Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1914-07-09
Some Pertinent Phases Of
Home Patronage Idea


Home Patronage Idea
Here is an incident and
some conclusions therefrom as
reported by the Alton, Iowa,
Democrat that are pertinent to
every town and which should
be considered by every bust
ness man, whether he runs a
newspaper, conducts a store OF
is otherwise engaged for pro
fit in a small community, or q
large one:
A pedd!er called ON us this
week and offered to sell a win
dow cleaner. We asked HIM if
he had obtained q license to
sell his article. We were told
he did not need one as he mere
~ took orders-in other words,
he made his deliveries an hour
or 80 after he takes the orders.
This is the way peddlers Avade
the law. We told the peddIer
that we would buy if he would
get q license or place the arti-
Gle with q dealer. He told US
that we need not feel so con-
science stricken as he had al
ready sold ten of our business
men and he showed us the list
The merchants of Alton should
learn to protect each other.
Some time ago the writer had
the painful pleasure of turning
down a $3.50 90 advertising
contract because it would con-
flict with our advertising mer-
chants. We told one Of our
merchants about this while paw
ing our bill. He appreciated il
greatly and handed US a receipt
for money received. The re
ceipt mad been printed in Kan-
sas City and the book Of re-
ceipts was bought by this mai.-
chant from pedd.er at 3 hje her
price than we would have FUR
nished the merchandise for.
We protected this merchant by
refusing the sale of $3.50 90
worth of our merchandise, yet
this merchant, hoping to save a
nickel, beat us out of q 81 sale
We took the trouble, after our
peddler friend had been in, to
see what the hardware store
would do on the article that
was being peddled and we found
that one of Atoms hardware
stores will sell this article at 2
third less than the peddler re-
ceived for it from ten of our
business men. Not Only did
ten of our businessmen get
stung but they failed to pro
tect their own home merchant
who trades with them, contrib
utes to their church, pays taxes
in their town and helps keep
up their community.
At the recent convent on of
newspaper men in Lincoln the
subject of newspapers accept
ing advertising from concerns
whose business directly con.
flicted with home merchants or
other business men was dis
cussed, and the concensus of
opinion was that a newspaper
should have just as clear a
right to sell its space to legi-
innate concern outside the COR
porate limits of it's town as the
merchant has to sell any custo-
mer who comes to his store.
That phase is taken up in the
above article. There the edi-
tor actually refused such al
vertising as many another edi-
tor has done, in the idea that
he should protect the business
Of his home merchants.
This editor has the same
complaint to make as many
others, that the merchants do
not reciprocate, that they do
not have the same regard for
patronizing other home indus
tries as they want the other
people to have for their husi-
ness. This again involves the
question of the proprlety OF
urging home patronage on 9
sentimental basis Trade Ex
hibit.
Mrs. G S Green and daueh.
ter Emma, returned this morn
ing from a weekend visit st
the home of Mrs. Ellen J Or.