The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-01-30
MAIL ORDER MENACE
How the Cash Retail Trade Is
BENG Drawn Cityward.
THE LURE or THE CATALOGUE

Amaslna ore.,h ~ nlg City cenesrns
That DRAIN the Country 81 Money
Which sheeld De Spsr, o, Home.
How the Evil MAY ns cSmhs,ss,
To MaxwcVs Talismsu are the tol,
lowing remarks on the mall order husi,
ness by Richard Hamilton nyni
II is a recognized fact that the rc,all
business o. the country villages and
the large towns, for that matter is he.
Ing destroyed Year by year the onco
prosperous merchants are being forced
10 the wall driven out by the mail OF.
der business And this IL taking place
In face Of the fact that tho population
aud purchasing power Of tho country
districts are ever on the Increase.
What Is The mattcr9
The mail order houses are drawing
the cash retail trade from It's natural
channels TO the cities,
The growth OF this octopus has been
phenomenal From Jcllylike idea
without form an experiment fifteen
years ngo, u has grown 20 proportions
that threaten the determination OF tho
retail country merchant
An idea Of the way the money OF
the people ~ being drawn Into this
mail order trade can bo had from tho
reports OF some OF these houses
A certain mail order house OF Chi
cago which began with few thou.
sand dollars fifteen years ago now
carries capital stock OF SS,oo0,ooo
and has arranged TO Increase that
stock 10 sia0000o0 II does bust.
ness OF 100000 a month and earns
a net profit Of 100000 a year.
Like the patent medicine business,
the mail order business depends on
the gulllbIlty OF the general public.
Thousands OF people every week send
IN their hard earned cash 10 some mall
order house In payment for goods that
could have been bought cheaper at
their home store.
Why do they do M IL IN owing
partially 10 the desire OF the average
person TO be humbuggcd and partially
TO the effect OF persistent advertising
The mail order house sends out Its at
tractlve 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 nre set out In
the most attractive manner II IN
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 10 do legitimate business In n
legitimate way. He Is entitled 10 the
trade OF his town and the country nd
jacent He pays his taxes and con
tributes 10 the support OF the commu.
nifty. That community owes him
reciprocal duty-the duty TO give him
the preference Of trade, everything
else being equal This IL the theory
OF all organized civilized commnnl
ties, beginning with the family and
going ON up through every orgnniza.
ton to that Of the state. Home pro-
lection from foreign robbers Is the
first duty OF every good citizen. II
the village and town life that has
grown up under natural laws OF trade
Is TO be maintained the retail business
must he preserved against the unfair
inroads Of the mail order business.
And this can he done only by orgnniza-
tlon aud education. Let the people
know the facts about the mall order
business, aud The offerings on the al.
tar OF credulity viii grow beautifully
less