Williams news., 1908-01-18
MAIL ORDER FIRM INDICTED

of using the mails to defraud. The stock of Sears. Roebuck & Co. dropped four points az a result of the news of the indictment 1ecom- ing public, and later dispatches say the firm is shy on cash. Still later dispatches say the profits for the last six months of 1907 will be $15O, ,OOO-just one-half of the prof it's for the corresponding six months of 1906. These reports are taken frem the Chicago papers. and are doubtless conservative, as Sears, Roebuck .& Go. is one of the big in- stitutions of Chicago, and those papers would doubtless be the last to misrepresent the situation.
 Legitimate business competition is all right; the local merchant be- ing fair minded man, as a rule, utters not a word against it; but when an institution like the Chi cago mail order house invades his territory then he has just cause for grievance. The mail order peo- pies strong point is cheap price, with all disregard for quality. and for business principles. Being in position to handle large quantities of goods, they handle the entire output of Jim crow" cheap facto- ries who pay no attention to the quality of goods manufactured; and the mail order houses dump the trash onto the public at sur prisingly low figure, but at big profit to themselves.
 The mystic power of intelligent advertising is the only agent the local merchant can blame for the mail l'order competition that con- tinually stares him in the face. By their advertisements the mail or der houses get their business and rob the local community of the trade which it justly deserves. It is intelligent advertising that in- duces the people to pay as much money for inferior goods and the heavy express charges added, as they would pay here at home for good, reputable goods.
 So long as the mail order houses send out their attractive catalogs. so long will the people buy of those houses. unless local merchants fight their common enemy with the same fire that is being SO successfully used against them.
 People of this community should know and realize the wrongs of trading with these houses. They should realize that every dollar they send 10 Chicago instead of spending it here in Williams is in- turing the town. and consequent ly the entire community just that much. Our people should recog- nize the fact that they are buying sight and unseen" when they send their money in advance for arti- cles. They should take time to investigate what they have bought after it does arrive, and consider the cost. trouble and loss of time involved in such a transaction.
 There is no moral excuse for buy ing from these mail order housea. and if our people only took time to investigate the matter they would see that in the outcome they have saved no money.
 Loyalty to home enterprises is the one thing that should be prac- ticed by all classes. If Williams is goo l enough for a man to make his money in. it is also good enough for him to spend it here.
 We could fill up this entire col umn with good. sound logic in favor of trading at home, and 30 could any one else if they deliber- ated on the subject at all. There is no advantage whatever in buy ing from the mail order houses, when all things are considered. and there are a thousand disadvantages in doing so.