The Opelousas courier., 1894-03-03
Keep Your.Money at:1Iome.

The Advocate desires to again i'm.
press upon our people the Importance
of %patronizing home enterprises. Hun
dreds of jobbers in the different lines
of trade and from the various cities OF
the country annually ONE into u
city and with the aid of glib tongues
and taking ways induce many OF Il
people to order goods from other
towns, in many instances, at a cost
greater than the same article could be
procured of the home merchant.
Especially is this true in certain
lines of trade, such for instance, as the
clothing, printing and certain other
lines. Speak to one of these persons
who is in the habit Of thus dlscriml-
mating against his home enterprise and
his reply is that "he cannot always
get what lie wants with his home mer-
chant j." the cost is cheaper abroad
or some other excuse equally as uaten-
aS.le or illogical.
Now the people who do this make a
very grave mistake and at the same
time work great detriment to their
city, and consequently to themselves.
If there is any truth in the statement
that your home merchant does not
keep the line of goods you desire,
whose fault is it? Business men keep
in stock just exactly the character Of
goods that the people of the commu-
nifty in which they live ask fol and
buy; hence, if your merchants goods
do not suit you it is your fault in not
helping to create a demand for such as
you like.
The laws of trade are memorable and
business men cannol afford to lay in
heavy stocks of expensive goods unless
there is a reasonable probability of
there being a chance to dispose of
them the mere fact that he don't keep
certain grades Of merchandise is prima
for them.
Again, you say your local business
men charge higher prices than those
of other towns, when the probabilities
are that you simply don't know what
you are talking about, as the number
of people who are 'taken in" by job
bers from other cities will abundantly
testify. The chances are that you can
buy IA better grade Of goods at a lower
price from your local merchant than
you can anywhere else. At any rate
you have the advantage of an %acquaint-
ance with your local merchant, and he
could pot, oven if he would, cheat You
with the facility that one at a distance
could.
But above and beyond all these con-
siderations is the economic principle
involved-the fact that by dealing
with Sour local business men you keep
money in circulation in your own com
munity, and thus augment the general
prosperity of your city. Send it
abroad aud you take that much money
ont of circulation. you deprive the
business community of that much
capital and decrease the per capita
wealth of the community in which you
live by exactly the amount that You
send abroad in the purchase of such
supplies.
1t is the deliberate and habitual VIC
latiOu of this principle of economies
on the part Of too many of our citi-
zens which keeps down the wealth Of
the community, dtp,esses trade, and
works many of the Inconvenience
that we are subject to in daily life.
Keep your money at home make it
contribute to the welfare of the com
munity, by patronizing your neighbors
and you will stand a chance of getting
it back again. If yeu spend it abroad
it has passed beyond your reach.-B.
r. Advocate. ?