La Junta tribune., 1907-06-01
BAHE OF HOME TRADE
Lack Of Confidence II Your ogn
Town.
HOW IT KILLS OFF BUSINESS.
Enable. tho Hail Order Octopus to De-
s,rey Retail Trade Of Villages and
Tewns--Why Home Protection 10
First Duty Of Good Citizens.

( for yotir own town aud community
II may bc that you have observed a
gradual falling OF In business Things
have no, been rolas along at the lively
rate which seems to be justified by the
present general prosperity. Expert stat
( istict!ans aud close observers declare
( that never boSore has the United States
been So generally prosperous ms 1t +
Z at this moment.
How does your own home place
stack up with this declaration? Are
you and your neigbbors getting your
share of the prosperity: II not.
there's IA reason" as a certain adyer.
,Izer says,
What Is the reasonI
\ recent writer on the revival OF the
local spirit rs the only remedy against
the ruin of the small town and the
overgruwth Of the big city presents
some pertinent opinions on this topic.
Read what Richard Hamilton Byrd
says nnent the lack OF confidence found
Ia many communlties-the lack OF q
belief IN your own home place:
TIE Mail Order Business.
1T & that hack Of confidence. or. per.
haps better. a lack OF knowledge OF
familiar things. which has enabled the
mali order business To gain such head
way In the rural districts.
"lt is a recognized fact that the re-
tall business OF the country village
and the large towns, for that matter,
Is being destroyed Year by year the
once prosperous merchants are being
forced 10 the wall-driven out by the
mail order business. And this Is tax
Ing piace In face OF the fact that the
population and purchasing power os
the country districts are ever ON the In
crease.
What IS the matterf
"The mail order houses are drawing
the cash retaif trade from its natural
channels TO the cities.
The growth OF this octopus has been
phenomenal FroEl u jelly-like idea.
without form, an experiment fifteen
years ago. 1t has grown 10 proportions
that threaten the determination Of the
retail country merchant
AN idea OF the way the money OF the
people Is being drawn into this mall
order trade may lie had from the re-
/ ports of song OF these houses y GER
tain mali order house OF Chicago which
began with few thousand dollars fif-
teca years ago now carries Il capital
I stock Of SJ.opo,0O0 and has arranged to
increase that stock to Sl0.ooa.oeO. The
monthly business amounts to 5000
& rsaffh ri ttTfAfif of ttn
thaa s,I.coo.ooo.
''fhis. mind you. is the record OF but
I one institution. There are dozens Of
Z them in Chicago, little and big. and
! hundreds Of them In the various cities
/ oi the United States. They are spring
I ing up Ike mushrooms every night.
All That Is necessary 10 start a mall or
I der business IS place TO receive NAH
+ aud money enough to get out the iirst
+ batch Of printing and for the first ad
I vertisiU- campaign.
I Like the patent medicine business,
/ the mail order business depends on the
/ guliibiliiy of the general public. Thou
/ sands Of people every week send In
I their hard earned cash 20 some mail
/ order house In payment for goods that
. tbl.fh HltFt if'b ipNSbN 'A'AlNt ~
{ their home store.
/ why do they do it, IL Is owing par
\ tally 10 the desire OF the average per
/ son 10 be humbugged and partially to
| the effect Of persistent advertising.
/ The mail order house sends out its at
iractiye literature 20 every family In
the country. In this literature, com
\ posed of well Illustrated catalogues
and cheap magazines. known us nah
order papers. the goods are set out In
the most attractive manner Ii IL
| tempting bait. and the fish bite.
IAN OF these millions come out OF the
legitimate trade Of the country mer-
| chant. the man who has invested his
capital. bull; himself Il home and beer
active In building up the town with
the expectation that he would be al
lowed TO do n Legitimate business in q
legitimate way. He is entitled to the
trade OF his town and the country ad
jacent. He pays his taxes and contrib
| utes to the support of the community.
| That community owes him n reciprocal!
| luty-the duty TO give him the prefer
ence OF trade. everything else being
equal. This is the theory of all or
| saElzed civilized communities. be:in-
ming with the family and going on up
through every organization TO that OF
the state. Home protection from for
eign robbers is the first duty of every
good citizen. II the village and town
| life that has grown up under natural
laws OF trade Is TO be maintained. the
\ retail business must be preserved
against the unfair inroads of the mall
order business. And this can be done
| only by organization and education
Let the people know the facts about
the mail order business and the offer
inrs on the altar OF crcdulity VIII
| grow beautifully less