The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-09

the foreigner.
Possibly this is the reason for the
growth of the mail order business in
the last few years, for the farm jour-
nal of general circulation is Il product
largely of the last decade and Il half.
This influence has been vigorously
would be ruined by the adoption of
the catalogue policy.
Suppose it be granted that these
journals have been influenced by
selfish motives, and that they have
been battling for their very right to
live, have they not even under these
conditions been the advocates of by
far the best policy for any community
to pursue?
Let it be understood that Just so
soon us business is driven out of any
tax paying division. an additional bur-
den has been placed upon the remain
ing tax payers, for what was paid by
the men driven out of business must
be paid by those who remain, and
while the same money is used in trad
ing elsewhere it pays no local taxes.
Montgomery, Ward & Co. pays no
taxes in North Dakota nor in any
county in the state, yet every order
they fill means the handling of the
same amount of money in Chicago
that would be handled in North Da-
kota. .a@ ..-..
Whatever taxes they pay go to the
city OF Chicago. The streets and
sewers and schools of that city are
supported by that money. If the
transaction had been with local
merchant the taxes which he would
'have paid would have been used to
improve the public roads of the coun-
ty, to build new school houses and
improve old ones, in short, to better
public local conditions.
1t is argued that the money sent out
would have no visible effect upon the
tax rates.
This may be true, but the ultimate
end to which the catalogue houses
are working is to control the entire
local trade and by this means drive
the great army OF local merchants out
Of business. When this is done the
local taxes will become a burden rest
ing entirely upon the purchasing
class; while the portion paid by the
selling class will go to the benefit of
the great retailing centers which this
system will build up.
The plan Of centralizing the retail
business in the great cities means a
business evolution, so far as time re-
quired and methods of accomplishing
are concerned, but once accomplished,
it will prove to be disastrous revolu-
ton.
Once accomplished, the merchants
in the smaller towns will be driven
out to become competitors with the
producing classes. The money and
consequently the business will be CEN
tered in a few cities which will be
rich and. prosperous, while the smaller
towns will be places of desolation and
decay. The local markets will be de-
stroyed, and this in turn will reduce
the wealth producing power of the
agricultural communities. There will
be few large cities which will fatten
upon the wealth wrung from the
smaller communities. Once central
lied, the mail order houses will be-
come trust compared with which the
present ones will seem like doves OF
peace.
These conditions will as certainly
follow the adoption of the principles
of commercial economy advocated by
the "Agriculturist" as effect follows
cause.
The public is now being delighted
with the motion Of the outer currents
of the maelstrom. but they are just
as certain to perish in the vortex as
that they are nearing it.
The press has been Influenced by
sordid notions in fighting this great
evolution in commercial methods, but
while doing SO the public at large
has been the beneficiary of he battle.
The country needs an Awakening
on this matter before the danger line
is irretrievably passed, and the peo-
pie who patronize these forerunners
of commercial disaster need to see to
what end they are fastening.
The evils of the Capitalization Of
the money of the country in the
power of a few individuals has been
forcibly presented in the case of the
great life insurance companies.
The conditions that would follow
the centralizing of the retail business
of the country in the hands of a few
would be more disastrous in its con-
sequences because every consumer in