Show RETAIL REI AIL MERCHANT AN IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORT IMPORT- ANT FACTOR IN PROSPERITY I OF COMMUNITY I t The retail i merchants of the cou country try are face to fa face e with a a menace of the gravest character T The e manufacturers are are ruling the economic situation with a rod of f iro iron and are compelling retail retail- r retailers tail tail- ers to accept goods at prices laid down by them on the date of de de- de livery The public meanwhile in a reaction from the Ir reckless and extravagant ant bu buying ing of the past is earring tarring its economy in in inmany inmany many instances es to an unnecessary unnecessary unnecessary sary and unwholesome extreme The merchant is thus caught between two ruinous influences He must find a way of of escape escape from them or go b bankrupt Some way must be found to protect him in this crisis Some Someway Someway Someway way must be devised to relieve him from the consequences consequences of the unnatural conditions of ot production production production pro pro- distribution and conI con con- I that have grown up He is not responsible for these I conditions H He has been subject to the co convenience of the manu manu- He has had to set his course and trim his sails as they desired His price schedules have been compelled to raise 1 his lis s figures to o the purchasers whenever whenever whenever when when- ever the producers er erso so so willed Coming into contact with the public public pu pu- I bile he has undergone unmerited blame for the exasperating rise in the cost of living The real causes have been bleep back pf dl him his control His busi- busi I r ness Hess in a w word rd has been beep conducted conducted conducted con con- ducted for him He has b been en enI I j forced to m meet et i inconvenient finI financial financial fin fin- I anCIa ancial I requirements to ma make k e eI I prompt prompt payment f for r his purchases purl purI pur purchases pur- pur I chases to sub submit nit to m methods he lie l I could not approve And he has hasI I had to endure also the complaints comi com- com i i plaints of the thoughtless who I f failing to identify the real scour scour- I ces of their dissatisfaction have I p poured out their wrath up upon n himI him him I The truth is that he has been like the consumer the victim of eco economic mic influences he could not overcome The ret retailers retailer's iler's place in the cornI comI community com corn I I is close to to the comfort comfortI and prosperity rity of all of us We I cannot ignore gur dependence upon upon- him He is a vital factor in our daily lives We Ve take him himas as a matter of course yet anything anything anything any any- thing that affects him affects us also He is a link in the great commercial chain that binds together to together together to- to gether the most remote industrial industrial industrial rial and social interests He is isas isas isas as necessary to us as the farmer the manufacturer or the railroad is If he suffers the rest of the community s suffer uffer No town or city could prosper in which the retail merchants were swamped by disaster In the changes now under way there should be a gradual readjustment readjustment readjustment read read- to meet the retailers retailer's s needs His Hig ver very commercial existence existence existence ex ex- ex- ex is at stake He could uld I not not- survive a sudden and rc reck reckless reek reek- k less process of His situation is one of ex extreme ex extreme i seriousness and m manufacturers manu lU- lU and public alike l must usta appreciate a the e danger ill ip which i I h he stands through no nn fault tf pF 1 his o Providence Providence Journal ourn l. l r t r I 2 V 0 1 1 A. A f f 1 tl jl |