Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-09-28
1T PAWS TO TRADE
IN THE HOME TOWN
By f. NJ. TrowernO

upon millions of tons of litera-
ture are being spread through
out the world in all languages,
every year, calling attention to
the wrongs of society as a whole,
but in the final analysis these
wrongs can never be entirely
righted until every individual in
every community takes an indi-
vidual responsibility upon him
self to see that they are righted.
Pure, unadulterated selfishness
is at the root of all the trouble.
Strange as it may seem, no per
son can do a selfish thing or
commit an unfair act without
having TO pay the price them
selves, or, in other words, there
is a price ticket on everything
Take, for instance, a group of
persons who are employed IN a
manufacturing plant, or in any
other institution, who conceive
the idea that if they bought GER
tain lines of staple goods in bulk
at wholesale prices and divided
them up among themselves that
they would save money and there
by benefit themselves, or, in
other words, they would be add
ing to their earning power. If
the plant or institution in which
they were working was located in
a prosperous town or village,
their action would affect the leg
Ultimate retail merchants who were
lendeavoring to serve them IN the
town. and the result would be
that the retail merchants who
formerly handled the lines which
were purchased by these persons
at wholesale prices would cease
handling those lines, and, in order
to pay their rent and their run
ming expenses, they would have
to increase the cost of the other
lines which they carried and
which these employers required.
What benefit, therefore, would
be gained by transactions of that
character? If you want to do
your fellow citizens, the retail
merchants, an injustice by inter
fering with their trade for the
purpose of endeavoring to bene-
fit yourself for selfish purposes,
you have to pay the price in the
end, either in money or in loss
of service. This rule applies in
every walk of life and you can
not evade it.
The more retail stores we have
in the community the better the
community will be served. Com
petition is the most sacred wea-
pom in the world and it should
never be interfered with. Retail
merchants open stores in various
locations because they believe
that they can do business in those
locations, or. in other words, they
take the individual responsibility
and consequently the risk. is
this not as it should be? Would
any sane person suggest that the
Government should decide as TO
where and when stores should be
opened, as was attempted in Ger
many? We think not. The basic
foundation upon which every
community is built is the action
and decision of the individual.
They locate where they them
selves decide is best for them,
and around them others associ-
ate. and in this way our com
munity life is built up.
We, therefore, repeat again that
the great pivot upon which the
affairs of the world swing is in
dividual responsibility. Each in
dividual in every community is
there becaues. in their opinion, 1t
suits them best, otherwise they
would leave and go to some other
place.
To build a healthy and a pros
porous community, as well as a
contented community, money
must circulate freely. 1t can only
circulate according to the desires
of each individual. If the stores
were full of goods and no one
wanted to purchase them because
a large number of persons sent
their money out of town, the
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