Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1915 — OCR NATIONAL CURSE. [ARTICLE]

OCR NATIONAL CURSE.

' Every nationlias its. national curse. ■ - Ours, is. the Overworked credit system as applied to the ordinary . expenditures of life, and especially io the table. If every business arid, professional man •in this community were asked as to whether he. would rather sell for cash at a considerable discount in price, or continue ihe credit system, 'we believe the vote would be unanimous in favor of cash arid reduced profits. . The credit system is a n uisance. It is a national curse -a community curse, if yon please. Wherever the credit system prevails, there you Will find the usual number of slow-pays and genuine deadbeats. The merchant pays for his goods, and in turn some one must pay him. He cannot live on wind, hope or expectations. It is a case of “no cash, no live.” Every merchant who extends credit gets taken in by the deadheads. He loses not only his profits, but the cost of his goods as well. And what then does he do? Just what you or any other sensible person would do—raises the prices sufficiently on his wares to protect him against such losses. And the man who pays his own bills also.pays the bills of the deadbeat. If a person can pay at the end ot every thirty days it would require but little retrenchment and sacrifice to enable him to reach the point where he can pay cash where he goes. When the merchant, carries your account he virtually lends you his money, and this should not be. The bank is the proper place for such transactions. By . paying cash for his goods the dealer can get a substantial discount from the wholesaler, and this -discount, coupled with the saving of the usual deadbeat losses, would make a material reduction in the cost of supplies. But he can hardly stand the strain of a cash transaction himself while he is extending from thirty to ninety days credit to Dick, Tom and Harry and all of the little Harrys. - . Prices are high in this community, but conditions are no worse here than they are in other sections of the country. The wail is heard in every city and hamlet, and the volume is exceeding great. “Give us relief! ” is the cry. "Give yourself relief,” we say. To

a great extent the remedy is in your own hands. Some of you are wedded to the mail order habit because you get a cent or two off here and there—-but you pay it back in the freight. Is your credit good with the mail order concern? Not in a thousand years. Do you hand ove'r your Cash before you get your goods? You bet—every time—and you keep what you get, whether it stings or not. You expect your home merchant, who extends you credit and carries your account indefinitely, to make the same price on good’s he guarantees that the mail order man makes on goods he does not guarantee, and for which he demands his pound of flesh in advance. l>s this fair? Is it just to the home merchant, - or even to vourfelf? Now why can’t the people of this coinni,unity get together with the tradesmen and inaugurate a strictly sash system in every line of business? Why can’t we stamp out the credit curse? It is simply a breeder of high prices, in which everybody suffers. Buying fo,r cash would mean more goods for your money, less worry, and a better community generally. And the deadbeat would then have to pay for his keep. What say you, brother? These columns are open to you for reply.