The Forrest City times., 1908-02-28
PEOPLE TO BLAME
HAVE THoUGHTLEssLY AIDED IN
 cENTRAtiziNc INDUSTRIES.
EVILS NOW CLEARLY SEEN
Unequitsble Distribution of the Earn. lnss of the People inevitably Fol iowed-crowth Of Small Towns
 and Communities Retarded.

During the last few months of 1907 the people had striking example of the effects of too much standardization
 While all over the United States there was prosperity, few embarrassed concerns in Wall street. New York. brought about financial stringenev that became generally felt For years the agricultural sections have been sending money by the millions to the great financial centers. Here it was used fer the building up of great trusts and combinations, which were greatly overcapitalized. On this watered capitalization the people have been compelled to pay ponderous divi- dends.
 One natural law is that of concentral- lzation. segregation, and in these mat tefs Nature carries on it's work well out unnatural concentration, like oth- CT attractions of natural laws. bring quick punishment The centralization ol industries which has been going on since the trust era started has brought about an unequitabe distri- button of the earnings of the people. It has retarded the growth of towns ana communities. It has brought in its wake many evils that affect work CTS in every field Yet for these evils the masses of people are to blame. Every man, woman and child who la- bors and who sends the products of that labor to other places than the nome community assists just so much in centralization of business and financial power. Every resident of rural community who sends his dol lars 10 the large city helps along the trust builders and the centralizers. While the mail-order evil is one that Is serious, 1t is only So as it is a means of centralization of business, and the consequent sapping from com munities the wealth that should be re tafned in them
 The commercial enterprises are the life elements of the rural towns. When these enterprises are destroyed. the town deteriorates With the dis appearance of the town goes the home markets, the good schools and the churches and the other public con venienees that the town affords. With the going down of the town, real es- tate values are depreciated. and de precision comes to all the community. How would the farmers fare if the towns were wiped out and only the large cities allowed to exist? What kind of markets would the farmers have for all their produce? How does the average farmer find dealing with city concerns at the present time? When shipment of eggs is made to farmer get as good returns as he does from the home dealers? How about other produce? It is the home mar kets that afford the growers of pro- duce protection. When the calm thinker who is engaged in agriculture considers all these little matters, he will find that in home patronage lies the keystone of his success. How would the agricultural districts be as living places were there no home towns? But this is what the situation would be if all the people of com munity sent to some foreign place for all the goods required
 Home is a word dear to all good citizens. That man lacks patriotism whose inclination it is to oppose the progress of the place where he re- sides. By making better the home town. We are improving the com munity of which we are a part. We cannot improve with out benefting ourselves. We cannot give patronage to concerns in the large cities without giving just so much help to the trust builders and the business centralizers. All these things are worthy of the most serious consideration of every citizen.