The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-07-22
WHERE 90 YOU
s9i MAKE YOUR MONEY?

s5qi MAKE YOUR MONEY?
There is a constant flow Of adver-
Using matter in the country newspa-
Der office, bearing on the subject Of
nail order houses, the great disaster
hat will befaI the country merchant
and the country town, the consequent
evil effect on the public schools and
other institutions in the country towns
and this is all sent to the country
printer for him to republish. A strong
argument against the mail order house
used on the farmer is try to trade
Montgomery Ward or Sears, Roebuck
hay, grain, potatoes or meat products
for goods and see what they say.
Local men who are in the habit Of
handing the printers this line Of liter
lature do not stop to think that the
latter must make living. One firm
In this town, which heretofore has
sent all their printing away, has been
converted to the belief that the local
newspaper man is a better booster
than any Chicago, Omaha or western
coast print shop ever could be, and con
seQuently is preparing to give the
home plant the work even though it
costs little more, Did, you, Mr. Bus
mess Man, ever think of 1t this way?
If a newspaper man sent away from
home for his groceries, wearing ap-
1arel or household furnishings, about
how long do you suppose he would
remain in business. There is Salt
Lake house that sends representative
into this city, The house and repre-
sentative both endeavor to- sell sup
plies to the local printers and also
find ready market for their wares
In the business houses Of the local mer
chants. Their prices range about the
same as the local printers and yet 1t
would seem that because 1t was for
sign solicitor, he was more entitled to
the merchants trade.
Repeatedly commercial clubs have
been organized here. They have us
ually been failures. We do NOT think
that their failure was due wholly to
the fact that insufficient interest was
given, hut it is fact that II the
printers OF the town had been more
considerably treated in the patronage
they received from the officers and
members Of the various clubs. not as
members of the organization, but In
every day business life, and had been
given an opportunity to at least make
a commission out Of the line Of print
ing that could not have been done in
the home shops, there would have beer
q greater effort put forth by them to
boost the town and every business
house in it. For some reason news
paper men are constantly in the pub
lie eye of the community in which they
live. They are expected to boost wher
advertising is poor, they are expect
ed to boost when they are being turn.
ed down by someone who is amply
able to pay their bill, but who have
contracted the habit of never paying
A newspaper man Is expected to
boost when he goes into a mans
store and is insulted by the proprietor
saying, "Oh, Ill give you an advertis
ment just to help you along" Wha'
would a merchant think If person
came in and said "This article is nj
good, but I'll take it to help yo'
along" He would probably put thu
goods back on the shelf and say. mo
you won't"
A man goes into store and ask
for a dozen eggs, pays the grocer
price and goes home. He walks int
a printing office and before he give
an order, usually wants to know whs
the stock costs, how long it will TAX
the printer to set the job. what wage
we are paying him, and then II
profit is asked on the job he figure
until he wears out lead pencil, wall
out and tries to see where he can g
It done cheaper. and yet he would ros
his head off If a newspaper man wou
say that he was holding up the publ
and an article could be purchased
Montgomery Ward for half the amou
asked by the merchant
Until such time as we receive ia
amount Of patronage from the s
called boosters of the town, who a
in the habit Of sending their printil
out Of town, 1t will be deathly sileI
son the boosting game for this paper.
This is not intended as 70
against all Biackfoot merchants, but
reply to the few chronic questio
of "Why don't you write up, this TIL
and why don't you write up that, a
help boost the town."