Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1906-03-15
THE VOICES ECHO
A short Article i'm Answer to MIR.
w. ID. Hall.
II is Well To Look on Both sides OF
the Question. A Few Facts
Worth Knowing.

Editor banner In your issue or last
week was an article entitled "A Farmers
Voice" from the pen Of Mr.. w. d. Hall, in
which the estimable gentleman took few
exceptions to being called a sucker.
Now as Mr. Hall says, where there is
smoke there is fire., but for all the cold
water which he proceeded to turn on,
there seems to be something of a smudge
left
Mr.. Hall says in his article that he
makes most of his purchases Of the mer-
chants in Belding and why shouldn't hep
Do you suppose Mr. Hall that il you and
all the rest of our friends in the rural dis
tricts should stop trading in Belding that
the city would last great while? Per-
haps you don't care so much about Bel
ding in particular but don't you know that
if the merchants in this city were COM
PEELED to close their doors that il would
make great deal of difference with your
business. think that your 6ss per cent
Of sales to the local markets would be
quite large item You as much as state
that the other 95la per cent. Of your pro-
duce is sold to the city merchants. Hadn't
you better figure that trifle closer?
You say that you can imagine Smith &
Fish paying you six cents per pound for
hogs when they could ship them in for five
cents. And on the other hand can i'm
agine you shipping your hogs to Grand
Rapids for the money they would bring
you there when they would furnish Smith
& Fish for the five cents. think you
would be more likely to see il the Model
market wouldn't pay you as much as they
would have to pay in Grand Rapids.
In your article you also speak Of the
home merchant not being able to meet the
competition of the mail order houses. Al
low me to tell you that the home merchant
does meet the city stores and in a great
many instances the prices Of the local
dealer are much better than those given
by the outside firms. A good proof Of
this statement will be found in the adyer-
tlsement of our hustling hardware man,
Mr.. T. Frank Ireland in the Banner Of
Feb 5. These are a comparison of
prices of mail order catalogue and those
Of our local merchant, The Only agency
for selling the more or less questionable
goods Of the mail order house is the illus
trated catalogue-and here it might be
stated with perfect truth that many Of
the illustrations in the catalogues bear
about as much resemblance to the goods
actually carried as a COW does to a rose
These are not exactly lying illustrations,
possibly that might be too strong term,
but it must be admitted, by even their
most ardent friends, that the pictures often
tellbg mistakes, as the little girl said to
her grandmother.
Pethaps 1t is one Of the pecuarities OF
human nature that the average country
resident will accept the word Of a cata-
logue issued by house they never saw
rather than the word of their own local
dealer. Possibly it Is the Establishment Of
the advertising man who prepares the
catalogue and understands how to use the
English language. but the man who sticks
TO his local merchant and trades at home,
will win in the long run, for he will give
you better value for your money than any
catalogue house in the business. 1t is the
price rather than quality that appeals to
the class Of buyers who patronize the
mail order houses, and they do not stop
to consider whether the goods are as good
as can be bought at home; they are of
fered delivered at their doors at reduc-
ton and that is enough but after the goods
are opened then you will see why said
Don't be Sucker"
Respectfully in favor Of the local mer-
chant remain
Truly yours,
CHAs S. YoUNGs.