The Redwood gazette., 1910-04-06
WHY NOT HELP HOME MERCHANTS /?
Redwood Falls Lady Has Word of Ad-
vice for Bargain Hunters.

with the continual repetition Of such
phrases as 1t won't pay, it can't
pay, ''I'll make it pay etc.
A Kansas State attorney relates
that after the closing Of the saloons
in that state, he received numerous
letters from Europe, every one of
them questioning as to whether he
had observed decrease in certain
social and moral evils. And he also
had letters from all over the states,
the questions of the latter always be-
ing does a dry town pay?' How
is business? Are the merchants sell
ing more goods, or less?"
And right here is the very place to
state in black and white why am
writing this letter. Last winter,
when our city went dry and the men
(bless their hearts) formed law en-
forcement league, | began to ponder
on the question. what could women
do to help along? You see it is like
this: Women, generally speaking, do
not have very much money to give to
public movements, but they do have
to spend considerable money with
which to buy dry goods, groceries,
etc. And right there, pat enough,
the enigma was solved. Take that
money and buy your dry goods, gro
ceries, wall paper, ETC., at home, and
make 1910 the most successful busi-
ness year ever known in Redw wood
Falls. To be sure, that is what the
majority Of ourwomen generally do.
but there are always some who seem
to appreciate an article more if they
send to city some hundreds of miles
away for it. And | really should
have hustled and written them right
away, only at that time people were
not buying very much aside from
fuel, and Of course every one orders
this at local dealers.
What brought this matter to my
mind more forcibly was, that | read
in the very same paper that gave the
vote Of the city council on the saloon
matter, list of the personal proper
ty tax payers of Redwood Falls, and
was struck by the large amount
paid annually on stocks of goods, two
stores paying each $229.35. added
up the figures opposite the names OF
several merchants (not alp and
found the amount footed up between
two and three thousand dollars. This
money paid into the city and county
treasury constitutes some claim on
US, even though it is not wholly or
directly paid into the city's strong
box. For / suppose most of it helps
maintain our schools, make our
roads, build our bridges, etc. How
much do Montgomery w. & Co. and
all of their ilk contribute to our
schools, roads or bridges? Nil, they
have no claim upon US from that
score nor any other. Neither did
they establish their mail order busi-
ness on any expectation from US, for
| in all probability they had never
heard of our our beloved city. While
on the other hand, our local mer-
chant came here, looked over the
city and its adjacent territory, noted
it's enterprising citizens, and said. Il
think that il t open a store here |
can make living. So they brought
their families and their capital and
came to make Redwood Falls grow.
Another reason why one should
meyer send away for anything they
can buy at home: There will come
times when the most inveterate mail
order woman will want something in
hurry and have to 90 to the local
stores for it. Now, if we all did as
she does, there would not be any
stores to 90 to at a pinch. For how
could stores exist on such hap-hazard
custom? Good stores enhance city
| in every way and it is but right that
as long as they are not extortionate
| in their prices, everyone should trade
at home and thus help the city grow.
Oh, I could give you arguments
enough to fill this newspaper, and
make the editor groan outwardly,
q guess he will a. it is but ! will
content myself with just one more
that should be a clincher. AS We
would that men should do unto you.
do We even 10 unto them.O those