Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-08-29
ONE OF THE WAYS TO CURTAIL
OPERATIONS OF TRUSTS.
HOME PATRONAGE PRINCIPLES
systems That Oppose the Advance
ment of Rural Towns and Agri-
cultural Communities.

spread by means of the public press
as to the operations of the great trusts
and how the masses are made to serve
the more favored classes is having its
effect The residents of agricultural
communities are beginning to realize
the dangers of business concentration
in sections of the country dominated
by the capitalistic classes. They are
fast becoming aroused to the truth
that this concentration is a menace to
the prosperity of the nation, and di-
rectly affects every producer, every
laborer and every citizen of the coun-
try who depends upon his work for
support.
The building up of great trusts COM
menced less than a score of years ago.
At the same time there were other
systems inaugurated that tended to-
wards robbing the home towns OF
business and concentrating this busi-
ness in the large cities. One OF these
systems most notable in its Injurious
operations and its force to draw
wealth from communities where it is
produced, is the mail-order system OF
TEN is illegitimate, but no economist
can show wherein its principles are
sound. BY the system communities
are impoverished and kept from pro
crossing He who will give study to
the basis of country development will
see that it is the labor employed that
not alone enhances the value OF the
farm lands, but builds up the towns.
When there is little to employ this la
Dor, the result is depression, stagna-
ton and non-progress. The great evil
of the mail-order system which has
grown up, is it's taking away the
means that small towns have of EN-
ploying labor and the drawing from
each community the profits in COM
mercial transactions that represents
the wealth that is procured. 1t is
,sophistry to claim that the resident of
a community who sends his money to
a foreign town and saves the ten per
cent. that may represent the home
merchants profits, is not factor in
impoyerishing the community. While
the saving may remain in the COM
munity the employment of labor essen
tial to every business is given to the
foreign place, and the home town is
robbed Of this employment giving
power.
Every dollar that is sent away from
a community where it is produced
either by the tilling of the soil, by the
grown Nof live stock, by the work of
the day .aborer or by the storekeeper,
ha 10 hot
extent, and this dollar ceases to be
any factor in the advancement of the
community. Presuming that there are
in community 1000 people, suppose
that each one of these 1000 people
send away to some foreign place $50
per year This in the aggregate is
100000 per year that goes to the sup
port of a foreign town. Suppose that
each one sending his money away
saves ten per cent; the savings for a
year would be s5, and in ten years $50.
Look at the other side-$10O,00O busi-
ness per year would support in the
home town five good stores. Each one
of these stores would give employ
Inent to a number of hands. The small
percentage of profit that would be
made would be retained in the com
munity and be invested in new enter
-prises. Year after year there would
iDe a continual increase in the pros
perity of the town, and the building
up process would add to the value OF
all the town property and to the
farms within the trading radius of the
town. While by sending away the
farmer would in ten years time save
but $50, whereas by patroniZing the
home town the profits that would
come to him in substantial increase
in real estate values would be ten
times this amount. The building VI
of the town would improve the home
market, affording every producer on
the farms better prices for all his pro
duce.
Then there is another thing the
town supports the churches, the
schools and other public institutions
The efficiency of these institutions are
dependent upon the life and activity
of the town. Where poor towns exist
the schools do not receive the support
that is necessary to make them good
neither are the churches of the higl
standard they should be. Home pat
ronage means good schools, gooC
churches and all conveniences tha
add to the pleasure and enlightenment
of people.
All the residents of a communit,
have common interests in it-th,
banker, the lawyer, the doctor th'
merchant, the farmer, the day lahore
all have equal interests. Thus w
find that a community is in reality
large cooperative assembly. What i
of interest to one is of material inter
est to the other. But more importan
than all is that by a practice of tn
home patronage principle the possibil
ties of building up trusts for the cor
troll of industries of the country ar