Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-06

Jewell, were making an organized eff
fort to put the mail order houses out
sof business According to the story,
this most remarkable end was to be
attained by forcing the catalog houses
to squander their profits handling cor
respondence and sending expensive
catalogs and replies to inquirers-the
merchants and their friends who did
not and never will buy the catalog
goods.
THAT there is such an organization in
Jewell is false and without foundation
in fact, and does injustice and injury
TO the business men of Hamilton coun-
ty 1t has long been recognized that
nothing is gained by appealing to local
pride and by patronize home industry
appeals. Buyers are forgetful of where
their interests lie, their dependence
Sunon the town as a home market, a
place where they can buy quickly When
time means money, where they can get
credit when credit is needed. The mail
order house must be regarded as COM
petition that must be met.
$50 far as Jewell merchants are con-
cerned this fact has come to be rec
ognized. No war is going to be He-
clared. There is not grain of truth
in such statement. Jewell dealers
can and do meet catalog house compe-
tition in price and quality. The total
requirements Of family for year
time can be met in Jewell as cheapiy
as tin Chicago. The trouble has been
just this. The local dealer guarantees
all his goods. and sells all at about an
equally reasonable profit. The catalog
house makes its money at lines sold on
big profits-some shoddy goods that re-
turn big profits at low prices, and 9TH
ers good goods for which good prices
are asked But the catalog house gets
the business by offering few real bar
gains as bait, knowing full well that
the one who nibbles at the bait will de-
your as we'll the hook and several yards
of the line.
rJewell merchants have not decided
to make war-they are going to adopt
the same kind of tactics. Each one Is
getting catalogs and informing himself
as to prices and qualities. Where the
mail order competitor makes big bar
gain as a leader, the local dealer will
make the same leader. Where the for
mer asks profit-giving price, the local
dealer, too, will ask for reasonable
profit. Goods for goods, quality for
quality, price for price, terms for
terms, the local dealers of Jewell will
meet this competition that they face"
1.-THE Webster City correspondent Is
a reliable newspaper man. Word from
him today reiterates that Mr.. Kleave-
land was quoted correctly, and the ex-
perience of other newspaper men m
similar situations would give the corr
respondent the benefit of the doubt.
The very same plan for fighting catalog
houses which was attributed to Mr..
Kleaveland's interview was proposed
before a lumbermen's convention in
Marshalltown few weeks ago, and
seems to be campaign generally ex-
plotted among lumber dealers. With
them it applies more particularly to the
catalog houses which are trying to sell
lumber and mill work by mail direct to
the consumer, but If the general mer-
chants of Jewell have refused to adopt
it they are entitled to their explanation.
The correspondent and his newspaper
should not be impugned In the argu-
ment, hpweyer.-Ed.l