The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-02
YOUNG MEMS
BUSINESS
Review of the Years Work
and Achievements

and Achievements
Editor Daily Item:
The first year of the Young Mems
Business League closes with this
month, and as a retiring official I
think I can say without unbecom-
I ing vanity that we of the league
feel in its record a pride that we
think justified.
The league has not accomplish
ed wonders; it has not built new
factories. nor has it founded gil
gantic enterprises. 1t does claim,
however, that in quiet way it has
plodded along in its field of en-
deavor. and that its efforts have not
entirely gone to waste. The press
has been kind to us, giving space,
time to time, to our work, and this
not to be history nor a review
Of the twelve months gone by.
In the late winter the league
turned. its attention to the matter
of home products for home con-
sumption, and home money for
home circulation. We put forth
considerable effort along that line,
and we believe that our work told
to some extent, and that it accom-
p1ished some good. We feel, how
ever, that so much can be accom-
plished in this field that the ef-
fort must be regarded as having
only started.
Agriculture is the chief indus
try OF our county, and is the main
stay of our town. Since one
house was added to the already
one house at the cross roads and
thus the settlement Of Sumter was
started. this has been so, and for
generations yet to come this will be
so. Sumter county consists of
rich farming lands: its other nat
ural resources, except timber, are
nil in comparison with the value
Of the soil. The city Of Sumter
has many siza BILE industries, yet the
city prospers or the city declines
along with, and to the extent that
Its surrounding planters progress
or retrograde. 1t pays us all
then, to do our bit to try to help
make prosperous the farms OF
Sumter's trade territory.
Sumter was the centre of a great
cotton territory. Was! S u m r
still is the centre of that same
territory, but it would take an un-
usual optimist to describe it now
as being strong on cotton. The
one great money crop having fail
ed substitutes Of course must be
found and it is far better that the
word is substitutes and not substi-
sute-we have had enough. Of a
/ one crop system. The answer
naturally is diversified products.
Having varied articles to sell. sales
are made at varied dates: the sell
er has succession of money re-
eeipts and he pays cash for his
purchases as he goes along instead
of buying on credit nine months Of
the year. En- mbarrassed by want Of
cash all that time, he has to pay
out during October, November, and
December the receipts he gath
| ers only to be obliged to make
credit anew the succeeding Janu-
ary
Sumter county could and should
feed Sumter county; not absolute
/ ~, to be sure, but to a quite great
extent. We do not make sugar
here and mo1asses is not quite so
nice in ones hot coffee or ice tea.
though maybe it would do just as
we'll sprinkled upon ones's straw
berries and cream. That same cof-
fee and tea, most probably, had
better be bought outside, although
our old Confeds tell us Of substi-
tutes they used, and we sometimes
suspect that we run across these
same substitutes in various eating
houses. There is no reason. though
why all of our beef and all Of our
pork should not be raised right
here at home, and moreover,
there should be plenty extra to ship
away to bring back money for cir
Iculation here. 1t is almost crime
Il that we should have to send good
Sumter dollars out of the county
for eggs and poultry, yet such is
a fact many months OF the year.
South Carolina will never, we sup
pose. compete with Minnesota as
wheat state, but are you con-
vinced that Sumter county cannot
raise wheat enough for all the
-four that Sumter county eats? In
| a grocery store you will find pickles
and preserves from this place and
that. but they are no better than
the pickles and preserves that Sum-
ter county women can put up. The
outside product, however, is there
where it can be seen, and in a
convenient form ready and handy
for the customer. s'he home made
article is not.
There is no use to go through the
whole list. item by item. Try this:
if you are housekeeper, or if you
are not the housekeeper get the
nOuSekeSpeF ", heeP Aoi " "AAoAS
month list of every article OF
food used in the house for that
month, and the cost Of it. Take
that list to your grocer and your
meat shop and to any other shop
involved and see how much of
what you bought originated in
Sumter county, and how much out
side. Next, scan your list and see