Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-08-13
"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH
THE GREAT NORTHWEST?"

Speech of Bert r. Greer of the
Ashland Tidings, representing the
Oregon State Editorial Association at
the Northwestern Buyers week ban
quet, Portland, Oregon, August 10,
1917.
Mr.. Toastmaster, manufacturers,
jobbers, retail merchants of the great
Northwest and citizens Of Portland,
its peerless hub, | congratulate you
on this splendid occasion!
What an empire this great North
west embraces! What vast and mar
velous natural resources! Yet, re-
sources alone do not constitute great
ness 1t takes more than mere terri
tory to make an empire.
| came three hundred and forty
miles to this meeting in response to
an invitation to talk business of COM
mon interest, because my heart grew
heavy contemplating impending dan
ger to the future prosperity of my
chosen country.
Fellow citizens, there is something
the matter with this great North
west.
/ love its matchless, snow-capped
mountains-its fertile valleys-its
vastness-its waving grain and lus-
cious fruits-its crystal streams and
boundle5s forests-and feel that its
symptoms should be carefully and
doIihoroSaly 1io 0nnoad ond fha coat
Of trouble certainly located, that
such remedy may be applied as will
bring it back to robust health, happi-
ness and prosperity.
The fact Is, in my section of the
country, and l assume in many other
sections, nearly three-fourths of all
the merchandise disposed of is East
ern made and comes through Eastern
jobbers. That appears to me to be
a bad symptom-one that, If let run,
may result in complete Justification
or hardening of the arteries, either
of which ultimately brings death to
the patient
Mr.. Retailer, no matter from what
section of the great Northwest you
come, the profit derived from jobbing
trade with you will never build
paved highway from Mexico to Can
ada, or level grades over these rugged
mountains, if it goes to manufactur-
ers and jobbers of the East for COM
modities that can be manufactured
in the West. Please do not complain
of high taxes, poor roads and bad bus
mess until you have done your full
share in upbuilding the industries of
the Northwest.
1t is of common remark that little
is manufactured in the West That
is of shame to us. We do not proper
ly support the ones we have. Our i'm
mediate danger is not from foreign
foes. 1t is from within. There is
dearth of community spirit. We lack
cohesion, sympathy and cooperation
among our own people. We seem
still to have the great lesson to learn
that lasting prosperity comes to the
individual only through the advance
ment of his neighbor.
In Southern Oregon we have
learned the lesson so poorly that
nearly half of our citizens make their
purchases through mail-order houses.
Buying away is withering and
foolish, though almost universal,
habit. The Ashlander buys his sup
plies in Portland instead of at home.
The Portlander goes to Chicago for
his. The Chicagoan buys his in New
York. The New Yorker goes to Paris
and the simple Partisan comes to Ash
land to get the best that can be found
on the round globe. We have simply
formed a mania for sight-unseen buy
ing. That is but its natural exemplar
and it fatuous cycle.
"The mill will never grind with the
water that's run by" nor will the dol
lars shipped to the far east for mer-
chandise ever build big industries and
happy homes in the Northwest.
The best and quickest way to de-
velop this section is to keep our dol
lars, as we'll as our energy. turning
to account in cur own country.
Representing, as l do on this occa-