Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-23
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Patronage of Mail order Hcuscs.


To the Editor of the Free Press
I have otter noticed of late in your
paper as in others, articles which con-
denim the patronage of mall order houses
1T appears to me that the arguments used
sometimes lack discrimination, and That
the conclusions are rather too sweeping,
particularly when applied to rural com
munities. with all due respect to the
papers of the state 1t Is hard TO forget
that they derive their chief revenue from
II retail merchants who suffer from the
competition of these houses For this
reason | have wished to see the matter
discussed by someone who could speak
from an entirely disintcrested standpoint.
and having waited In vain for this and
being in an argumentative mood, | ven
ture to tackle the job myself, sending YOU
the result for publication IL it seems to
you worth while.
The reasons why We should not buy
of these houses belong chiefly to
three classes: First. that they are not
trustworthy; second, that We ought to
keep our money at home to build MP our
own town and increase tax revenues:
third. that the local merchant would like
our trade.
As to whether mail order houses are
Trustworthy. ,vul willingly admit that
some are not When n firm offers to soil
something for (almosO nothing. giving
credit to everybody and taking its pay
I'm instruments. +, is not wise to he too
crcdulous. Doubtlogs some Of thesc
houses arc nure swiudIes. and the moro
arguments used against them the better
One could eyon wish that tho arguments
were moro effective. as thov would he r.
they did no, claim TOO much But when
n man reads q nevysnnncr article which
saws. or imnllos. that all mail order
houses are s,y,ndlos. and whom he knows
from cxrerionco that some Of thc,n arc
reliable. he IS lilyoiv TO he as indIscrin1i-
Mating ms tho nc,vsnoo er. reject tho argyll
ments in toto. ana conclude that tho
writer was nroiidiccd. In claiming that
como Of these houscs arc reliable do not
mean that tnoir catalogues are free from
exaggerated dissertations Of goods. Most
Of them sin pricyouslv in THIS respect.
| and ought 10 hc punished. but the local
merchants and Their adj writer's are hard
| ~ in position t. cast the first stone.
Much as tho American people like TO he
deceived there is limit. and If there
were no reliable mail order houses. nnth-
| ing genuine. hut all counterfeit. the bust
ness would not have grown so large, and
would not have scared the merchants
quite SO badly.
The arguments that We ought to keor
our money a. homo. build IN our owr
town and increase the grand list. IS n
good one. So good and 50 poprlar that II
! sometimes overvorked. The same ar
| rument nigh, have heeo used lust as an.
propriatcIv. and doubtless was used
nraine+ huvir- Factorv-mado clothing
but If could no, .rpctuatc home-spur
clothcq. and Vermont would not hav,
been any richer to-day If I. had. It (,
on assumed tina, buving Of tho Ioca
dealer necess3r.lv makes tho home towr
richer. an as,uuntlon not ALWAYS iusti
rabIo Most roods which a man Is likol,
70 hiv of a mail order house are not pro
duccd IN his own town. If he buys thcn
nc tba local daaler ,rrv tho rotai1 nro0
s,avs homo II nc finds that he car
eavo ,bis ,ror. nv b,iy,,r or a mail orde