The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-12-06
POTENT REASONS WHY
FARMERS should buy.
/ OF HOME MERCHANTS
INCREASED PROSPERITY OF THE
COUNTY CITE MEANS BETTER
MARKET FOR THEM.
OBSERVATIONS OF A FARMER
Help for Roads and Telephones and
Schools Always Received From the
(. Local Merchants, But Never From
the Big Catalogue Houses.

II have read with a great deal OF
interest recent communications in
The Herald advocating a buy-at-
home movement, but there Is one
phase Of the subject that you have
not touched" said well known
farmer of the county this morning.
''You have shown clearly and con-
clusively why the people who live in
Columbia, who get their daily susie
nance by virtue of the favors and pat
ronage of other people who live In
the city, should buy at home and
where possible insist upon having
home made goods, but there are reas-
ons which to my mind are equally as
strong, which should impel people
living in the country to buy at home.
THE more the people in this eoun-
ty trade with the Columbia ,ner-
chants the more prosperous will the
city of Columbia be and the more
will it grow. That is statment that
lis self-evident and needs no further
comment. Now why will it benefit
the people living In the country to
have growing and prosperous coun-
ty site? That Is not so apparen. up
on it's face but 1t is equally as sus-
ceptible of proof and will be obvious
to one who will carefully think.
THE larger our city and the more
prosperous its people the better our
local market, and especially for
those perishable things grown on the
farm and in the garden, the more
prosperous it will be for our farmers.
That is one great reason why farm
lands, though naturally not so Itch,
in the vicinity of great city, that
is within profitable hauling distance,
are always so valuable. Were the
population OF Columbia to double
within the next ten years the price
of every acre of farm land In the
county would be enhanced.
Money spent by the farmers OF
this county with the merchants OF
Columbia and the villages of the
county (for mind you hold no brief
for the city merchants, but my plea
is simply one to keep the money in
the county, will be returned. 1t will
help to increase the purchasing pow
err of the non producers to the great
advantage Of the producers. II it is
convenient for the farmer to buy
from a cross roads store and he gets
just as satisfactory service there as
he does by going to Columbia he
should buy from the former, but we
all know that necessarily the stocks
of our cross roads and village n,er-
chants are limited and it is necessa-
ry to go To larger stores very fire.
auently. In that case the farmers
ought not to go to catalogue and
buy from a house that has absolutely
no interest in this county, but he
should go to Columbia where the
spend their money with
the farmers and have lively inter-
est in everything that pertains to the
welfare Of the county.
when the farmers decide to i'm
prove the roads, to erect new tele-
phone line or to build an approach to
a bridge, Or to build a new school
house for the greater convenience
and comfort of their children, they
go to Columbia to get assist
ance and 1t is usually Forthcoming
from the bankers, merchants and 9th
err business men. They would never
think Of asking the big Chicago or
New York catalogue houses to con-
tribute to these laudable objects.
They should reflect upon these mat
tiers and realize that they cannot get
this assistance for the upbuilding
and the improvement of their county
unless the home merchants are pros
pering. And the prosperity Of the
merchant depends very largely upon
the measure of their patronage from
the great agricultural classes Of this
county" q