Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-10-11
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF
A DAILY PAPER EDITOR


becomes u fixture. ii will be body
blow to progress.
But If the catalogue house is good
thing it must sell the customer
enough cheaper 10 offset the loss In
the value of their farms and produce
by the elimination Of the village mer-
chant and the country town. Can
they do this? Is it done?
Merchant and catalogue house must
go to the same jobber or manu- acturer
for his wares. Can one buy cheaper
than the other? If he can, he Will sell
cheaper and the argument is against -
the local merchant. hut does he? Let
us see! They so to shoe factory:
What is the price of such shoe?'
Two dollars and a quarteri' is II
solid leather inner sole, counter and
heel?" Yes. sir" well. l must
have it for less. will pay you two
dollars for it." mo, sir, 1t can't be
made for that" well, what will 1t
cost with a composition insole, coun-
| Make it up that way and l will take
| IT," That is your catalogue house
shoe. Now comes your country mer-
chant. What is the price of that
shoe?" Two dollars" "Is it solid?"
No" What will it cost solid?"
Two dollars and quarter Il take
| it,. The two shoes look exactly alike.
only an expert could tell the differ
ence and he would have to mutilate
the shoe to prove it,
| Another interior merchant has two
old ranges in his show window. one
| with this legend Bought of Mont.
gomery Ward used two years. cost
s45." The other: Bought here. used
two years, cost 500" Which was the
cheaper?
Another country store incident: A
woman wishes to exchange a coat.
The merchant examines the garment.
Certainly, madam. larger or small
err" Neither, | want a different gar
ment." But we can't do that, madam.
we are closing this line out below
cost because it is out of date" "In-
deed! why | just bought this of q
catalogue house and paid nine dollars
for it." Il am very sorry, madam, but
we are selling the garment Tor three
seventy-five and glad to get it"
Another case: A farmer who could
not write English requests store
keeper to forward S14 to & catalogue
house for fur coat, After some time
the garment arrives, to be rejected In.
dignantly by the farmer He would
not have it at any price, and bought
one from the home merchant. Five
weeks subsequent he had not received
his money back The state is full of
such cases.
| Do these houses do business with
out a profit? Are the proprietors Car
negies, simply dissipating their mil
lions? Sears, or Sears-Roebuck, was
an obscure railroad station agent In
North Redwood, Mimi. few years
ago, man of ordinary ability with
the instincts of a peddler Does any
his enormous fortune in few years
by selling goods at cost? Could he
have outstripped all his competitors
in the race for riches by selling at
less profit than they? Can he buy
closer than the honest jobber or man.
ufacturer? No! The fierce competi-
ton of the age has forced the manu-.
lacturer to the very limit of cost He
simply has his goods made with
shoddy insides, or he buys up lots that
are obsolete and sells them Sights
unseen"
The country merchant is the first
sufferer under the new system. and
yet he is the farmers best friend: in
deed, he is more; he is his servant,
since he stands between him and the
commission sharks Of the cities, pay
ing the farmer more than the market
price for his produce and meekly
standing the loss; he extends him
| ~'S.N tsAN pay ihtSiCot ioi DOllOW0u
money and credit himself; he lets out
goods on trial and takes them back If
they do not suit or fit; he keeps the
children of the community supplied
with candy, generally gratis; he helps
maintain roads and bridges, school
houses and churches and halls for the
convenience of his people; in short, he
Is one of the links OF the mighty chain
of progress that has done so much to
| advance civilization. Let the new
conditions obtain; eliminate him and
that chain is broken. The farmer win
have lost his home market. VIII the
supply house take its place? The
mere mention OF 1t should shake the
farmers nerve.
What will you do? Which shall
stand, the Commercial Traveller and
Country Merchant or the Catalogue
House?-Merchant's Index
Mrs. George H. jerks, an old wo.