The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-12-05

fidelity left in the world. The pub
Usher of the newspaper in the sInalI
town is loyal to his community, al
most without exception. He cannot be
bought by the power of money. He
realizes what it means to the business
men in his community to be threatened
constantly with the competition of the
mail order houses and what the lying
catalogues mean to the readers Of his
paper.
To return to the subject of the ex-
orbitant values Of property in the
cities as compared with the big, profit
able slices of mother earth that actu-
ally produce the necessities of life.
City property is held of such great
value because such property is a
headquarters for the Juggling of the
value produced in the country, but
not capitalized in the country. Every
thing is capitalized in the city.
The whole wealth of the world is il
the soil The currency, the gold
pieces, the stocks and the bonds are
merely tokers of that wealth which
comes from the soil. If these tokens
would not purchase that which is pro-
duced from the soil they would be
worthless.
You who live in the country, Own
the wealth of the United States. But
your lives are so filled with the little
details of conserving and producing
wealth that you do not take the time
necessary to consider how to profit
by the wealth which you produce. At
the same time those who live in the
cities spend their entire time in fgur-
ing out how best to profit by your
work and your efforts. In almost
every instance the consumer, the per
son who uses your product, pays many
times the amount that you realize
out of it. OF course, all of this profit
between you and the consumer goes to
the men in between-those who juggle
the values.
An enormous proportion of your
own produce, manufactured and jug
gled, comes back to you at swollen
prices through the mail order houses.
All over this great country efforts
are being made to change these con-
ditions. In a majority of the small
towns the thinking men and women
are discussing this great problem.
Boards of trade, chambers of COM
merce, business mems associations
and other similar organizations are
springing up and these great questions
are being threshed out. Great progress
is being made, but still the millions Of
your cash are being sent to the big
mail order houses all the time.
Really this is the key to the whole
subject. Keep your money at home.
Buy from your local merchants. Keep
the cash in circulation in your own
community. This will solve the prob
lem. You have clever men in your
town. Get together and talk about it..
Arrange to buy your supplies in your
own town and let the catalogue houses
go hang. All they want is your money.
All they will give you is the least they
can in exchange for your money. They
are in the business for profit only.
They pay no taxes in your town
Talk it over with your own business
men. Ask them what they will do for
you in the way of service in exchange
for your cash orders. This is the only
way to do.
And keep this one thought in mind.
The more money you send away to
| the mail order houses, just so much
more are you endangering your own
prosperity and just so many more nails
are you drivin.; into the coffin in which
to bury your local ambitions.
If the five hundred millions of dol
lars that you send to the catalogue
houses every year were to be handed
over to your own local merchants they
could accomplish the most astound-
| ing results better service, better
goods, better prices and better local
conditions all around.
Lay aside the petty disagreements
and disputes. Go to your own local
dealer and tell him frankly what you
need. Ask him if he can get it for you.
Tell him you will support him and you
will be astonished by the manner in
which he will hustle to supply your
| requirements.
If your local merchants were to be
given the cash that you send away to
the catalogue houses you would soon
see springing up in your own town
some of those big establishments for
trade which will save you not only a
lot of your money, but will offer con.
| veniences and facilities for purchasing
such as you find now only in the larger
centers of population.