Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-03-26
FIGHTING THE COMMUNITY IDEA

The Townley press has started the cry that the re-
tail merchants of North Dakota are entering or have
entered into a conspiracy with tsbbers within and with
out the state, the purpose of which conspiracy is to fight
The Consa+aers' stores by the improper and alleged
method of selling soods at Or below cost in localities
where the consumers stores exist in order to deprive those
stores of their standing among their subscribers to i'm
pair their influence and utterly discredit them. The
Fargo Courier-News says a fund of $4,000 is being
raised for this purpose and tkat various portions of this
amount arefbeing assigned to North Dakota localities.
Attorney General Hanger comes forward with the
offer of a reward of $1,000 to anyone who will produce
evidence that this is true and the Fargo-courier News
is challenged, to make good on It's statement.
The Couner-News seems to have used as a basis OF
its stories the fact that there is throughout the state and
throughout the. northwest great activity just noaDnot only
among the merchants but among their country custom
es the purpose of which is the futherance Of the COM
munity idea and the Inauguration among the merchants
Of better and more effective methods of merchandising.
Under the first head, that Of the community idea, the
purpose is to bring about closer relations and q better
understanding of the cities and villages and the people
OF the surrounding rural districts. Under the second
head the purpose is the edhucation of the merchants in
better methods of handling each line of their business
more advantageous buying, more effective advertising
and a better organization of stores and their better dis
play and all of the other things that go toward building
up modern business in modern lines.
The man who has become the recognized leader in
this movement is F. P. Mann of Devils Lake. Associated
with him is Alex KaEr of Jamestown, who devotes him
self especially to the publicity department of this work
and if the campaign which was inaugurated many months
ago has grown in scope the assistance Of other persons
has been obtained and meetings are being held in many
towns of the northwest where large audiences are being
addressed and where an opportunity is found to work
out part of the plans upon which this movement is
based. There has been no secrecy about this movement.
i, has been quite widely advertised and the more widely
it can be advertised the better will its promoters be
pleased because they feel that thai. will encourage other
work which is bound to be of benefit to all of the people
in the state. 1t is natural that the Fargo Courier. News
should besopposed to this movement on general principles
because that paper is constituionally opposed to anything
which attempts to bring together the people Of the state
on a basis of common and friendly understanding. 1t
is natural that that paper should seize upon the COM
munity work just now and attempt to discredit it when
the Consumers stores concern, of which the Fargo paper
is one of the sponsors. is under investigation by the state
government as to the legality and good faith of it's BUSH
ness methods.