The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1915-11-05
HOME TOWN BUILING
Every Citizen Has Time, Skill
or Labor for Sale

The professional men Of the smaller
towns of the United States are, or
should be, vitality interested in the sub
ject of Home Town Building. All of
them are quite likely to see customers
pass their doors enroute to the nearest
city, if they are willing to rest content
with the conditions which prevail at
the present time.
81 am not interested in the question
of who sells household supplies or farm
implements to the. farmers of this dis
trict, says the Doctor and the Lawyer.
II don't care continental whether or
not the town paper goes broke and
quits business. says the Dentist. the
Barber, the Hotel Man and the Real
Estate Agent. II take one or two of
the big city daily papers, and am not
interested in the local news of the home
paper. is the usual comment Of the
average citizen.
Even the local banker may be luke
warm on the sui ject He, like the
other busy men of the town, has his
eye on the movements of the big things
of the city and thinks that local affairs,
aside from his deposits and loans, are
worth only passing notice.
Let us investigate the question to
ascertain whether these gentlemen are
justified in considering themselves as
independent of home town benefits and
in different as to whether the trade of
the farmers of the neighborhood is
secured by the local merchants, or if it
goes to the mail order house of some
big city. Right here, nine out of ten
Of the men in the classifcations named.
will declare that it is rank nonsense to
suppose that any such views are held
by members of their profession or class
On that score want to say, that if
there 10 one class of individuals on this
earth. who enjoy what Henry George
stiSmatizes as ''unearned increment.
which means living on benefits created
nv others, it is the professional men of
the town in the rural districts. He is
what the manufacturer describes in his
factory expense, as an overhead charge.
That is to say, he may be necessary
part of the equipment, but he is a non
producer.
Now let me repeat that any profes.
sional man who is not putting his
shoulder to the wheel and boosting the
interests of the home town, is living on
benefits created by others. There are
many thousands Of them in the towns
Of the middle west, where this article
will be read, who must plead guilty,
Most of them, as we'll as great many
others, seen to entirely overlook the
fact that their interests are identical
with those Of the manufacturer or
merchant who has goods to sell. Every
one of them have selling proposition.
The Doctor and the Lawyer must find
buyers for their time and skill. The
Banker cannot sell his loans or securi-
ties without market for them. All
of this being true, it is perfectly clear
that the Banker, the Lawyer and the
Doctor have joint interest with every
storekeeper, and business man, in
building up and maintaining market in
which the product of each can be sold.
Now then, can professional men say
that they are not interested in the
question of who sells agricultural i'm
PIGMENTS and household supplies to
the farmers of the neighborhood?
Is it true, that the survival or failure
of the weekly paper is of no consequence
TO them?
II they are not boosting the circula-
ton of that paper, they are neglecting
the cheapest and best medium in the
ls=------.----s--- -...--.---....-..---s.-=.az.A