The St. Mary banner., 1918-03-09
Equal Responsibility for Their
Support Rests Upon the
Farmers and Merchants.
MUST ASSIST EACH Other
Prosperity Of Community Depends
Upon Each Of These TWO Glasses
Buying Products and Goods
of Each Other.

Copyright 1917, Western Newspaper Union }
The first essential in the develop
:ncnt of any business is the possession
| of Il market. The manufacturer must
have Il market for his products or he
| cannot succeed no matter how valu-
able those products may be or how
efficiently his plant may be operated.
The wholesale merchant and the re-
tail merchant may have the choicest
, stocks of goods, but they may as well
90 out of business If they have not a
market where they can dispose of their
stocks. The farmer may produce
bumper crops, but they will rot upon
the ground if he cannot find market
for them. The wage earner's skill and
muscle bring him no returns unless
there is market for his labor.
The question of markets is the big
one in every line of business and in
every community the question is
vital one. In each community, which
must be taken to include not only all
the people who live in the town but
the farmers who live in the surround
ing country as well, there are two
sides to the market question. The busi-
ness men of the town must have
market for the things which they have
to sell. Otherwise they cannot con-
tinue in business. At the same time
the farmers must have a market for
the things which they raise or they
may as well go out Of business.
When Either Fails Both Suffer.
The merchants of the town can pro-
vide a market for the products Of the
farmers and the farmers can provide
a market for the goods which the mer.
chants have to sell. AS long as each
class of citizens provides market for
the other class all is we'll and the goose
hangs high, but when either class fails
to provide a market for the other the
goose is cooked, not only for the class
which is deprived of the market but
for the other as well.
The farmer has right to expect the
town which is his natural trading point
to provide a market for his products,
and the town is not performing its
proper function as the trading center
Of its community if it does not see
that such market is provided. The
responsibility Of looking after the full
fillment of this obligation rests largely |
upon the merchants of the town. The |
farmer is producer and he must dis
pose of his products before he can be-
come a consumer. 1t is, therefore, not |
only right but necessary from busi-
ness standpoint that the merchants |
should aid the farmer in turning his ]
products into money. Otherwise the |
farmer naturally will have no money |
to spend in the stores of the town.
Obligation on Farmers.
On the other hand, the merchants Of |
the town have right to expect the
farmers to provide market for the
which they have to sell,
and the farmers are not doing their
duty to their community If they do not
provide such a market. In this case,
also, it is not only right but it is nee
essary to the prosperity of the farmers
that they should MD the merchants in
turning their merchandise into cash.
Otherwise it is obvious that the fner-
chants will have no money with which
to buy the products of the farmers.
This is double-barreled proposition
md the obligation rests equally upon
both the merchants and the farmers to
the markets which are essen
tial to both classes Of citizens. Any
.own which would import from points
hundreds of miles distant the farm
products which it could buy at home
would be pursuing very short-sighted
policy, for 1t would be making it i'm
possible for the farmers in its terri
ory to buy the goods of its mer-
'hants. As matter of fact no town
loes this unless it is forced by unusual
conditions to do so. A town may be
Ocated in q community which is not
productive enough to meet the local
and in that case It is forced
o import farm products but the town
which is compelled to do this is at
disadvantage from a commercial
standpoint unless it Is essentially a
town, In which case its
PRODUCTS are sold to other communi-
les and bring in enough cash to Offset
hat which is sent away to purchase
arm products.
Must Have Outside Business.
In the average community, however,
he town is dependent for its pros
'erity upon the money received from
he farmers in the ordinary channels
t trade. rather than upon that -