The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-02-28
MINISTER RELATES HOW
CHAIN STORES OPERATE
Says Churches and Community
Betterment Projects Would
Starve Depending on Them

No definite reply has ever been
made to the charge of The Interstate
Grocer that the chain stores do little
or nothing toward contributing to-
ward community development, altho
F. H. Massamn of the National Tea
Company, speaking for the chain
stores at the National Gamers Asso-
citation convention at Chicago last
week, made a faint-hearted attempt
to defend the chain stores by saying
that all independent merchants do not
contribute.
How interviewer the success of the
local merchant is with that of the
community in which he does business
is being shown in Louisville where
the Department of Commerce is max
ing an extensive investigation into
the causes of numerous grocery fail
ures. It has already been shown that
the failure of these independent gro
GERS affect a wide variety of other
businesses. The fact that the failure
of these merchants was the cause of
such widespread damage to other
lines of business was one of the chief
causes of the investigation.
By inverse reasoning, if the failure
of such merchant is the cause of a
great deal of damage in the commu-
nifty, it can reasonably be presumed
that his success will likewise be re-
fiected in the growth and success of
the community. That the success of
the local merchant has become the
concern of other lines of business and
occupations is shown by the fact that
bankers, labor union leaders, real es-
tate men and others are coming to
the front and actively cooperating in
moves to help the small merchant.
Minister Tells His Story
1t was The Interstate Grocer that
first weighed the value of the home
town merchant to his community in
comparison with the chain store and
pointed out that the local merchant
was literally the backbone of the
community and that if he was driven
out of business, his going would be
marked by disaster to every individu-
al in the community.
How necessary the local merchant
is to the upbuilding of the community
is shown in a letter written by a
Methodist minister to his church pub
LEGATION. This letter shows plainly
that if local charities, churches and
other institutions that go to make up
desirable town in which a man may
live and rear children should have to
depend upon the gifts of the chain
store, they would speedily starve to
death. Here is what this preacher has
to say:
81 am a pastor in the Midwest. l
face a two-fold problem in this sec
ton. In the center of an agricul-
tural territory l am dependent for
financial support on a community
which hardly ever thinks except in
terms of coal mining. When the
mines run the community is prosper
Gus. When they shut down it is not.
Chains Bring Lowered Morale
"And the prosperity of the COM
munity is reflected in the work of the
church. Just now it is the lack of
prosperity that is thus reflected. And
the results are well-nigh disastrous.
Unto this community of which l
speak there have come three chain
stores. These stores have brought low
prices and a lowered morale among
the business men of the community.
Their offerings cover the field of gro
ceries, general merchandise, notions,
clothing (men's and women's) fruits
and meats. During times of pros
perity our merchants give liberal
credit to their customers, and now
they watch these customers spend
their ready cash at the chain store,
while the old accounts remain unpaid.
"Now, the cruX of the situation as
far as the church is concerned came
rather forcibly to my attention in the
last few weeks. In spite of our strin-
gency we are boldly proposing to put
up a new church building. Over
crowded conditions make this impera-
tive.
All He Got Was Polite Letter
$50 we turned to our most liberal
givers, who, not surprisingly, were
the substantial merchants, business
and professional men of the town, and
presented the matter to them. The
response was sincere and in many
cases sacrifcial. But in every case
there was the facing squarely of the
situation created by the chain store.
"This fact suggested to me that 1
write to TT management of these
stores which had precipitated the st
uation in the community and suggest
that they show their interest in our
religious enterprise by making an &C
tual contribution to our work, equal
to the average at least. rquot.e here
with paragraph fl I'm the reply of