The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1905-03-11
READ THIS CAREFULLY.

hecOSnlIlnS UnaU your lnUer1sVS
are identical with those of your
local merchants; that your sue
cess depends principally upon
their prosperity; that you contin-
ually advocate and encourage
community advantage and adj
vancement; that your influence
among intelligent farmers and
mechanics in your vicinity ranks
higher than foreign publications,
we beg to impress upon you the
Importance of beginning a cam
paign of education among your
subscribers to counterfeit inf1u-
ences which endanger your inter-
ests, your town and your COM
munity.
We refer to the growth of the
mail order catalog houses. Many
of the self-styled farmers papers
and nearly all the cheap story
publications continually advocate
and advise their subscribers to
patronize the city market, assert
ing and advertising immense buy
ing advantages. We need not
tell you these wonderful offers are
delusion and snare; that these
papers advocate foreign buying
solely on account of the adver-
tisers who support them. The
mails are loaded with mail order
circulars and literature calculated
to prejudice the farmer les
pecially) against his home mer-
chants.
All this is bearing fruit in
transferring a part OF the business
of every community to distant
city. The profit of each transac-
tion which would naturally re-
main in your town and pass from
man to man is sent away; bust
ness is curtailed, rendered un-
profitable, and bad conditions will
surely follow.
We hold that community will
go up or down with it's chief
trading point; that the price of
lands and produce depends to a
great extent on healthy local con-
Editions; that mail order suprem-
acy and success means enriching
the corporation or distant indi-
vidual at the expense of the many
home merchants; that it means
concentrating capital and popula-
tion at the expense of the country
towns and villages; that it means
the death of individual mercantile
enterprise or opportunity; that
it will change consumers into
producers and cripple and destroy
the home market that has made
our country the envy of he world.
The country merchants in gen.
eral are progressive and enterpris-
ing; they encourage and head
local enterprise and improve
ment; they donate literally for
church and charity and pay a
good proportion of the local taxes.
Their interests are closely allied
with their customers; they select
and sell the best the market can
supply; their character, reputa-
ton and word is above suspicion;
their statements and advertise
ments must be honestly and faith
fully made good; examination
and comparison is the customers
privilege and merit is held above
price. Necessary credit is ex-
tended; personal acquaintance,
personal explanation and personal
experience rule every transaction.
The mail order catalog house
depends upon price inducements
solely. They quote few leaders
at less than cost and make enor-
nous profits on the general line.
They resort to questionable, dis
honest methods in spite of their
boosted honorable dealings. They
require cash before the goods are
seen and sell many cheap imita-
tions of good products. They
claim to do business on small
margins. when it can be proven
their expenses average over 20 per
cent. They get together and fix
prices and if the retailer was out
of the field the consumer would
be made to pay the limit. They
advertise we'll known articles
they can't buy and when money