The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-01-31
LOCAL MERCHANT
A BENEFACTOR
A Good Citizen and a Friend
In Need.
HONEST MEN GIVEN CREDIT.
He Would Rather BE Right Than
President-The Local Retail Mer-
chant 10 Without Question the Com
munity's Most Prominent Factor.
Aids Farmer by Buying From Him.


copyrighted, 1914, by Thomas j. Sullivan3
would rather be right than presi-
dent is the principle followed by many
retail merchants.
There is no right without parallel
duty, no liberty without the supremacy
of the law, no high destiny without
earnest perseverance, no greatness
without self denial.
AS a dispenser of important services
10 any town none compares with the
retail merchant.
Perhaps the first benefit of impor-
lance is the endless accommodations
which he extends his customers. His
books show that where misfortune.
sickness or loss of occupation over
takes his customers he is frequently
obliged to carry them for many months.
Honest Men Get Credit.
The man who has not established a
reputation for unreliability or diShOn-
esty is reasonably sure of securing
credit for the asking. And the extern
sion of credit is equivalent to making
loans without interest. And who would
ask or expect any such favor Of any
one but a merchant or very close and
dear friend?
The local town to be a desira bic
place to live in must have police and
fire protection, it must have bridges,
improved streets, water, sewers and
good schools. To secure these neces-
sary improvements and to maintain
them taxes must be levied. The local
merchant pays a large share of the
taxes.
Among other things, the local mer-
chant is continually forced to contrib
ute to all manner Of charitable enter
prises, both public and private. He is
the local benefactor, inasmuch as he is
the employer Of labor. Numerous
young men and women find employ
ment in his store, and as the result of
his investment and efforts many dol
lars find their way to the pocket of the
doctor, the dentist. the editor, the
druggist and the banker, all Of which
contributes to the SOCIAL and financial
prosperity OF the community.
Faith In the Community.
He aids the farmer by buying from
him his products to the extent of his
needs, thus increasing the profits Of
the farmer
He has shown his faith in the COM
munity by investing his capital there.
consequently his interests center there;
upon him, in a measure, depends the
social religious, educational and COM
mercial existence of the town, and he
is ever willing to do his part.
All this being true, why is he not en-
titled to the same amount of conSid-
GRAFTON as that exacted by the farmer.
the wage Garner and the other factors
of the community that are always cry
ing for flair treatment and 1.-The right
to live?"
Destroying Local Markets.
All he asks is that which is rightfully
his-the opportunity to display his
goods and compare prices with those
shown in the misrepresented picture
albums" of the catalogue houses be-
fore you send your money away from
home to buy something of the same
quality which he can sell just as cheap
ly as does the big city merchant prince.
Take away from the community one
of the most important elements of
prosperity, the medium of exchange,
and the effect is inevitable-a weaken
ing of the organism. And that is pre-
cisely what the great mail order re-
tail houses are doing. They are bleed
ing the local communities. They are
destroying local markets. weakening
local credits, reducing the volume of
deposits in small local banks, starving
out local business men who are con-
sumers of farm products as well as