Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-02-07
A YANKEE ANSWER
FOR HOME TRADE
Why Farmers Should Patronize
Local Merchants and Not Mail
Order Houses.
Olympia Chamber of Commerce.

(Olymp,a Chamber Of Commerce.)
When asked, why do you trade with
mail order houses?" many will answer
by asking the question, why should
we buy of the local merchants, when
they ask us more than we have to pay
the mail order people?" Many farm
ers think the only reason they are ex-
pected to buy of the local merchants is
that of patriotism, and patriotism in
this sense is simply matter of senti-
ment. They forget almost entirely
that patriotism, when considered from
the standpoint of fidelity to local mer-
chants, is not sentiment, but one of the
best forms of business judgment.
Granting simply for the sake of ar
gument that local merchants do ask
slight increase in prices over those
asked by the mail order houses, and
even after granting such false state
ment to be true, patriotism to the To-
cal dealers Is still matter of good,
sound business judgment. Such fealty
on the part of the Thurston county
farmers means that Olympia can con-
tinue to thrive, and remain an impor-
tant civic center. 1t means that the
city stores can remain the center Of
activity, socially, as well as of mer-
chandising.
The patronage of the farmers in any
community is the chief supporting
force of any city. When the farmers
are prosperous those in the town are
prosperous. The residents of the city
and the rural communities band forces
and obtain better highways, maintain
their schools to a high point of eff.
cheney, consider local political condi-
tons in the same honest light that re-
suits in efficient township and county
officials being chosen.
The town is the hub of the farming
community. 1t is the shipping point,
as we'll as the social center, for the ag-
riculturalist. The farmer Is not only
able to dispose Of his products in
convenient manner, but local dealers
are the ones who pay him cash for his
wares. The village is the seat of the
postoffice whence the rural mail Is dis
patched to the home of the farmer. The
local banker advances the farmer cash
to tide him over, or extends q larger
loan when he desires to buy additional
land or make improvements. The To-
cal physician is within easy call, when
the farmer or q member of his family
is stricken. The village blacksmith is
ready to shoe the farmers horses on q
moments notice. The hardware and
the implement dealer are prepared
with emergency repairs for machinery,
when the farmer wants such repairs
and wants them quickly. Even the To-
cal dentist IL more than eager to use
his forceps on an aching tooth. Now,
do the mail order houses afford any Of
these conveniences?
When q farmer once begins on q
new method of supplying his wants,
quitting his support to the local mer-
chants, and starts sending his money
to the mail order merchants in the
large cities, he Is delivering harder
, blow to himself than to anyone else.
Take the city and the city merchants
away from any farming community
and the farmers prosperity will drop
& large per cent. The value of his
land will decrease and his convenient
methods of marketing will be q thing
of memory only. Any honest minded
farmer. who is enjoying prosperity,
will admit that his prosperity in q
large measure Is due to the fact that
thriving city Is located near by.
Why then destroy this aid to prosper
ity? When the soil tiller. by his own
acts does things which tend to destroy
or mar the commercial welfare Of his
nearest town he Is directly beginning
method that will undermine his own
prosperity.