Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1905-06-30
THE VALUATION INCREASED
BUY Your Supplies at fiome and
Thus Increase the Value of
Your Property.


The Marble Rock Journal. of Iowa
prints the following article in refer
ehce to patronizing home industries
which is worthy of the consideration
OF all consumers:
A man went into one of the Marble
Rock stores the other day and asked
II they would oblige him by exchang.
ing an article he had bought from a
mail order house for similar article
OF another size from the merchants
stock. The merchant almost tainted
at the mans gall, but he was an oblig-
ing merchant, and so he did not get
angry. He asked the man why he
did not return the article to the mail
order house and have it exchanged.
Because have to return it at my
own expense" said the man, "and
even then 1 stand chance of not get
ting what I want. The cost of return
ing it would be considerable, and it
might get lost or broken on the trip,
and just thought maybe you could
sell it to some one else, and could let
me have one that fits me from your
stock"
The merchant looked sharply at the
man to see if he were joking or really
didn't know any better, and seeing 1t
was only the latter he told him that he
would exchange the article for him.
And he did, and the man was profuse
in his thanks for the accommodation
And then the merchant told the man
in gentlelnanly way just what he
had done. He said:
'My friend, you live in this COM
munity. You have lived here a good
many years. You own a farm that
cost you perhaps $15 to 500 per acre,
and it is now worth $75 to $1O0 per
acre, and yet the land is not as good
as when you bought it. What has
made it worth more? 1t is because
it is near good town-to this town to
which you and your neighbors helped
to build up by your patronage. While
you were helping the town with your
patronage you were unconsciously
doubling or trebling the value of your
farm. The rule works both ways.
The growth of the town increases the
value of your farm, and the deterior-
alton of the town Injuries the value of
your farm. If you buy your goods in
Marble Rock you help to make Marble
Rock larger town and help to make
your land worth more. If you buy
your goods in Chicago you help to
make Chicago larger city and you
leave to other people the burden of
building up your home community
and increasing the value ofy your land.
If you help to build up Chicago how
much will it increase the value of
your farm?
"You are interested in this town as
much as are the people who live in it.
You trade your produce here for
things that you want, you sell your
stock and farm produce here, or in
some other town near here and if you
are unfortunate and need financial
help, the business men here, and no
one but the business men, are solic-
tied to raise a purse for you. And
they always do it whether you have
helped them or not. If you are short
of cash, or your crops or stock are not
yet sold, you ask for credit at the
stores here and you get it, which is a
favor to you though you may not know
it. If you buy something at the store
here that does not prove as good as
was claimed for it you can bring it
back and exchange it or get your
money back. In these and hundred
other ways you are under obligations
TO this town and the merchants here
to trade with them, and yet you have
sent your cash to this mail order
house to buy what you want and have
not gotten what you want after all"
The merchant paused for breath
and the man mumbled something
about getting cheaper prices at the
mail order houses.
eff that were true" said the mer-
chant, 'T wouldn't complain a bit.
II YOU could save money by ordering
of the mail order houses, which are
the bitterest enemies Of this town, l
wouldn't say a word. Not counting
all things I have said-the fact that
YOU are hurting the value ofyour own
farm when you hurt this town; the
fact that the merchants here, or IN
whatever town you trade, take your
lose money on it, and give
YOU goods in exchange; the fact that
YOU can get credit here when you
haven't the cash, and can always
bring goods back and exchange them
when they are not satisfactory; and
the fact that you or any Of your neigh
bors who are in hard luck can always
oct financial help from the merchants
here: in spite of all these things II
YOU could get goods cheaper OF the
mail order houses than you can here,
7 wouldn't complain. But you can't
You have a catalogue that you can
sit around and study in the evening"
and the prices look cheap because you
- tiuaa To study them,