The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1907-10-24
PeRdIetOn Business Men
Cutting Off Their Noses
From the Portland Journal

lolh thO L vi oioiiu couinat
Merchants in smaller cities and
towns throughout the state-and the
country-are constantly complaining
of people in their vicinity who patron
ize mail order houses in Chicago and
other large cities. These merchants
say that in most if not all cases tire
same articles or equally good ones
could be bought of them as cheaply,
and that they, who spend their money
around home, deserve the custom of
the home people. We think these
complaints and representations are
reasonable and just. Assuming that
local merchant carries a good COM
plete stock in his line, and sells at
fair profit, as he must to succeed, he
should get his neighbours trade. If
they enable him to do profitable
business he in his turn helps them
indirectly, and ''the money is kept at
home"
But up in an eastern Oregon city
and perhaps in others-certaih mer-
chants have agreed together not to
advertise in the local newspapers.
The East Oregonan tells how at the
instance of local merchants it pitched
into people year or two ago for buy
ing things of travelling agents, and
succeeded is driving all these inter
lopers out of the country, but now
that it has been accomplished the
merchants have formed a non ad-
vertising organization. This is ilog-
ical aud unfair, not only to the local
newspaper, but to its readers, who
look in its columns for advertising as
we'll as other news. 1t is thus even
unfair to the merchants themselves.
There are newspapers and news
papers in the smaller cities and towns
Those that haven't ambition and
energy aud industry enough to publish
a reasonable amount of local news in a
readable way don't deserve any adver-
tising. But these are the exceptions
Most of the newspapers in the Oregon
country have done and are doing ten
times as much for the town and vicin-
ity and their neighbors as the rest of
the people ever did for them.
AS rule, the local newspaper earns
in its community dollars where it
takes in dimes. 1t is forever boosting,
and praising, and helping in every
Possible way. 1t rejoices at births
and weddings, and mourns at deaths.
1t contributes freely in space to every
good cause that comes along, and
there is always one on tap. 1t is the
constant friend and helper OF every
legitimate business man and every
decent persoh in the town. 1t nearly
always puts the bright side out and
looks cheerful, even if it is on the
verge of bankruptcy and hasn't a
stick of wood at home to start a fire.
The editor works in one way OIL
another about 10 hours day, for the
public more than for himself, and gets
"thank you" about as often as does q
dray mule. He will boom anything
from baby show to transcontinen-
tai railroad, aud is begrudged a free
ticket. He stands up six or seven
days in the week ior good morals and
right living, for education and develop
ment and progress and enlightenment
and civic righteousness, as no other
man in the place does or can, and toe
often is looked upon as sort OF 9
harmless molly-coddle who hasn'
sense enough to get ahead in thi,
world.
In whatever town there is news
paper worth the name, the merchant.
should be liberal patrons of it, and it,
daily or weekly grind of good work
ought to be better appreciated. The
editor stands up for the home peopl,
constantly and often without hop,
or expectation OF reward except IL
heaven, and the home people ought tC
treat him decently and fairly. He i.
the best friend of every decent busines:
man in the town, and to boycott him
Is barbarism.
! A. c. Miller went to La Grande Sat
urday on weeks business trip.