River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1907-03-14

home merchant next time, and know
what you get when you pass over the
money for it. He may not be able TO
sell you what you thought you were
buying from the mail-order house at
the catalogue price, but he can sell
you, if he has it, the same goods you
get from the mail-order houses at an
equal or less price than they ask for
it, and what is more, he can sell you
what you really want at as reasonable
a prico as you cal get it for else
where.
The following letter, written by
Michigan farmer, explains in clear
and unmistakable way the danger OF
buying of mail-order concerns. 1t was
addressed to one of the largest of this
class of institution in this country;
Baldwin, Mich, Jan. IL, 1907.
Gentlemen:
I have your favor of recent date,
and also your catalogues and accom-
panying circulars offering premiums
for distribution of the same among my
friends. I have no doubt that, as you
say, I will thereby confer a great ia
vor upon you, but / am compelled to
take issue with you on the statement
that | will also confer favor upon
my friends.
In my dealings with you, extending
over some time past, l have received
no favors from you'll paid for all /
got, and the length of time l traded
with you, instead of establishing
friendly relations and gaining me adj
ditional favor as it would in home
store, gave you the opinion that, I'M
like a new customer, to whom you
give your very best, SO they will come
again, l was a steady conner and any
old thing would do for me.
Our last deal opened my eyes and
convinced me of your policy. Your
catalogues offer some apparently great
bargains But let us draw up our
chairs and see if there are not few
things very essential to the rural citi-
zen that are not mentioned within its
voluminous bulk.
For instance, there is no reference
to paying cash or exchanging goods
for wheat, oats, corn, beans, butter,
eggs and hay.
How much will you pay for cattle,
sheep and hogs, f. 0. b., at Baldwin?
How much will you pay to support
the Lake county schools and educate
our children? How much for improv-
ing our roads and bridges? For sup
porting the poor? For the general
public expense?
On what page do you offer to con-
tribute money to the support of our
churches?
What line of credit will you extend
to me when my money is low because
of sickness, or poor crops? What do
you provide in the way of entertain
ment for the public and in the way
of providing those things that make a
| town desirable and thus keep up the
value of my property?
AS matter of fact, do you do any
thing to help locally, or do you merely
| take the money out of a community,
returning nothing whatever, beyond
| the value of the goods bought? Think
| ing it over carefully, 1 believe it is
better to call upon our local dealer
and lcok over his stock where we can
see the goods before buying. There
| are then no errors in change or re-
funds to be haggled over across 300
mile stretch.
Yes, it is better to trade at home.
| Our home merchants guarantee upon
an article means something, as he
wants our good will. Keeping the
money at home benefits home indus
| tries and thus, indirectly, US. We can
not expect to sell our products to the
local merchant and do our trading in
Chicago 1t is all one-sided and some