The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1916-11-23

factory to Buy of Local TradesrnSn
Cash Versus Credit.
| [Copyrighted, 1914. by Thomas J. Sullivan,l
Men are seldom more innocently en-
ployed than when they are honestly
making money.
The value of dollar is to buy just
things. a dollar goes on increasing in
value with all the genius and all the
virtue of the world. A dollar In
university is worth more than Il dollar
in a jail; in some industry in tenn
perate, law abiding community than in
some distant mine. oil well or prob
lematical fruit farm in distant terri
tory
The lack of money has brought many
a community to Il. state of oblivion.
and the cOmmunity's pauperism is in
variably the result of unpatriotic resi-
dents sending their money away to
the large cities for supplies.
Catalogue Houses Sow Discord.
The retail mail order houses, as
leeches in the side OF rural CONNER
cialism. work day and night, in fair
weather and in foul. They gnaw ut
a communlty's substance with invisi-
bic teeth.
They bind industry with their film
as fly is bound with a spiders web.
They SOW a crop OF discord, and the
harvesters reap thistles instead OF dol
lars.
Mail order buying builds up the large
cities at the expense of the smaller
cities and towns. Every dollar used
in this way by the residents Of COM
munity takes n dollar out of circula-
ton at home and puts it into circula-
ton many miles away.
Result of Violated Contracts.
The dollar spent with the home
grocer, dry goods dealer. hardware
merchant, druggist or other business
man upbullds the community In which
you live.
These merchants pay taxes to sup
port your town, repair your streets.
maintain your schools and build up
and sustain your churches and main
tain your markets.
If the people must have inferior
goods, such as many mail order houses
carry. the local merchant no doubt can
arrange his stock to correspond with
their wants. both in quality and prices.
In some instances the lower prices
quoted by the mail order houses are
the result OF violated contracts aud
chicanery, which have no place In an
honest mprchnut's IuciuocS
Adopts In the Art.
The mail order houses are adopts in
the art and science of prepG ring inter
: esting and readable catalogues. II
read critically the skill with which
plausible sentences are put together
and words made TO say what they real
~ do not is apparent.
When purchaser goes to his re-
taller he can examine what he wishes
} TO buy. He can look it over carefully,
test it and If he wishes receive a guar
antee from the merchant that the ar
ticle Is satisfactory. The guarantee
Is good because the retailer intends to
remain in business among his friends
and he cannot afford to deceive.
: Substitute Goods as Original.
The catalogue houses, however, may
offer to replace unsatisfactory goods,
but there is the annoyance of writing
claim letters, packing the goods found
not satisfactory and shipping them
back and waiting for the new ship
ment.
And there is the chance that the sub
stitute goods will prove to be no more
satisfactory than the original, and all
the trouble will have to be experienced
I again.
When the consumer learns that IL is
not only easier, bat much more salts
factory, to buy of the home merchant
than OF the catalogue house then the
latter will have much more stony
path to travel than today, and it is be-
coming more rough with the passing
of each day because the consumer Is
becoming educated to It's ways and
methods of business.
Cash Versus Credit Business.
All that has been said is predicated
( on the theory that the farmer wants
| to do cash business. He can do no
other kind of business with the mail
order houses.
Any man who accepts common de-
cency as a standard will tell him that
he has no right to send his cash to the
big cities and ask for credit at the
small local store.
That is not business. While such n
practice Is not forbidden by statute
law, 1t is nevertheless immoral. unjust.
mean. No fair minded man would
have the consummate impudence to at
tempt defense Of such conduct.
Entitled TO Cash Business.
IL the local dealer Is good enough
to deserve the credit trade Of his com
munity he Is entitled to the cash bust
ness MS well. If he Is not honest
: enough to entitle him to the patronage
OF the cash customer he will take ad-
vantage Of the credit customer.