Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-04-02
: pATRoNtzE HOME INDUSTRY. :



Good Citizen spends His Money Among
tn. Local Trsdesnen.
The member OF community who ha-
Gitually ignores his home merchant. me
chanic or tradcsman and makes his pur-
chases and spends his money in other
towns does not deserve the name Of q
good citizen and should not be counte-
nanced by those who have the best inter
ests Of their own locality at heart. That
1t pays to trade near home is well es-
tablished fact, and no town or city ever
prospered whose citizens, enficed by the
alluring bats held out by the merchant
liz the big cities, spend their money with
them.
The local merchant and mechanic are
interested In the progress and develop
Inent Of the town and country in which
they live, and every dollar that they
arnass is reipyested and remains in the
neigllborhood. As they prosper their
taxes increase, and just 80 much those Of
others are lightened. They assist in
keeping up your schools, churches and
other public institution and charities.
But the person who spends his money in
some distant city puts 1t beyond assist
ing in any local enterprise. The man in
the city upon whom You bestow your
Custom has no further interest in you or
your surroundings than the cash he re-
ceives from you. IL il no concern Of his
whether Won are as devoid Of social,
church or educational privileges AZ them
habitants Of Borrioboola- Cha, or wheth-
or your streets or highways are well
made or an aboriginal Indian trail. The
surplus money which he has TO bestow
will go to enrich the exchequer OF insti-
tutons from which you will never re-
ceive any benefit and to add to the
wealth Of communities in which you
have no financial interest.
And, further. there is no good reason
lor this impolitic and unbusinesslike di
version of trade. The business men in
the smaller cities and towns can and do
sell goods year in and year ont "a cheap
ly as do those OF the larger places. The
lower expenses. cheaper rent and i'm
munity from the exorbitant municipal
taxes which prevail in the great cities
enable them TO do so and still make a
living profit. But the shrewd city mer-
chants, by advertising certain goods at
ridiculously low prices, manage to attract
gullible patrons to their places of bust
ness, with the knowledge that they will
succeed in selling them other goods at
advanced prices to reimburse themselves
for the loss on the leader" and leave
themselves handsome profit.
The home merchant is established here
and expects to pursue his business among
us indefinitely. The continuance Of his
trade IL dependent upon this fair and
uniform treatment of his customers and
tho quality of his goods His field is linn
tied, and shorld he resort to shady meth
dds or foist dishonest wares upon his pa
irons his reputation would be gone and
his trade consequently lost. But the
metropolitan merchant has wide and
an almost unlimited field. His patrons
are from all parts of the country. and If
he can he so fortunate as to get one good
deal" from each one he does not expect
them TO return. The ideal community
is that in which there is u reciprocity of
good feeling among merchants IN nll
branches of trade, mechanics, profession
al acn, workingmen and farmers, each
availing himself as far rs possible of tho
others services. buying his goods or em-
ploying his labor. as the case may be.
The community where this practice OBJ
tains is always found to be an excep-
tionally prosperous one. populated by
cheerful honest, neighborly and enter
rrising people, and n good place for the
home seeker TO locate in.