The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-05-06

The Post check. is one of the latest
schemes of the mail order houses of
the large cities to undermine the mer-
chants of the smaller towns and cities
OF the country. A regular bureau is
supported at Washington to send out
literature concerning this so-called
postal reform. This bureau claims of
course to be philanthropic aud Who'll.
~ unselfish concern: il is easy to un.
derstand why every congressman from
a large city is in favor of the move.
ment. 1t is proposed to reissue the
currency of the country placing on
each bill blank lines which, when
properly endorsed changes the money
from currency to draft, and is thus
safely transmitted through the mails
We are surprised to see the number of
newspaper editors taken in by this
scheme. 1t is easy enough now for the
farmer to read the fictitious delights
OF the cheap bargain store from the
pages of one of the voiumnous cata-
logues, without placing in his pocket
the ever present temptation to change
his money into drafts and send it in
to Chicago or Boston or New York. 1t
would be grand thing for the quack
doctors, the patent medicine vendors
and the mail order houses, but it
would mean destruction OF hundreds
upon hundreds of local enterprises. 1t
would mean the ruin of our merchants,
stop to the growth of our thriving
little cities and finally it would react
upon the farmers themselves by des-
troying their local markets and placing
them entirely at the mercy OF the city
buyer and seller Transportat on
charges and exchans are to the local
merchants what the protective tariff is
to the manufacturer Years of service
with the American Express Company
made US laugh quietly on many ocas-
sions when local merchants raved and
tore their hair about 'extortionate
charges" they had not the wit to know
that it was these very "extortionate
rates. which kept them from direct
competition with the mail order houses
gave them margin for legitimate,
profits and fairly kept their business
alive. Give the people free delivery,
post checks.and a parcels post and it
will be easier for the farmer living
five miles from Denison to buy in Chi.
cago than to come 20 town to do their
trading. SO long as free rural delivery
is confined to letters and papers it does
but little harm, but let it be extended
to the delivery of what now is forward
ed by express and the death of the
small trading town is but matter of
time, We are glad to be able to state
that in the present Secretary of the
Treasury the country merchant has
firm friend and advocate. The advo.
Gates of the 'post check" and other
means to divert trade to the large
cities will get no aid nor comfort from
him 1t is a blessing that we have in
this Important position one who knows
and symEathizes with the small and
struggling merchants of our prairie
villages, and who will protect their in
terests wherever possible. We have
already corresponded with Secretary
Shaw along this line and we are glad
to say that his answer had a strength
and decisiveness which put an end to
any uneasiness we might have felt as
to the attitude of the treasury toward
this philanthropic (?) movement of the
cities to swallow up the country trade.