Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-04
PREACH AND PRACTICE
TRADING AT HOME.
Merchant Calls Attention
to Bad Example
Set By Business Men
Who Buy Away From
Americus.

1t is recognized that one of the
greatest sources of weakness to the
commercial interests Of a city is the
practice Of buying goods away from
nome
Every doIla- sent away from Amer
icus, no matter by wlom it is sent,
for the purchase of goods, reduces the
available capital of Amertcus, lessons
the strength of the local business
houses and undermines the founda-
tions ON which the prosperity Of the
city rests.
There are not so many people guilty
of this practice today as there were in
former years. But there are still too
many who order goods from other cit
les There would be too many if there
were only two or three doing this.
The spirit of pride in Americus, the
desire to help build up the city should
be sufficiently strong now to keep ev-
cry one from sending money away
that should be turned into the chan
nels of trade locally.
But not only those who are not in
business are guilty of this method Of
interfering with the development Of
the city.
Even business men, dependent
themselves upon local trade for the
support Of their establishments, are
said to be guilty at times of failing
to practice what they preach, of for
getting the next door business neigh
for, or the man around tie corner in
some other line Of business than their
own, when they want goods. Thought
lessness is to be laid at their doors.
1T is time, said a m1-3hant yes
terday, that our business men set
their faces steadfastly against the al
together too prevalent practice Of
buying away from home. But before
they do this consistently and unitedly
shey must faithfully practice what
they preach. /
AS it is now there are some mer-
chants who cannot do this. They fo--
get the unity of spirit that SHOULD
mark the business interests of a city
and order goods ,hey do not carry
themselves, but which their friends
and neighbors do. Furniture, cloth
ing, dress goods, jewelry, millinery,
these and many other lines, all cae~
ried by responsible houses here, a~e
bought by local merchants or their
wives or children, away from Ameri-
Gus.
This is not the spirit that should
be displayed. Every business man in
Americus should se5 his face steadfast-
ly against buying anything away from
| Americus, either on his own part OF
on the part of any member of his fam
iIy Unless he does that lie has 40
legitimate right to call on the public
generally to do their trading at home.
Now, the public is not slow to find
out things, and when it finds out that
this local business man, or that local
business man, buys his clothing in Ma
con, his jewelry in Atlanta, his wife's
hats in Albany or Columbus, and his
children's dresses somewhere else, the
public does its own thinking and con
cludes tLat there is no reason it
should not do likewise
"Let every business man here See
that the money spent by him and his
family is spent with the local mer-
chants. Then let the local merchants
start a campaign to awaken the peo-
pie to sense of their duty to Amer
icus. and there will not be so much
reason to complain on this score,
Americus' business interests will be
more prosperous, and we will get the
spirit of public unity and enterprise
that we need"