The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-09-14
n NEW INDUSTRY POSSIBLE FOR
SUMTER.
How Over One Hundred More Famil-
les Might be- Located I'm Sumter.

Hardly one day passes that the Sec
retary of the Chamber of Commerce
does not hear the remark that Sumter
needs more factories in order that
more people may be brought here.
True. but every business man in sum-
ter has ii in his power right now to
bring more families to Sumter and
yet he is deliberately injuring Sum-
ter and its business. This indictment
applies to all classes of our people;
90 the banker, to the manufacturer,
to the wholesaler. the retailer, in fast
to all business men and their wives.
They are nearly all guilty alike. The
poiut is this: That the business men
o. sumter are annually spending
thousands of dollars in other cities for
goods that could be bought at home.
If a list of the people Of Sumter who
are buying elsewhere were printed it
would need a complete directory. This
statement unfortunately applies to the
merchants as well. If Sumter peo-
pie are to be educated to buy at home
| the best place is to start with the
merchant himself. Merchants must
learn To be loyal to one another in
patronage. and this includes their
! wives also.
a few days ago the writer was
| talking to a prominent banker on
| this subject and he confessed that he
had always bought his clothes away
from home. Yet this bank is depend
ing upon the merchants to a large ex-
| tent for its existence. Suppose that
every dollar that is spent for clothes
alone were spent in Sumter? How
long would it be before Sumter cloth
ing merchants would be compelled to
increase their force How much fur
niture is bought outside Of Sumter ,
How much jewelry and any quantity
stock? Here is the equivalent of
several Industries waiting at the very
doors of the city asking to be admit
ted and yet Sumter money is going
elsewhere. 1t would be surprising If
the figures could be compiled showing
the amount that Is being spent an
nually this way. That banker was
setting an example and Yet he never
| figured just what would be the in
crease in his bank deposits If he and
others spent this money in Sumter.
The writer has heard the wives Of
local merchants state as an excuse
for this practice that they could buy
these same good cheaper elsewhere.
| Perhaps so. 1t is doubtless true that
| under the same conditions these very
merchants could also buy their goods
| cheaper away than purchase them
from the husbands Of these same wo-
| men. So with all classes Of business
! men and their wives. To discuss the
| question of cheaper would de-
mand long article, but it should al
ways be remembered that the foreign
article must be paid for in cash while
| the home article is time or charged
and that the local merchant must
guide himself accordingly. His pro-
fits lie in quick sales and in prompt
collections. Offer cash and get your
| discount. Remember also that the To-
cal merchant must carry a large stock
or goods for your personal inspection
while the goods that you sometimes
| BUY from the catalogue houses are
not always like the pictures you saw.
| Give your local merchant a chance
and remember that your very living
| depends upon him.
There is another evil in this con-
| nection that IL not fair to the local
merchant. How many merchants are
there who order goods for their own
personal use that are not sold by
| them, rather than trade with n mer-
| chant who may handle this class of
| goods. Is that dealing fairly with
your neighbor who depends on his
sales for a living just as you must.
suppose this were generally known
| and were published among the local
| merchants and they adopted the same
| method toward you? Then again, how
| about the wholesaler who conducts
| a wholesale business. but runs a re-
tail business on the quiet, selling to
MS friends and neighbors? Wherever
thls Is practiced any local merchant
should Immediately inform the local
chamber of Commerce i'm order that
the wholesaler may he warned IL
the retailer expects the wholesaler to
deal fairly with him and to act with
him in building a city why should nnf