The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-08-09
Mail Order Houses Use Millions
/. OF Dollars Of Peoples
Money Without Pay
ing Interest.
eY o. A. CHARLES.

"We especially re-uest that you
eend the full amount Of cash with
your order"
Yes, you are to treat the mail order
house as honest while they treat you
rs dishonest You are to trust them
with your cash while they tell you to
"Send Full Amount OF Cash With or.
der"
My dear reader, II you were to go
70 your home merchant for some arti-
Gle and the merchant would say,
olive me your money first" what
would you think of him? What would
you do! It isn't hard to guess. You
would tell him in pretty strong Ian
guage that you could get along with
out his goods. You would leave his
store and the chances are never go
back.
Yet this Is Just what the mail order
house says, "Give us the money first"
or, to be more polite about IL, I'VE
especially request that you send the
full amount OF cash with your order"
Looking at the cash with order"
from another standpoint: Supposing
the mail order houses actually sue
oeeded in doing what they boast of
doing-drive the home merchant out
OF business. Supposing then that you
become closely pushed for cash, as
most OF US do at times. Then sup
posing you need some merchandise,
then what? II you had your home
merchant handy you could go to him;
he would trust you.
What would the catalogue house
say? They will be very polite about
II and with all graciousness point to
their catalogues, where you will find,
prominently displayer, these words:
1--WE Especially Request That You
Send Full Amount Of Cash With
Order"
> Now we do not believe 1t good pol
icy to buy goods on credit. we do be-
lieve 1t is better at all times to pay
cash for what you buy, but what we
do object to is. sending our money
away from home, to concern we
know nothing of, for goods we have
not seen. and waiting for these goods
till 1t suits the convenience of some
mail order house (who may need the
money more than we do) to send us
the kind OF goods they feel like, when
they feel like sending them.
When the two-cent-a-mile railroad
fare bills were before the legislatures
OF the several states, one OF the best
arguments In fvor of these bills was
something as follows;
The railroads we're selling mileage
books OF 1000 miles each for $50 II
this book was used within year from
date of purchase and the cover was
turned In the purchaser would get IL
rebate OF $40, or his travelling would
cost him Just two cents mile.
Now here is the point used by those
favoring the bills: The railroads, by
charging $40 for the mileage book,
were having the use OF millions OF
dollars OF the travelling public's money
on which they paid no interest. Now
let me show you the similarity be.
tween the railroad mileage grab and
the mail order house cash with or.
der" scheme
A great portion of merchandise cat.
alogued by mail order houses IL not
carried In stock by them, but Is or.
dered shipped direct to the purchaser
from one of the several factories from
which they buy. Then you send your
order to the mail order house, who In
turn sends II TO the factory. Now
don't you see that they have the use
OF your money from one to six or
eight weeks without paying you any
interest?
Let this condition prevail with their
many customers and you see the mail
order houses are doing business ON
the money Of their customers, for
which they pay no interest.
IL 1t was wrong for the railroads to
use the publics money without inter,
est. 10 II less wrong for the mail order
houses TO do so?
The mail order houses tell us that
by selling for cash they have no bad
debts, consequently they can sell
cheaper. You no doubt know that 7G
per cent OF the business done in the
United States 10 done on credit, but
do you know that the actual loss be
cause Of bad accounts is less thar
one-half OF per cent OF the tota
business done on credit? Suppose tn,
merchant would add this one-half o
per cent TO the price of his goods
II would mean only 80 cents on pur
chase OF One Hundred Dollars.
Looking at the Cash With Order
scheme from all sides. we can iint
but one explanation. and that 18th,
mail order houses believe everyone t.