Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-11-11
PUTTING 1T UP TO YOU

We would not weary our readers by
being too insistent upon any one sub
ject, bat the welfare Of Alma and
Gratiot county should be uppermost
in the m.us5 O every loyal citizen,
and that welfare calls for few very
pertinent remarks at this time of the
year.
Between now and the 25th day Of
December many thousands of dollars
will be spent by the people in the
purchase OF holiday articles. The
manufacturing cost of those articles
must of necessity go to the factories
scattered broadcast over the country.
That cannot be helped.
But there is another cost which
should be seriously considered by ev-
cry person who has any regard what
ever for the future welfare of this
city and this county. That cost is the
retailers profits of the sales.
To make this community prosper
Gus and to keep it so it is necessary
that those profits be kept at home,
and that can only be done by patron
ling merchants who live here and
spend their own money here.
No citizen has the right to feel that
it is all right for him to send his
money away from this community be-
cause ''he is only one person and his
money will not be missed" 1t is just
such people who are building up the
great centers of population by strang-
ling the rural business interests all
over this country. They are the peo-
pie who produce hard times in the
country towns and farm sections of
every state, because they are millions
in number.
Let US bring it right home to you.
Suppose every person in this city and
the farming section around here
should buy all of their goods from
business houses located in other sec
tons of the country or state How
long would our stores keep their doors
open, and how long would you be able
to buy even pin or a nail in this city.
And if everybody kept on sending
their money all out of the city, how
long would it be before we had no
more money to send, and when we
found the community pauperized
where would we turn for relief.
The profits of local industries-both
farm and town-represent the money
that is kept in circulation at home.
If those profits are sent away we can
not expect long to have any money in
circulation here, for other people in
other places will have it.
Certainly no sane person would
want such a condition of affairs to
exist here.
But what is the remedy, you say?
1t is both sane and simple.
Quit doing your shopping out of
town and buy goods from home deal
ers. That is, buy everything you can
here.
Don't be carried away with the
false idea that you can buy cheaper
somewhere else, for you can't. If you
want shoddy and worthless goods you
can find plenty of city stores and
firms who thrive on selling country
people just such rotten stuff at few
cents less than you would pay your
home dealer for good article that he
is willing to guarantee. But you can
not buy reliable article elsewhere
any cheaper than you can buy the
same article right here in Alma.
We are pushing the "buy it at
home" slogan in this community and
We want you to join US. We are not
doing this in order to enrich the local
merchants, but we are doing it to
protect the future of this city and
our farming community and the peo-
pie among whom we live.
We want to keep prosperity at
home," and we want you to help us
in our work by doing your share, and
you can do it by buying at home
and keeping all of the profits at home
1t is a serious problem that con-
fronts US in the near future, and we
should grapple with it as becomes
men of brains and determination.
Shall we trade at home and keep
prosperity here? Or shall we con-
tinue to make city millionaires who
wouldn't give US five cents if we were
hungry for bread.
Remember, brother and sister, this
applies not only to your neighbor,
bul 20 you as well, if you happen to be
one who has been doing your shop
ping in other places.
viii you join us, "for the future
of our city,"
PERSISTENT IN ADVERTISING