The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-06-21
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Trading in Birmingham

To the Editor of The ge-Herald:
Dear Sir-I write this unpretentious
letter or essay on the much discussed
subject of purchasing in the home mar
ket. In letter recently appearing in
a Birmingham paper the writer de-
clares that he will purchase In the
home market regardless of the price
asked. This was one of the most
thoughtless and foolish declarations
ever uttered by one desiring to direct
public sentiment
From the very nature of the case it
was insincere and therefore was with
out effect. Besides it was a direct and
positive encouragement to extortion
He must have known that for self-in-
terest and preservation every
householder is morally and religiously
forced to make limited means go as
far IS possible in procuring the neces-
saries and comforts for the home. If
you can induce ladies to enter into an
obligation to purchase needed articles
in the home market, the obligation will
govern just so long as the desired ar
ticles can be purchased in the home
market within a reasonable margin of
what they can be purchased elsewhere.
and not one moment longer. No people
| feel obliged to fatten up greedy and
unjust extortionsts while they them
| selves are becoming lean and impov-
| erished by reason of unrighteous high
| prices Such procedure on their part
might be fairly designated self-imola-
| ton.
The precious ladies' of Birmingham OF
of other cities cannot be registered in
that self-sacrificing, brainless category.
Suppose the rich and the poor enter into
an obligation to purchase in the home
market tho rich dnoiraG
thousand dollars certain real estate,
will be feel obliged to obtain the money
| from the home market at s per cent when
! he can procure what, he wants in the
| east or abroad at per cent? Can it be
| imagined that he will not treat the home
market with contempt? If the poor man
desires lot of groceries for which the
home market demands $50 and other mar
kets furnish him the same stuff for $40
| he Will, of course, choose the other mar
ket, and every greedy grocer in town
will hollow "scab." The most effective
and the NOSE equitable plan for induce
ing citizens to buy in the home market is
for all those who have the needed things
to sell to meet in convention and unani-
| mously resolve that in the future all
goods shall be sold In Birmingham as
| cheaply as they are sold in other places,
with due consideration for such unavoid-
able local conditions bearing on prices.
IL ne resolve must be honestly material
lied, and then there will be no necessity
for publishing of gushing poendo lltera-
ture imploring the public to do what it
is their interest to do. Thousands of
citizens may be without plethoric bank
books, but all of them are abundently
supplied with the instinct of self-preserva-
ton. They all love their little ones and
their little loved one will not be merci-
lessly treated for the behoovment of the
greedy grocer man or the more greedy
dry goods man.
/ will take the liberty of saying that all
the beautiful literature filled with gaudy,
home patriotism will be stale and un-
profitable while Just dealing and fair
prices will accomplish desired results with
astounding speed. Now, in conclusion, let
me advise that the obligation to purchase
in the home market be amended as fol-
| lows:
| We citizens of Birmingham do heartily
subscribe to the resolution to purchase in
the home market when prices reasonably
| approximate prices in other markets This
resolution directs favorable attention to
| the home market. 1t also serves as a
| constant warning to the sellers to be
| cautious as the resolution itself will have
a tendency to cause the purchaser to in
vestigate the market value of goods In
| fact, will cultivate more moral and just
! sellers and more intelligent buyer.
Don't let us endeavor to enrich Birming-
ham by false and vicious promises. RE
member, oh! Dallus. thou must die" What
then, what them the answer will be de
livered in the deep gloom.
ELWELL EASTMAN.
Birmingham. June IS. 1914