Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-11-15

The county merchants and the news
papers which depend upon local adver-
Using have great deal to say against
the farmer who sends his money to
catalogue house. One would gain the
impression from reading the columns of
imprisoned eloquence which appear in
the county papers from time to time,
that one who sends out of his own county
Tor dollars worth OF goods is a damage
to the community man who deserves
the contemot of all patriot c citizens OF
the neighborhood. There are two sides
to nearly every question, and it will do
no harm to look for a moment at the
other side OF this. Farming is as much
a business as is any other calling, and
the farmer who does not manage his
farm on business principles will soon be
forced to the wall. One OF the first laws
of business is to buy in the cheapest
market, and il the cheapest market ls
in Minneapolis or Chicago the farmer
is only safeguarding his own interest by
sending there for his goods.
But says the home merchant.
you should have your money at home
to build up your own community. Every
dollar you send out OF your own home
town makes il that much poorer"
Let US see. Suppose, for the sake OF
Illustration, that farmer sends away
for buggy, paying parhaps sixty dollars
for it. The same buggy would have
probably cost him about seventy-fve
dollars if purchased in his home town.
The extra fifteen dollars represents the
home dealers profit, and according to
his argument, he should have been al
lowed to make his fifteen dollars profit sc
as to build up the community" But
if the farmer sends away Tor his buggy
and keeps the extra fifteen dollars him
self, will not the community be just as
well off as if he had given it to the deal
er? We farmers like to see the neighbor-
hood built up, but we believe we can
make just as good use OF these extra
profits as the merchant can.
II is poor rule that won't work both
ways. If the farmer pitronszes the mer-
chant he has right to expect that the
merchant patornize him. l we'll remem-
Der driving to town one day with load
Of comb honey. The first storekeeper
whom l accosted asked my price.
Which l told him was ten cents pound.
He laughed at me, and said that he
could get all the honey he wanted in the
eastern part OF the state for nine and
one half cents. He did not stop to think
that he should encourage home indus
tries, or that in sending away for his
honey he was sending his money out
of the community He was following
good business practice, and buying in
cheapest market, which was all right.
but can such man consistently COM
plain when the farmers send 10 mail
order house for their groceries2
At another time all the gloselymen
in town made an agreement among
themselves TO pay the farmers only
twenty five cents bushel for theis
potat es, as they claimed that they
could have them shipped in for that.
At the same time they were retailing
potatoes to their city customers at six
ty cents bushel. Such a state Of af-
fairs could not be long kept secret, and
as result number Of farmers COM
menced to pedol4 their potatoes from
hoy s. to house. This aroused storm OF
Indignant prot arrcng the merchants
who even v l4 50 Jar as 10 threaten to
t'-..7 the iAmr -f4a.~d FIR peddliug
III a license.
l c3ud r. e ZION ether similar cases
But these are enough to show that the
merchant is keei ly We to his own in
terests, and does not let foolish sentiment
about patronizing home industries
prevent him from buying in the cheap
est market. Without doubt the country
N re 'lant las place, and large one,
but he is overstepping the bounds OF
propriety when he strenuously objects
to the farmer sending to catalogue
; house for goods that he cannot buy IS
cheaply in his home town. If the hcuse
( merchants desire trade, LET them crzre
out and bid for it openly and squareiy,
and not try to intrench them selves be-
, hind wall Of mistaken sentiment. &C
v. Gregory, Cero Gordo Co., Iowa, If
II