The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1914-07-24
Are We Fools or HypOCriteS?

Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma have
for several years carried on persistent
and systematic campaign urging people
to trade at home. Now if this matter
is of enough importance to engage the
attention Of the people of cities and
cause them to organize "trade-at-home
clubs" and in every way arouse spirit
of loyalty to the home manufacturer
and merchant, we take the liberty to
assert that it is 40 less important to the
smaller towns and villages. We have
watched the working of this spirit in
Leavenworth for many moons and have
in the past taken occasion to refer
to this spirit. The trouble is we
are not sincere. Too many OF US are
quite ready to agree that everybody
else should leave their dollars at home
the other fellow should always do
this, but we, ourselves, oh, that's quite
another matter We have to save
every cent we can, you know. Yes,
we think everybody ought TO trade at
home. There is no way of telling how
much good it would do if everybody
would leave their money with the home
merchant, banker, baker and candle
stick maker. Just as long as we hypo-
critically shout trade at home in the
other fellows ear and send away for
everything we need in order to save
few dimes the other fellow will do ex-
actly the same thing, and we are not
fooling the other fellow at all, we are
fooling ourselves, and at the same
time setting and example for still others
to follow. A fruit grower told us a few
days ago about receiving an urgent
request from a Leavenworth business
man to leave his money in Leavenworth,
on letterhead printed in Minnesota.
A leading merchant sent out circulars
printed in Tim buck-too not long since,
telling people they could buy as cheap
in Leavenworth as Chicago or Seattle,
and this same merchant could not see
that his circular belied his statement
and killed the force of his statement
to trade in Leavenworth.
Right here we want to say that nine
dollars and fifty cents out Of every
ten dollars worth of printing used
in Leavenworth goes away from
the town. Not long since the city
council had an eighty dollar job Of
printing to let out and local publisher
offered to do the Job at exactly the
same price and guarantee exactly the
same work. Did he get chance to
do the work? Not on your life. The
work went to help build town some
where else, and the example set by the
council was followed by lot Of others
who had never thought of sending
away before. The purchasing agent
for the city paid Yakima firm $84.50
for some forty copies Of coupon bonds.
The bonds could have been printed
here at less cost, equally as good. If
the purchasing agent had wanted them
printed in Yakima just for the name of
the thing, (some people think there is
distinction attached to getting things
away from honey, the matter could
have been arranged to have the print
ing done in Yakima and the profit go
cents on the dollar) divided with the
Yakima man just as local merchants
divide profits with a neighboring
merchant on goods they happen TO be
temporarily out Of. In this way some
OF the money at least would have
stayed at home and been spent here.
If all the people follow the lead set by
the council, and send away for all their
printing, will not the men employed
in the printing trade have to seek en-
ployment elsewhere? If this rule is
followed by those in every other calling
how long will it take until our business
houses, banks, and the city hall is used
as a place for bats to hide in.
The moral to this story is, if you