Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-09-23

trictS and its pauperism. The country
town has no Sums, and every one is
self supporting. The red light and
criminal districts of the cities are un-
known to the country towns. The po-
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
back yard and a COW in a neighboring
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
cncy is rather in the other direction
The movement Of factories to smaller
towns where the employees can live
more comfortably is becoming general
Dccentralizing of the mercantile busi-
ness must follow.
The growth Of the mail order bust
ness has been regarded as spelling the
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 Of
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 and trying
to caiole of brighten him into boycott
ing the mail order houses the country
merchant had handled the problem In
a 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 Il square deal there Is little
complaint Of mail order buying. 1t is
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 Is
directly Disseminated against. The
stores maintain a delivery service for
their city patrons. The farmer goes
to the store for his goods. The city
man usually pays once a mOnth-some-
times not SO often. The farmer nearly
always pays for his goods in cash or
produce. Yet both must pay the same
price The farmer is helping to pay
the cost Of delivery system from
which he gets no benefit. He is help
ing to pay the interest on credit ac-
COuHtS anu SouStlIlCo tllC accounts
themselves. If instead Of working
desperately against anything that
bears the ne me of parcels post on the
ground that it will encourage mail or
der buying the merchant would turn
in and work for Il low rate parcels
post on the rural routes he would eff
fcctually curb any tendency the COM
munity might have toward mail order
buying If he would deliver certain
classes OF goods to the farmers by
such Il parcels post he would be CIV
ing them no more than a square deal.
Another way in which the merchants
N country towns are unfair to the
farmers is in the purchase Of farm
produce. A good many times the mer-
chants will combine to keep down the
prices of potatoes and other farm
products. Often they will ship In such
products from distance. forgetting
their arguments In favor of buying in
the home community.
One of the greatest injustices which
the merchant in the country town has
imposed upon the farmer and upon
his fellows in town as well Is that Of
useless duplication. In many country
towns there are half dozen grOcers