The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-08-18
THE MAIL ORDER HOUSE.
1t is a Detriment to the Farmer and
Will Never Benefit Him Dollar.

The Republican has published many
articles concerning the purchasing of
goods by the farmers from catalogue
houses in preference to patronizing
the home merchants, but the following
which is taken from the American
Farmer contains more sound logic con-
cerning the question than anything
we have read. 1t states nothing but
solid fact:
The mail order house is an abscess
on the neck of legitimate business; in
other words, it is an old sore. and the
bigger it gets the worse it smells.
No man who owns land can afford
to aid or give comfort to pirates Pi-
rates tear down and destroy. Land
owners want things built up because
they are interested in increasing the
values of their property, and land
values are established and maintained
on basis of the creative energy that
develops industries in the vicinity
where the land is situated.
There is no creative force in piracy;
it produces nothing but cheap machine
clerks Like great big hawk it scars
around in the commercial air ready to
pounce down and snatch the bread out
of the mouth of legitimate industry.
The mail order house selling pianos
and sewing machines by the catalogue
route is more than a pirate,--it is
turkey buzzard. 1t takes failures
that have died for want of real merit
and tries to stide legitimate business
by selling the embalmed remains at a
reduced price.
The mail order house is the quack
doctor of commerce. 1t promises much
and guarantees nothing. Like some
patent medicines, the directions are on
the inside and you have to buy non
returnable package before you find out
what they are.
No mail order house helped to build
the little white schoolhouse in your
district or turnpike the road past your
door. No mail order house ever took
you by the hand when you were in dis
tress and told you to let that little ac-
count go until after harvest next year.
No mail order house ever sold you an
article and spent every cent of its
profit in the community where you
and your neighbor could get it all back
again. No mail order house ever re-
joiced with you when you were glad,
nor spoke encouraging words to you in
affiiction, nor stood with uncovered
heads beside the grave when your
loved ones died.
No! The mail order house is after
your money. Every dollar it gets it's
hands on will be jerked out of your
neighborhood forever. The mail order
house may bear upon it's face the sem
blance of friendship, but no human
heart beats under it's cloak of hypoc-
risy Sentiment is to it unknown.
The whole institution is as cold and
bloodless as a corpse.
All mail order houses in Christendom
would not increase the value of your
farm one cent.
They are parasites to whom life is ,
only possible SO long as they can suck
blood out of communities to the up l
building of which they contribute
nothing They create no local market
for the products yon have to sell. {
They have no property which can be ,
assessed to help bear.your burden OF !
taxation. Your localdealer's business
is legitimate because it's success con-
tributes to the general prosperity OF I
the community that built it up. {
Your local dealer stands ready to {
duplicate every offer set forth in the
of mail order houses and l