Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-06-27
THE LOYAL CITIZEN.
His Duty In Relation to His Own
Community Pointed Out.
FAVOR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS.
Why He Should Patronize Home Mer-
chants-PitfaIls In Mail Order Propo-
sitions-LocaI Dealer More Dependa-
ble-And Don't Forget the Printer.

bie-And Don't Forget the Printer.
In a recent issue the Daily Forum of
Bucyrus, o., presents a plain talk on
the duty of the loyal citizen in relation
to his home town. The argument is
applicable to every town in America.
1t rum as follows:
The first duty of every citizen is to
be law abiding. The second duty is to
be loyal to his own community, to be
public spirited, to support home insti-
tutions and to %patronize home industry
and home trade.
Very few people will dispute these
propositions. 1t is especially the last
which we want to talk about Il little i'll
this connection. This paper consistent
~ and at all times has advocated and
urged the support of home merchants,
but it is we'll to keep the reasons why
this is the duty of all fresh in mind. A
few of them we wish to call attention
to just now.
In the first place it is your home
dealer who does you good. He pay
taxes to support your local government
and your schools, He contributes to
the support of your churches, and he
Is the man who goes down in his peck
ct and puts up the price when new in
dustries are knocking at your door and
there is an opportunity to better local
conditions, to improve real estate val
ues and to make your community bet
ter in every way.
In the second place, he is the mar
you go to in case of misfortune and
when in need of favors. With all for.
eign dealers, either in the mail order
line OF in the cities that you occasion.
ally visit, business is a cold blooded
proposition. If you have the cash in
your hand, you a buy their goods.
Ii you have not the money, it makes
no difference to them that your wife
or child is sick, that you are out of
work or that misfortune in any guise
has come to you. No cash, no goods.
The benefit is theirs. The hardship is
yours, and your only salvation Is the
kindly merchant at home, who cannot
bear to see his neighbor suffer ever
though he knows that the money that
should ave been spent with him has
gone to strangers for a fancied saving
of a few pennies. You ask him for
the favor, and you get it too.
Then comes the question, Do you
save anything in the end? You will
surely agree, If you have had much ex-
perience in this line, that you do not
You pay for correspondence and for
transportation, you take your goods on
faith, as the boys trade jackkniyes,
"out of sight and unseen;" you take all
the risks of damage in transit, you pay
strictly cash in advance, and when you
get your goods you discover as a rule
that your home merchant would have
sold you the same quality or better for
less money. Then you would like to
trade back, but your city dealer or
mail order house is not at hand, as
your home dealer is. You cannot go to
him and get the goods made right or
get your money back, as you can with
the Bucyrus merchant. You have paid
your money, and you pocket the loss,
because you cannot help yourself. You
are dissatisfied, and if you are like
some people in Ohio you will go to the
local merchant and ask him to trade
you good goods for the worthless stuff
you have had shipped in.
We have not attempted an exhaustive
discussion of this subject, for it is too
large. Reasons might be multiplied
without limit, but we have merely sug-
gested a few of the most apparent ties
which should bind every man and wo-
man to the home dealer so long as the
goods desired are to be secured at
home. 1t is farsighted policy, 1t is
loyalty, it is present economy. And
this applies to every business, includ-
ing printing. Don't forget the printer.