Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1907-06-07
.BANE OF HOME TRADE.
Lack Of Confidence In Your Own
Town.
HOW IT KILLS OFF BUSINESS

a FIRST Duty OF Good Citizens.
Do you believe In your own town an
community? II you do. what do you d
> Tor your own town and community?
1t may be that you have observed
gradual falling of In business. Thing
have not been going along at the livel,
rate which seems to be justified by tn
present general prosperity. Expert stat
istictians and close observers declar,
that never before has the United State
been so generally prosperous as It Il
at this moment.
How does your own home plac,
stack up with this declaration? AN
you and your neighbors getting youi
share OF the prosperity? II not
there's a reason" as a certain adyer
tiser says.
What Is the reason2
A recent writer on the revival of the
local spirit as the only remedy against
the ruin Of the small town and the
overgrowth Of the big city presents
some pertinent opinions on this topic,
Read what Richard Hamilton Byrd
says anent the lack of confidence found
In many communities-the lack Of a
belief In your own home place:
The Mail Order Business.
ut is that lack of confidence, or, per.
haps better, a lack OF a knowledge of
familiar things, which has enabled the
mail order business to gain such head
way in the rural districts.
1T is a recognized fact that the re-
tail 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 to the wall-driven out by the
mail order business. And this Is tax
Ing place in face OF the fact that the
population and purchasing power Of
the country districts are ever ON the In
crease.
What Is the matter2
"The mail order houses are drawing
the cash retail trade from its natural
channels to the cities.
The growth Of this octopus has been
phenomenal. From telly-l idea,
without form. an experiment fifteen
years ago. II has grown to proportions
that threaten the exterminati0n Of the
retail country merchant
IAN idea Of the way the money Of the
people Is being drawn into this mail
order trade may be had from the re-
ports OF some of these houses. A GER
tain mail order house Of Chicago which
began with q few thousand dollars fif-
teen years ago now carries a capital
stock Of $4,000. 900 and has arranged to
increase that stock to S40.00O,O0O Tho
monthly business amounts to $1,000
600, with a yearly net profit OF more
than 100000.
This. mind you. is the record Of but
one institution. There are dozens Of
them In Chicago. little and big. and
hundreds OF them in the various cities
OF the United States. They are spring
Ing up like mushrooms every night.
All that Ia necessary to start a mail or
der business Is a place to receive mail
and money enough to get out the first
batch OF printing and for the first ad-
vertising campaign.
Like the patent medicine business,
the mail order business depends on the
gullibility OF the general public. Thou
QannQ al nnAnIa L..
their hard earned cash TO some mail
order house In payment for goods that
could have been bought cheaper at
their home store.
why do they do M II is owing par
TALLY TO the desire OF the average per
son to be humbugged and partially to
the effect OF persistent advertising.
The mail order house sends out It's at-
tractive literature to every family In
the country. In this literature, com
posed OF well illustrated catalogues
and cheap magazines, known as mail
order papers, the goods are set out in
the most attractive manner. II IL
tempting bait. and the FISH bite.
"All Of these millions come out Of the
legitimate trade OF the country mer-
chant the man who has invested his
capital. built himself a home and been
active In building up the town with
the expectation that he would be al
lowed TO do a legitimate business In a
legitimate way. He Is entitled to the
trade OF his town and the country sd-
jacent. He pays his taxes and contrib.
utes to the support OF the community.
That community owes him reciprocal
luty-the duty TO give him the prefer.
ence OF trade, everything else being
equal. This is the theory OF all or.
sanized civilized communities. begin
ming with the family aud 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 IL 10 be maintained, the |
retail business must be preserved |
against the unfair lnroads OF the mail |
order business. And this can be done |
'nly by organization and education.
Let the people know the facts about