The Carlisle independent., 1907-09-12
MAXIM G 4 BLUFF
WELL-MEANlNG CITIZENS WHO
 WORK ALONG WRONG LINES.
KNOCKING THE HOME TOWN
Her Commercial Clubs Fail in Work Undertaken for the Improvement
 of Local Conditions.

In a western town not long since a General Call was issued to citizens to hold Meeting for the purpose of or ganizing a Business Mems Association 1r as the papers announced, Con- mercial club According to the News paper Reports of the event the meet ing was a Grand Success, and some 40 or 50 prominent citizens enrolled their names as members. Thus the Com mercial club was started on it's Career
 Among the active citizens and those who were foremost in advocating the Club as an Important Thing for the welfare of the Town, were Minister and a Lawyer. The good clergyman was made the Secretary, a Banker of the town was elected President, and the Lawyer Treasurer. AS is usual with such clubs, Constitution and Bylaws were adopted an Executive Committee appointed, and also Illus ting Committee to add Push to the club. It was outlined that by harmony and cooperation the town could be Doomed and made much Better. One of the Things desired was Public Library Among the other Things were Manufacturing Enterprises, a Creamery and another Elevatcr for the town, to compete with the one Eleva- tor already located there.
 Six months of careful labor on the part of the Commercial Club devel- oped the fact that the efforts towards securing any of these Things were without results. There was no Library, the Creamery Proposition was consid- cred unfavorable, as the farmers could secure more by shipping their cream out of Town than the Creamery could afford to pay, and as to the Elevator, only a part of the Stock necessary for it's start was subscribed. An investi- gation revealed that out of this very same town each day an average of more than $200 was being sent to Out side Cities for Goods that might as we'll have been purchased at the home stores. It was discovered that the Minister, who was the Secretary of the Club, all the while he was Advo- eating Town Improvement, was quiet ly Working among the Members of his Flock to secure Orders for Groceries and other goods to send to a Chicago alleged cooperative concern. He was receiving five per cent. commission on all Purchases made. The Lawyer of the town, who was made the Treasurer of the Club, was sending away for the Clothes he wore, and even the Banker could not find Carpets sufficiently good in his home town.
 These misled Enterprising Citizens were working all along the wrong lines. While they were Anxious to I'm prove the Town, to start the Creamery that, perhaps, would keep a few thousand dollars year in the town an Elevator that was almost unneceS- sary, as the one already located in the Town was capable of handling all the grain produced in the neighborhood, and would result in no saving or the bringing in of greater income, they overlooked the importance of devising means of retaining Business to the Town that was going away from it. The very ones intrusted with the Building Up of the Industries of the Place were foremost in turning over to other communities the Dollars that should be retained to improve the Home Trade, and make Wealthy the community.
 Moral-It would be we'll for mem bers of Commercial Clubs to lake heed that the most important action for the Club to take is to Devise Means of Protecting Enterprises already estab- lished instead of gaining new Enter prises of Doubtful Utility.