The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-11-26
TALklNk 1T OVER.
]. E. W.. in Anderson Daily
Mail.

. @ o @ o O @ o o o o o o o o O
Merchants-not necessarily An
dersoh merchants, but merchants
throughout the entire cotton growing
South-have been quite as hard hit
by the slump in the price of the sta
pie as the farmers themselves. In
many cases they find themselves
loaded up with big stocks of goods
bought at high prices, and here and
there, just like the farmer who is SELL
ing cotton at prevailing prices, they
are making genuine reductions in
prices--taking the loss now rather
than wait later, when in all probabil-
itS it will be greater.
This being true, there has never
been time when truthfulrtess in ad-
vertising, the bare, bold face facts,
would bring greater and more salts
factory results than right now. Nor
has there ever been a time when
merchants, farmers, laborers, all of
ts, could accomplish more by every
one playi the game open and fair.
Impressions made now, while we are
going through this period of general
readjustments, will be of long dura-
tion. Confidence in the integrity or
the honesty of the man from whom
one buys produce, eggs, butter, milk,
potatoes, things peddled on the street
here every day by those who produce
them; in the man who supplies the
groceries that 60 on ones table; in
the man who sells shoes, clothing or
furniture, or what not, is not to be
trifed with.
And this also being true, it is dis
tressing to listen to a lot of talk that
is being indulged in these days about
prices.
For example: A man told me this
morning that he had been trading at
b certain stere-I will not tell you
how many years he said he had been
buying goods at that store-and that
he went. in there Saturday to buy a
certain article which was priced to
him at $4,000. 81 asked the mer-
chant if that was the original price,
the first of the Season price, and if
he couldn't make reduction, saying
something about the low price of cot
tofi. And he got red headed, said all
kinds Of things. / could, and would,
have raid the $4,000 if l had .receiv
ed 35 Or 40 cents pound for the cot
ton had sold that day, but as ] did
not have such good luck it was inn
possible for me to do business on the
basis He named. Needing that par
ticular article, however, tried an
other store-in which ! had never
spent q dollar-and; what do you
reckon? They showed me practical
ly the same article and said, Here
you are. When these goods came in
we marked them $4,000 but now,
that cotton has taken such tumble,
our business, in consequences has suf-
fefed, and we have decided to close
these goods out at $3.50 EACH 1
bought without further explanation
and believe me, it will be long, long
time before / go into the other store
for anything"
And what do you know about
that?
When goods were scarce and hard
to get, and when money was plenti-
full and easy to get it was no trouble
to do business if you had the goods,
but-as sure as you are reading this
and wondering whether Ta14e 1t
Over really heard this story r is
''just making it. up" the time( COM
ing-if it is not already here-when
we all will have to go after busi-
ness. Custome0 instead of begging
for goods, villas of old-let the
merchants sell them goods, and that
brings in, as time has ever had a
habit of bringing in-what? The
survival Of the fittest. That's all.