The Cairo bulletin., 1909-10-15

, much right Tor as little as the cas-
may bel TO protest against the people
lof their city coming to Cairo as tn,
merchants OF Cairo have to profess
against the people of this city COINS
to St. Louis and Chicago. 1t is ap
parent that everywhere, people ar,
prone to buy where they think the,
4 can buy the cheapest or can best Sc
cure what they want Mound Cit,
people colne to Cairo, Cairo people
go to st. Louis or Chicago the people
OF the latter cities go 10 New York
and the New Workers go to PaT>s.
Berlin ami London. Nor Is this COZ
fined to the consuming public The
frefait merchant twho complains most
tabout this state of thingsl does not
patronize the wholesalers of his city
land the wholesaler does not patronize
tthe home manufacture.
/ 1t is easy TO see that it would be
for the benefit OF each community to
RESTRAIN this disposition, but there
may well be a diffe. ence of opinion
as TO how far and in what manner
such restraint should De eyerted. In
this day and age no community can
Hive within itself, isolation is con,
|trary ~ human nature and is repug-
|nant 10 The spirit OF progress and
The railroad and the
Telegraph have made it impraeticable
III not impossible, Perhaps the most
effective method OF inducing people
to R~y at home is that adopted by
the national government in the pro-
tectiye tariff, whica evmpels them TO
pay an artiteially advanced price if
they would buy abroad, and at the
same time enables the home merchant
or manufacturer to exact from them
an artiiieially advanced price for his
own goods. This is the most radical
and the most offensive method OF
promoting home development. Ii is
sometimes called robbery aud it
as robbery" In the miiest sense Of
that ugly term when IT goes beyond
the point called for oy the needs of
the home dealer or manufacturer TO
meet foreign competition AMI serves
TO build up great and oppressive
monopolies.
But there is another method
milder, more just, MT to saw more
effective, for accomplishing the same
purpose, In which the right of the
people to buy where they please Is
not ruthlessly interferTed with. This
method involves efforts to arouse
a strong sense OF local pride among
the people in their city and in every
thing pertaining to IT. and this seems
70 be the method proposed at the |
Commercial Club meeting Monday |
night. But this method involves also |
more important still-it /
calls for. the right kind of effort on |
the part OF business men to provided
themselves with what the peouie |
want, to let people know that theyi
have the goods. and to offer them at
the right prices
Gp-to-date stores, with up-todate
stocks at uptodate prices. with up.to. I
late enterprise to attract and niease /
he buying public, will draw and hold
business just as the electric light |
ira"s gnats; and business men whot
10 not offer these necessary condi-
ions to success have no right to com.
plain If people go elsewhere to buy
What they want--they must not ex
1ect that the general consuming, pub
lie SHAH Pc the only ones to make
'acriitN A. the altar of local pride"1
ii town loyalty"
The fag Lie OF Cairo have been gen.
'rous and persistent IN their patron /,
ige OF home merchants. They have |
gwen fortunes to a score OF men en-.
ragged In the retail business here. How
many OF the latter have shown the /
proper appreciation Of talis, and pride |
n their city, to use the money they |
made in their business 10 develop 1t |
to increase their stocks. to improve |
heir methods of service to the public. |
% erect buildings that would be a |
credit to themselves and their city? |
fhey can be counted on less than thel
fingers OF one hand!
These may be regarded as harsh |
words and they do not apply TO but
very few men now In business here.
But they represent the truth, eener. |
ally speaking. and ought to be uttered
m any discussion wherein criticism in
passed upon the people of Cairo on
the ground of their lack of local pride
or loyalty to local interests. to the
end That correct conclusions may be
reached and the true and effective
remedies applied for the conditions
.hat are complained of with more or
less justice.
TO WATER CONSUMERS.
Elxpwhan, -.