor bust
ness principle to pursue, and we trust
these gentlemen who have pursued this
course will think how inconsistent it is
The Mirror establishment has IL per-
sons dependent upon it for support; the
Journal IA, and the Post 6. Now, these
30 people subsist upon groceries, wear
clothing and supply nearly all their
wants from the stores of Lansing, and
in the aggregate it is no small item, year
in and year out. Then ought not these
Offices receive the patronage of these
stores? Every reasonable thinking
man will say, certainly.