The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-02-04
PUBLIC OPINION
Appeal for Home Trade Loyalty.
o 8 . o $500 o . o . 9 6

Appeal TOT nome Tdoe Loyalty.
To the Editor of The Gate City:
The Industrial association has cleo
ted its officers and held its annual
meeting, the Retail Merchants asso-
citation has done likewise and all look
forwarG optimistically to the opening
Of spring with the feeling that bust
ness conditions will be much improv-
led. not only in our own town but over
the country generally.
There are however, aside from the
work that these two valuable organf-
cations can do, few facts, which I
believe deserve attention if we hope
to materially build up our town. In
the first place, there are some people,
who, in spite Of the admonition that
people should trade at home and build
up our town. will patronize the mar.
order houses tn various parts of the
country, thus taking business away
from, Keokuk and being contributors
to the enormous profits earned by
these houses year after year. Now
these people frequently send away as
high as $4,000 at a time, not Of their
own money, but money which they
and their children have collected
from unwilling neighbors and too
often life long friends. Even some
men have had a hand in this, but it
is nearly always handled by women
who sometimes go out themselves, but
more frequently send their children
to prey on good people who hesitate
to refuse, lest by so doing they incur
their unkind criticisms. The goods
are never the equal Of what can be
bought at home for the same money
and are an eyesore to every right
thinking housekeeper who must keep
them among her supplies 1t is per-
nicious practice and one which should
be abolished,
Again there are business men here
who lead the strenuous life day after
day in the great struggle to secure
and hold their share OF business from
the public and from other business
houses. They have good business and
by dint of the hardest kind of work
they prosper and deserve to do so.
They are satisfied with most ventures
for the betterment OF the town and
give their services and contributions
cheerfully. Yet their wives invariably
send out of town and frequently
make trips to Chicago and st. Louis
to purchase their gowns. their mill
merry and only too frequently their
house furnishings. The only claim
they can make in defense OF this is
that there is a larger assortment.
The retail merchants will soon have
their spring stocks on display and
there is no reasonable excuse for
home people going out Of town to help
build up Chicago or st. Louis with
money that shoulG be circulated in
the town from whence 1t came.
Again we have here four large
wholesale grocery houses, one OF
them occupying a building which Is
superior to many Of the jobbins
houses in larger cities. We have also
the large Purity Oats factory and the
Hubinger cereal plant, all of which
give employment to hundreds OF peo-
pie and turn out goods Of the very
highest quality. Yet when trip Is
made through the retail grocery
stores Of the town, the shelves are
found to be piled high with goods of
foreign labels. particularly that OF
Chicago houses and these are only too
frequently crowded onto customers
who ask for and want goods that are
turned out by our own factories and
Wholesale houses The consumer can
not buy home manufactured prooucts
unless the local stores handle them
and if we are to build up Keokuk and
our own business interests, 1t be
hooves all classes Of people to settle
down to little good sound thinking
and then act upon It.
A WOMAN.