, 1922-02-02

There is at present a widespread
tendency among the inhabitants Of
small towns to p]atronize their local
industries as little as possible. There
is nothing local about the practice.
the efforts of our neighboring towns
to induce "bl\ ing = home" are evil
dence that this spirit is rather gen
eral. The subject of ~patroniZing
home industries is the perennial bug
bear of Chambers of Commerce. cam
paigns are always being conducted
to bring to the Out-of-tOwn shopper
a realization of the error of his ways.
The lo&l tendency toward this
practice has reached a stage which
may we'll be termed deplorable. There
are people Of this community well
known to the writer who buy the ir-
reducible minimum in Rawlins and
who have developed the habit OF buy
ing everything possible elsewhere.
These folks make no bones about
the fact. and those who have = : the
financial ability to go to the III
boring cities make full use of lnu
mail-order houses. The merchant is
not the only one who suffers in this
respect-the Physician, the Lawyer.
the Banker, the Clergyman are all
oiin' NiStiiho "a IL III oPiiAs VII
the part of the people of the COM
munity. There are some people who
evidently adhere to the belief that
there is nothing as good at home as
that which they can find somewhere
else. There is 40 need. in such an
article as this. to dwell upon the
enormous Loss to the community en-
tailed in such a view. and 1t is no
the purpose Of the writer to either
discuss or present figures. While a
seathing denunciation of such a
spirit is merited and justified. still
such procedure will in no way lessen
the evil or help the cause. The very
existence of such an attitude on the
part Of the people OF the community
is in itself direct evidence that
thing is radically wrong and calls
for an adjustment. To remove the
effect abolish the cause is a pertinent
truism. Facts, not theories. are the
things to be faced. and the writer
presents certain facts in order TO re-
veal the cause and thereby suggest a
solution and a remedy.
Almost every question has at least
two sides. and a number Of the press
ing questions Of t'ta day have more
The question under discussion is a
IuIte-Slueu pIoDlSIl Which may we'll
be represented by an equilateral tri-
angle. the base being the representa-
tive line of the people" the two
sides being respectively the 'city'
and the home town" In our pres
ent economic and social system the
city. the home town and the people
Zach have their place. and each have
their distinctive service to perform.
each one mutually dependent upon
the other. with the people as the base
upon which the city and the home
town rest. There is somewhere a
proper balance which nay be struck.
a dividing line which may be drawn.
between that which a city can reas-
onably expect from its tributary ter
ritory. and hat which the HON town
can reasonably demand OF its citi-
zens in the matter Of support.
Taking these in reverse order.
what is it that the home tow a
rightfully expect of its citizens? Each
industry. institution. trade. profess
sion and vocation can rightfully de-
mand the maximum support of tn"
people OF the community. based upon
the standard OF service rendered. The
city can reasonably expect the privi-
lege OF serving the people OF the
home town in its tributary territory
in any way whatever in which the in
dustries. institutions. trades, profess
siOns and vacations of the home town
cannot or will not serve. Public ser
vice Is the basis and standard Of cit
izenship and business in this W
age in which we are now living, Il
all other standards must perish. The
worth and value of an individual or
a business to the community is de-
termined solely upon the mount
and quality of the service rendered
to the whole by either. At the base
Of our triangle and supporting the
other two we have the people Of the
home town and the matter OF what
they have the right to expect from
the local public servants. They, in
turn. have the right to demand the .
same service. in proper ratio. which
they can obtain elsewhere, both in
tho matter OF the quality Of the SER
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