The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-03-06
vision counsel.
The railroad commission today will
hear the other roads on the proposi-
ton Of reduced rates.
bill Simpson, on Catalogue Houses.


10 the Editor: The article on "Ci-
tics Against Home" 1 read in your
paper a short time ago set me to
thinking.
1t w'a only lately, I say one Of the
lealinT farmers il thic community
carrv'n-" a large, bunyleScmc catalo-
que from Il Chicago catalogue horAe,
home with him. II happened that I
was drawn into q discussion Of this
question with him and I was actu-
ALL surprised to hear him express
himself as he did. In the first place,
L feel proud Of the fact that L have
never patronizcd one Of these coll
Germs in preference to dealing with
II home merchants. Probably one
reason why 7 have not felt inclined
TO send my trade away from home is
because, it has only been a few years
since [ found my financial condition
such that 1t became necessary for me
to arrange with some one to carry
my account over n crop season. II
fact, it has moi been more than a wear
since 7 found it necessary to run an
account for il short time and I am not
one 50 forgctful Of accommodate
tons as to order fro~ n ~catalooua
house and send them the money with
the order when our home merchants
have been good enough to extend ere
dit to me when | ncelcd il. But I
can not say this Influence has been
the only one to cause me to ,tadc
entirely at home. 7 know if I. or any
of my ~nei"hbors. want TO buy some
thing, if they would only 90 to one of
our home merchants and tell what
they wanted, he will furnish it to us
just as cheap as we can GET it from a
catalogue house. Now. I don't mean
he will let us have first class goods
at a price VIC would pay them for see
ond class goods. but 7 mean that for
the same class Of goods they will sell
us just as cheap rs those other fcl-
lows. Tn figuring The cost Of goods
from catalogue houses. VIC don't want
to forget TO figure in the cost Of send
ing The money and payin" the freight
or express. IF ii is anything liable
to need repairs, our home merchants
can get them for us. but il is almost
impossible to GET them f;om a c~atal,-
que house. or course The merchants
in cur town cannot afford to sell us
goods just as cheap rs these catalo-
CUE houses and wait six months or a
year For their pay when these other
concerns require us to send the cash
with the order. or as soon as the
~ DDS are received. They could not
afford to do that. | remember when
one Of our nci%hbors met with a loss
OF nearly cvcrvthin" &c had on earth
and when we started oni to take up
Il collection for him every merchant
in our town, and, in fact, in three
towns around us. contributed some
thing. No onc thought Of askin" a
catalogue house TO help out on this
1tnd. or course ! can imagine how
much good ii would have done to
have asked them to.
| am not a philanthropist and I
am frank TO say if anything could be
saved in the long run from buying
from the catalogue houses, T might,
then think about il. but | do not be-
IicVc .ynu save one cent. know it is
a ml2llty hard matter for y mcrchan:
to come ont vcM on sugar.. When
he sells me or any OF my n%cighbors a
dollars worth. it must weight ND 10
i dollars worth. but when anw Of us
bny il hundred or SO pounds from a
catalogue house ii can be lust a little
short and We think. Of course. il has
Siitcl through the BAG or somethin"
Is the cause Of ii and we let it go at
that.
know Of n Of my ~Acighbors buy
ing Il cook stove from a catalogue
house. When the stove came it look
ed just exactly like inc picture in the
catalogue. in fact, it. was like it only
1t weighed about one-half or two
thirds n much as The same size stove
would if ii had been bought from IL
OF Il hardware mon. My ncighbor
told me it was the las, thing he
would buy away from home, be-
cause he knew he was stuck ON the
stove, for il was just like the picture,
and the fact that ii was Il light weight
stove did not give him any excuse for
refusing 10 take it,. Since th2n was