Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-10-07
home TRADE LEAGUE
This New Organization Works to
Save Small Communities.
FIGHTS CATALOGUE OCTOPUS.

FlGFt > "a RLOIUE W OrUS.
: Thousands Of Merchants Combine to
Retain Patronage - Jobbers and
Manufacturers vitality Interested--A
Pull All Together.
An organized attack on the mail
order houses Is to be made by the
Nome Trade League Of America.
The backbone Of the league is
Formed Of commercial associations.
national. state and local in character.
In Illinois. Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan.
Kansas and Minnesota. The officers
81 associations in scores Of cities are
in constant correspondence with the
league, which will continue to have its
national headquarters in Chicago, says
the Chicago Tribune officers Of the
league will be selected from the most
aggressive Of the leaders Of these as
..ADclations OF business men.
Alfred G. Clark, manager Of the
league, outlined the policy Of compe-
sfition with the catalogue houses as
now being conducted in a thousand
cities and towns, principally in the
middle west. Summed up 1t is:
Forcing the wholesaler. manufacturer
and jobber to give local merchants the
>Rame rate az the mail order concerns
Merchants are 70 pledge themselves not
to buy dollars worth Of goods OF job
Der or manufacturer who sells to cata-
larger
lille institutions of Chicago no longer sell
Ito catalogue houses now. among them
T1ibbard, Spencer Bartlett & Co.. Carson.
Jirie, Scott & Co., the John v. Farwell
company, the Disston Saw works and
Others.
To appeal to latent though potentially
powerful sentiment of local pride or 10y
aRlty in every community.
TO organize excursions in towns affect
sd most and entertain visitors from the
surrounding neighborhoods with the ex-
press purpose of convincing them they
elsan sell goods as cheaply as the mail or
Ter institutions
Mr.. Clark, manager Of the Home
Trade league, was interviewed at the
: headquarters Of the league, S25 Mo-
rYadnock block, Chicago. busy with the
..tetails of the reorganizatio plans.
There is probably" said Mr.. Clark,
's-lo question that is causing such anx-
zaery III the mind of the interurban
population today as the attitude of the
aMnail order houses. This business,
(which aroused no unusual comment In
artS incipiency, has increased by leaps
END bounds until It's volume now ag-
aggregates hundreds Of millions of dol
1Ars year, and the country merchants
and the citizens Of the thousands Of
American villages and cities stand
:. Aghast ut condition that spells ruin
Ito their personal fortunes and threat
Sens to make of their once thriving
home town Il commercial graveyard.
Naturally the business Of the manu-
Hacturer and jobber is likewise affected
AS the country retail merchant Is the
foundation on which they have bUHt,
and the downfall of one means ruin to
the other.
ut hHs become n question Of national
Importance, and that it should result in
concerted action on the part of the
manufacturers, jObbers and country
merchants to combat its influence on
trade was natural sequence, and to
do this the Home Trade League Of
America, a non-profit sharing organiza-
fion, was formed.
!, During the last year the sum total
III merchandise distributed in Chicago
Through mail order houses probably
saquais the merchandise distributed by
tobbers. Somebody lost this trade
switch those houses gained. If left to
afself the expansion of the mail order
3 business is sure II go on with increas-
ing deleterious fleet upon jObbers.
These Institutions have used the job
Ding trade as a storage for supplies I'M
Vii they reached a position where they
qSere large enough buyers to purchase
ut first hand. This enabled them to go
IN with increasing force.
e'They now are using the manufac-
-,,,ysIrers as they once used the jobbers,
!. 4ud II wilf continue this alliance as
long as 1t is 20 their interest to do so.
THUS it IL up to the jobber and the
country merchant to prove they are
ta,1mmcrclal necessity. | do not believe
;Ihe consumer wishes to contribute to
The ruin Of his home town. l do not
think he realizes the full meaning of
7cznail order blight in his community,
End the Home Trade league hopes to
present this matter to him in such a
fair lighc ,hat he will become our
.ally-which logically he should be. We
Scan only hope to bring about this con-
.djtion bY Toec,iug competition. 1t will
ta "a biz move In the right direction