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Show FOLLY I A movement has been started in Salt It Lake which is justly viewed with alarm J by all who wish to Bee the c ty remain 1 prosperous. For more than a year busi ness has been slack throughout the na J t on. Salt Lake has had less compla nt to make than any other city It is 1 true that we have felt the strain but I on the whole we have been prosperous I t and nothing should be done now to turn 1 the tide aga nst ns L In the last few days the business I; men have been informed of a move ment to cut down Christmas purchases j Soma women who have been decidedly ill advised have nrged the sending of aid to the Belgians and the abandoning f t of all other Chr s mas giv ng They I nave been calling their friends by tele I phone to press upon them this prepos I . terous plan which if it were w dely I adopted would prove most disastrous a a for the ent re community lnclud ng the I women who advocate t It will be i) seen that a sort of endless chain has I I been established and all the business I dt mea are beginning to feel the effects of I fa this utter folly I The Chn tmas purchases are consid I erably below those of last year at the I T corresponding period in spite of the fact I that there has been a general dispos I tion to shop early The business men I Jf are maintaining full forces of employees I in the face of slackening trade Should I anyth ng be done to further impa r I trade cond tions n th s city it w 11 be I bo necessary for the bus ness men to I cut down the r forces and thus strike I ihe ent re commun ty a serious blow I " It is obvious therefore that the move I $ ment to km t Chr stmas purchases is I T most unfortunate It has been adopted 4t at a time when bus ness needs all the j st mulus it can get To cut down j Christmas shopping to aid the Belgians 8 or any other people is to do a per I manent injury to bus ness in Salt Lake So far the business men have t ded ' f, -over the dull t mes more successfully ihan the r brethren in other cit es of the country and when more prosperous times come they will be In a better position to take advantage of prosper lty but now we find a senseless pro j paganda started to injure business in 8alt Lake at precisely the time when it needs the most encouragement Of what avail can it be to a d the Bel gians and do ourselves a permanent in iuryf Aid the Belg ans by all means but do nothing to create hard times in Salt Lake If ever there has been a time when the business men of the city deserved patronage t is now when they are seek mg to retain all the r employees and thus keep the business of Salt Lake at its present standard The Belgians will need help a month or a year from now and we will be better able to a d them then by helping ourselves now and not by do ng ourselves a needless and irrep arable injury |