The Alaska daily empire., 1914-09-09
CITIZENSHIP SPEAKS
 FOR HOME MERCHANTS

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 The Fairbanks News-Mlner has been printing some well prepared edi' torlals presenting to the people of the l,Ealrbanks country strong arguments 1 in favor patronizing home merchants rather than mail order houses. The Empire reproduced one of them few days ago. The News-Miner fol | flowed that up with the following argument, showing what good citizen ship requires that procedure. The editorial follows:
 Citizenship has a definite value. This value cannot be computed in dollars and cents, but it is worth l fighting for.
 Citizenship grows out of communi' ties. Were there no communities there would be no citizens. We would then be merely unprotected individuals entirely at the mercy of all other individuals who might wish to desrtoy any weaker or less fero- cIous one.
 By dwelling in communities we have many advantages Some of us value and appreciate these advan- tages while others selashly accept the advantages but refuse to do their share toward maintaining the com munity,
 Laws have been enacted to com. pei us to pay taxes-used for the financial support of communities for our protection,
 But there are no laws which com pei the members of any community to show appreciation of the benefits derived from living in community.
 One of the benefits of living in community is the opportunity fur nlshed us to buy merchandise re- quired for our comfort and indulg- ence, right here in our own town. This facility permits us to buy what we need when we need 1t, We can step into a store, lay down a dollar and buy a dollars worth of goods. Perhaps we can get the goods with out paying the dollar down in cash that Is, if we have the credit
 What q genuine benefit it is to be able to do this. In the olden days our forefathers were compelled to drive many miles to store where the merchandise might be obtained. Large quantities were bought at a lime because the trip to the store could not be made at frequent in tervals.
 As our citizens Increased in num- bers and gathered into communities, | stores were established ct the various centers of the increasing population 1 until now we can buy right at home. our necessities and luxuries.
 That which we value we endeavor to protect. If we value the facility for purchasing goods at home we should protect it.
 The best way to protect 1t is to make it possible for the storekeeper to continue to do business. If We do not help them to continue to do business here in our community the natural consequence will be for them to close up their stores and out out of business.
 If we buy from our local store Keepers only such merchandise as we cannot buy conveniently elsewhere, we will soon discover that the stores will carry only such restricted lines of goods as are in demand by the people who live here.
 Then we will find out that we are not much better of than our fore fathers were. We must send away for such merchandise as we require. We must wait until the order has ben received in the mail order house and filled in the due course of time by the employees of the concern we are patronizing.
 There are many disadvantages in this method. We do not fully realize them now. But they will come home to us when conditions arrive which compel us to buy everything by mail Tiff such a time does come How ever. if we look at the matter in the right light we will not permit such a contingency to arrive.
 Why should we be deluded into sending our money away from home because of the flisome and hattering descriptions in a mail order cata- logue? Why should we prefer the questionable qualities in merchandise as exploited by catalogue writer to the honest. dependable goods which we can see before us in our own local stores?
 Do we save money by buying from the mail order house? When the matter of freight and express charges have been figured out, when the ques- tion of delays, unsatisfactory ship ments. breakage, damaged goods, etc, have been answered, where is the profit, if any?
 On the other hand, the local mer- chant is always responsible for any anime any article for sale in the local store and buy only that which Is satis- factory. It will be delivered without delay. If there is any imparfection 1t will be quickly remedied If there IS any shortage in the delivery it will be supplied at once. A personal call or a telephone message will ar range everything quickly.
 And when it comes to prices you will always get full value for your money when dealing with the local storekceper. He buy his merchandise