Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1913-07-24

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houses will mean . greater good to
the greatest number, let US welcome
that power and the few of US who
may b seriously Affected seek In
other lines Of endeavor the success we
hops to attain.
But what may seem . present ad-
vantage to the greatest number, gives
promise of actual disaster to the
greatest number.
This question of distribution is the
greatest question before the American
people. Let US consider 1t in this
way: VIII it be best for me and my
children and my children's children
to maintain the present competitive
system, or will it be best to gradually
adopt a plutocratic-socialistic dictrine
of a centralized system Of distribu-
ton? VIII 1t be best to have keen,
progressive local business interests,
buying and selling farm products, or
will it be best to have great centers
where the buying and selling of farm
products will be carried on?
This question Of the catalogue house
system of distribution goes beyond the
local merchant. 1t is not his interests
that are to be considered, but the in
terests of the many and of posterity.
True, there Is duty men owe to
their communities as such, because
the lives of all are interwoven-no
man in a community lives unto him
self alone-and when local business
institutions flourish all feel the bene-
fetal effects. There are the schools
to build and support, the roads to
maintain, and last but not least, there
stretches forth in times of disaster or
distress the helping hand of the local
business man, who looks upon you as
his neighbor. He is one of the cogs in
useful piece of machinery, fitting in
with you and me as the other neces-
sary cogs.
The merchants here and all over the
land purpose to combat the present
tendency of Capitalization. II in the
right and II their efforts are we'll d.
rected, they shall succeed. If in the
wrong, no harm will come of their eff
forts and the efforts of their friends
in the country, for, whether right or
wrong, a closer bond of sympathy will
have been established between man
and mar.
But they are not In the wrong.
Parable of the Misspent Money
The following from the Mayville IN.
d. Tribune contains food for thought:
Once upon a time in the land of
Uncle Sam a colony of people organ
lied themselves into a town. The
town grew and waxed fat upon the
produce of the land roundabout, and
the people dwelt happily under their
own vines and fig trees, and the
tradesmen built emporiums of mer-
chandise, and all was well. More peo-
pie joined the colony from year to
year until the town was a place OF
population and prosperity.
But the time came when into the
midst of the town crawled serpent of
discord, yclept the mail order cata-
logue. which whispered into the ears
Of the people siren song Of big bar.
gains, the same being fable and q
fake. Thereat the people thought they
saw good thing, and they bit. In
the course Of events the merchants
closed their doors and removed to
other towns wherein as yet the mail
order serpent had not entered. Large
hollyhocks grew up before the closed
doors, and grass grew In the streets,
whereof the cows ate bountifully. 1t
was fun for the cows, but death to the
town.