The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-12-20

A COUNTRY TOWN ON MARKET DAY.
tricts and its pauperism. The country
town has no slums, and every one is
self supporting The red light and
criminal districts of the cities are un-
known to the country towns. The pc
lice force and the criminal courts of
the city are unnecessary, and the
money which these would cost can be
used to plant trees and build side
walks
The cities are crowded almost to the
limit of human endurance. The coun-
try town has less room than the coun
try itself, but still there is plenty for
every one. The cost of food that is so
alarming to the city dweller is more
or less of joke to the resident OF the
country town He has garden In his
back yard and a cow in neighborlng
pasture. The cost of living may have
affected his ability to purchase lux.
uries, but he will always have plenty
to eat
The country town has distinctive
place to fill in the development of the
country Some people would do away
with the country town altogether and
let all the farmers business be done
in the cities Others would have the
farmer patronize his home merchant at
whatever cost. An average between
these ideas will represent the attitude
,, of the majority of the farmers toward
the country town To centralize all
mercantile business in the large cities
would be an unwise policy. The tend
ency is rather in the other direction
The movement of factories to smaller
/ towns where the employees can live
more comfortably is becoming general.
Decentralizing of the mercantile bust
ness must follow.
The growth of the mail order BUSH
ness has been regarded as spelling the
1 doom of the country town. That the
mail order business has grown to its
present proportions is the fault OF the
country retailer himself. The country
town is essential to the prosperity or
the farmer, but the farmer is more
essential to the prosperity of the coun-
try town. If instead of appealing to
the sentiment of the farmer aud trying
), to cajole of brighten him into boycott
ing the mail order houses the country
merchant had handled the problem In
businesslike way there would have
been no mail order scare. In those
country towns where the importance
of the surrounding farmers is recog
niZed and an attempt made to give the
farmer square deal there is little
complaint of mail order buying. It i
the merchants who treat the farmers
unfairly who are most ready to raise
the cry against the mail order houses.
In a good many towns the farmer L
directly Disseminated against. Th'
stores maintain delivery service TO
their city patrons The farmer goe
to the store for his goods. The cit.
man usually pays once month-some
times not so often. The farmer nearl.
always pays for his goods In cash
produce. Yet both must pay the sam
price. The farmer is helping to pa
: the cost of delivery system froT
:. which he gets no benefit. He is helT
: ing to pay the interest on credit at
q counts and sometimes the account
: themselves. If instead of wOrkin
!. desperately against anything tia
\ bears the name of parcels post on th
Y ground that it will encourage mail O.
der buying the merchant would tur
In and work for low rate parce
post on the rural routes he would e
fectually curb any tendency the con
munity might have toward mail ordt
buying. If he would deliver certai
classes of goods to the farmers b
such a parcels post he would be 81
Ing them no more than square deal.
Another way In which the merchan