Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-03-15

'ouOu' IlS REPRESENTS the lued
of the completeness Of commu-
nal organization and thus the
ideal society with the most var
led happiness of life.
The country merchant, by the
beneficience of widespread cred
it, furnishes millions of capital
that has turned the desert to a
garden and many a poor man
from poverty to opulence. He
gives the choice of selection on
the spot, the advantage of which,
in economy and effective results,
few consider. He stands as a
visible guarantee of his goods
which is an everlasting incentive
to the highest standard of quail
ity. And finally, when the quail
ity of the goods, the variety pre-
scented to view, the choice of Sc
Election, the quickness of delivery
and the inestimable value of
credit when needed and the saw
ing of freight are all considered,
he lays the goods in the farmers
hands at less cost than any cata-
logue house can ever do.
Nebraska, alone, probably
purchases $4,000, 900 in supplies
each year, and pays therefor la
ter on, after the crops are gath
cred, sold and the money secured
therefor. Wipe out the country
store and this $2O,OOO,OOO would
go out of the state before a dol
lar came from the crops and
would require a mortgage on
nearly every farm in the state to
raise the money.
The popularity of the catalogue
house is based on prestige not
warranted by the facts. A vol
luminous catalogue profusely i'll
ustrated, glowingly worded and
presenting bats for cash in adj
vance, conveys the impression
of bedrock prices, but making
no account of freight, express
age, exchange, cash discount,
loss of time, misfits and poor
quality. It's myth, but the
danger comes in the credulity
of the people who continue to
bunco themselves and impoverish
the community--to fatten the
dealer.
These facts lead us to another
phase of the question and that is
who is responsible for the success
OF the catalogue houses and is
there any way to change this
stream of such magnitude to the
home trade.
Farmers are not different from
any other class of people and they
are just as patriotic; and with
everything else equal they would
doubtless prefer to spend their
money at home and help build up
their home town. Our mer-
chants should look at this ques-
ton fairly and see whether they
might not even yet put check
on the catalogue trade by meet
ing this competition.
They can buy their goods from
the same centers as do these cat
alogue houses. They may not
be able to get the same discounts
or the quantity they desire to
handle as do the catalogue houses
who buy in large quantities, but
they can offset this difference in
prices often in freight rates as
better rates can be secured on
most goods in carload lots than
can the catalogue houses on small
quantities, necessarily on indi-
vidual shipments.
The catalogue houses have an
advantage in being able to do a
much larger business in the course
of week than is possible for a
country merchant; hence they can
sell for a less per cent profit.
But when the extra investment
of capital and expense compen-
safe where a large business is
considered the advantages of the
catalogue houses are not sogreat.
And is not the country merchant
in fairly good position to meet
his catalogue competitor by the
use of their methods? 1t is be-
cause the local merchants have
not organized to accomplish this
end that the catalogue houses
have succeeded in entering their
field and capturing such a large
share of the cash trader
The catalogue houses will adj