Connecticut western news., 1891-01-07
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1891.
WE NOTE

WE NOTE
 That our esteemed contemporaries, the Canaan News and the New Milford Gazette, have tackled the ''excursion business of the Housatonic road, '" and arc, so as to speak, tearing 1t into smithereens.
 There is but little doubt that our es- teemed contemporaries have fastened their clutches upon the butt end of a notoriously damaging business. so far at least as the home interests of the town are concerned, which are directly affect. ed by these excnrsions. Every dollar 8 worth of trade that is railroaded to Bridgeport by the Housatonic road, IS just 90 much taken from the tills of the merchsnts of the small towns along the Housatonic. Yet these merchants are the very life of the towns in which they are located. They are the men who largely help support the churches, who largely sustain the public schools, who are foremost in all local enterprises and whom the towns could ill afford to spare.
 When the people cripple these mer- chants they cripple themselves. Yet they do it. consistently and pertinaceous- ly, not only in the Housatonic valley. but in the Nangatuck valley as we'll. Canaan, New Milford and Great Bar rington merchants are not the only suf- ferers. Winsted and Torrington mer- chants have the same cause for com- plaint in this respect.
 Here in Winsted the stores are large, they carry we'll selected and extensive lines of goods, they sell them in all cases as low as do the Hartford merchants, and in many instances for less money. Yet people will pay their railroad fares to Hartford. spend an entire day there. put up with restaurant dinners, tire themselves out and come home lugging bundles of stuff by the csrtload, all of which they could have purchased in Winsted for less money, and certainly of as good quality.
 The railroads cater to these same mer- chants for their freight. and yet for the sake O. few dollars get mp excursions to take the aforesaid merchants custom ers away, and thus in Q measure binder the sale of the very goods which they have freighted to our local merchants.
 We'll, what are you going to do about it?" We confess we do not know the remedy. Perhaps the agitation of our esteemed contemporaries may wake up the merchants of their respective localities and cause them to attempt an offset in some manner. Time alone can tell what action, if any, will be taken. But certain 1t is that between the per nicious influences of cheap railroad ex- cursions to the cities, and the incursion~ of the wandering pack-peddlers from the same cities, the country merchantr r business lines are indeed rugged. sted Daily Citizen Dec 31.
 Editor VauKeuren ably presents the situation, but he confesses he does not know the remedy for the rugged lines of country merchants. For his enlight- enment, as we'll as for the enlightenment, of all interested in this subject, we would say that two remedies are sug. gested. First; all the merchants in the Housatonic valley from Pittsfeld to New Milford, both places inclusive, should take united action by assembling either ct Great Harrington or Canaan and appoint . committee of three o' more merchants to present their griev' ance to the Housatonic railroad com pany. Vice-President and General Mau ager Stevenson could not ignore such s committee or refuse them hearing even if he does not grant them theil petition. On the contra we think he would clearly see that it is his duty te protect his freighters, and we think he would gladly comply with their jus and reasonable request.
 However, in case Remedy No l prove, intellectual then Remedy No 2 should bt tried. It is an heroic remedy, but self preservation is the first law of nature Here is Remedy No 2: Whenevel Q subscription paper is circulated tt support country church, reading room, village improvement association or any other home institution or enter prise. the country merchant should frs ascertain how much the city merchant are going to contribute and then he car give in proportion to their contribu tions, or in proportion to the trad' which excursions take away from him This remedy will soon bring countr, people to their senses and convince them that . country merchant canno afford to annually give large sums t' home institutions while excursions ar robbing him of his legitimate trade.
 The time has arrived for tho mer chants in the Housatonic valley to talk some united action to protect them s,lves, or else be driven to the wall b, t,e city merchants. Newspapers can not always continue to fight the battl for country merchants. The countr, merchants must immediately do some thing for themselves. They mus Awake! Arise! or be forever fallen"
 Held 10 so tho Light.
 The man who tells you conf1dsntially jus what will cure your cold is prescribin Kemp's Balsam this year. In the prepara hon of this remarkable medicine for cough and colds no expense is spared to combin tho best and purest ingredients. Hold
 bottle of Kemp's Balsam to the light and loo through 1t; notice the bright, clear look then compare with other remedies. Pric