The Mena weekly star., 1908-08-06
ONE BIC COMBINE
FORGE OF MAlL-oRDER PRESS AGAINST COUNTRY TOWNS.
ADVERTISING THAT COUNTS
How Money and Trade Are Central ized In Great Cities to the Loss of the People In Agricultural
 Sections,

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 These are the days of trusts and this is an era of trusts" writes W. D. Perclval late publisher of the Stan ton (Neb.) Picket. Tt is oontended that there are some good trusts, but when the X-rays of investigation have been turned upon them 1t has been impossible to locate the good points. To-day the most menacing trust in the world is the commercial combination that Is intended to destroy the retail trade of the country, diverting 1t into the great money centers. This has reference to the catalogue houses that have grown up in the large cities with in the past few years. We can all re- member not long ago when there was country store at every crossroads and at the same time there were pros porous towns every few miles along every railroad. In each one of these towns there were from two to half a dozen general stores, besides the other stores that were handling spe- cial lines. They all enjoyed good trade and sold goods at reasonable profits
 To-day, in every agricultural and industrial section of the country you can notice the results that have been brought about by the catalogue houses The crossroads stores have gone, and in the towns business houses have been vacated, their windows boarded up and the former occupants driven into bankruptcy or other occupations Not that the catalogue houses have sold cheaper than the small mer- chants. but they have flooded the coun. try with catalogues and advertise ments. alluring away the trade that rightfully belonged at home. These catalogue houses are owned and man aged by able business men, built upon the broad gauge plan, who realize the benefits to be derived from advertis ing. They have organized an advertis ing campaign and each year they are spending fortunes, not only publishing and sending out catalogues, but they have built up combination of news papers that are nothing but mail-order journals. It is shown that the com bined circulation of these sheets az gregate 32,000,000 copies per month These they send broadcast over the country at their own expense They do not stop at this, but go into every magazine, agricultural. religious and other paper that will accept their ad vertising. They pay the top price for this advertising and in this way they are enabled to reach about every farmer in the land. They set aside each year millions of dollars for ad- vertising.
 Thus is will be seen that the cata, logue houses and certain classes of publishers are in a combine that con. stitutes one of the most damnable trusts ever known. So far the eoun- try press, although frequently ap- preached. has turned deaf ear to the siren voice of these destroyers of home trade. In return for this. the country merchants should be liberal in their patronage Of the local papers which have demonstrated that they are true friends in time of need. The mail-order houses are in the business for money and the only way to com bat them is to agree upon a line of action. The country press and the country merchants must get together and start a campaign of education The country press is on the right side and by all working together and for one purpose. the grip now enjoyed by the catalogue houses can be broken and trade turned back into its legiti- mata channels