River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-06-28
A NEW FACTOR.
Favorable to Northwestern business In
terests--Eyery business Will Profit
Thereby.


Favorable to Northwestern business In
terests.-Every business VIII Profit
Thereby.
The work { ( the Northwestern Home
Trade Association promises to develop
new factor favorable to Northwestern
business interests. This factor is that
of LOYALTY on the part of the consumers
to Northwestern manufactured pro-
ducts. Many papers abroad have pur-
posely greatly distorted the object of
this association, claiming L was TO
compel citizens of the Northwest TO
buy goods at home. To credit repre-
sentative Northwestern business men
with an attempt to organize an associ-
alton to coerce Northwestern consum-
ers into purchasing Northwestern pro-
ducts. is an insult TO the judgment of
the men who have endorsed this move
ment. So absurd charge ON the part
of Eastern papers merits no denial from
the men who are promoting this asso-
citation. Commenting on he home
patronage movement in the Northwest,
the New York Mail & Express says:
This movement will be a failure be-
cause conditions prevail which prevent
any one section from producing all il
needs" The object of this association
as set forth in tn. articles of organiza-
ton reads: THE oject of this associa-
ton shall be to promote loyal
ty on the part of Northwestern people
% Northwestern manufactured pro-
ducts and sentiment in favor of buy
ing all classes of merchandise from
home merchants and dealers" There
is nothing in this which intimates that
il is contemplated that the Northwest
shall manufacture all that il needs, nor
indeed that as result of this move
ment new factories shall he built. The
tendency ON the part of all cities is to
offer Inducements to new manufacture
ing concerns to locate with them, and
in nearly every Northwestern city are
one or more business organizations
which work to that end. As soon,
however, as the factory is secured. all
further responsibility ceases, and al
though the individuals who worked
hardest to secure the manufacturing
plant may buy similar goods to those
made by the new concern, they seem to
forget they have any responsibility in
keeping the new concern alive and con-
time to purchase from the remote
cities as was their practice; yet this in
difference is not SO strange when one
remembers that the merchant might
find 1t harder to push the new line and
make sales. The correction of this
practice will not come from him but
from his customers, the consumers.
To Illustrate: A city which has half a
hundred manufacturing concerns in
duces the location of another, perhaps
in a line not before represented, say a
shoe factory. This factory brings fifty
hands who expect to pay rent, buy
food and clothes, pay taxes and assist
in sustaining schools and other public
institutions. There is, however, but
one way they will be able to fulfill
these expectations and that is by making
shoes which some one must wear. If
the workmen then in the ether facto-
ries do not buy their product, how will
they, the shoe workmen, be able to
buy theirs? 1t is for the other con-
sumer to watch his own interests by
placing in the hands of the shoe work
man, who is also a consumer. the
means 10 buy his product instead of
sending his money to some worSmen a
Thousand miles away who certainly
would not return it to him by purchas-
ing his product. So it is for the con-
sumner to insist that the dealer carries
in stock the product of the factories at
home. If the consumer is willing to
take goods made abroad it is not
strange that the retailer buys those
goods which sell most easily. The agi-
tation of the matter by the association
has already been felt in various ways.
The Indifference of the past is giving
away to deeper thought on the sub
iect and where it is possible to buy at
home without injustice to the buyer,
such purpose Is already seen in many
cases. The association Is now working
on a label which may be used on the
goods of any manufacturer who is a
member of the association and thus a
manufacturer can mark his goods with
n sign which will be unmistakable as
a Northwestern product. The interest
in the work of the association is not
! limited to the Twin Cities, but is a
broad Northwestern movement and al
ready several cities have expressed a
purpose of organizing branch associa-
tions as provided in the articles of or
ganization. The secretaries Geo. w.
Parker. of Minneapolis, and E. S. War
ner, of st. Paul, are actively engaged
in soliciting membership and already
nearly 100 members have been enrolled.
AS rapiGlf as possible the work will be
be pushed into outside towns and it is
believed that the movement will ev-
erywhere be met with encouragement
and cooperation of all Northwestern
people.