The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1911-02-24
MAIL ORDER HOUSES
vs. LOCAL MERCHANTS
ksgasfs es,stts Prints A rImsly
And Illumlnalng f,lsssssIsn o.
HhJs And Nhusiwss

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aFaiaf fha hlr mlil 1fdef houses N
ne lgiga cities
JlW 500 akai0, with scalfb "
nfF8mcat SOD lh abundance ~ reason.
thfg bafe ufFfd tne people ~ aba0
d0n fha lu.cllai policy N bnylng soods
taig 'fum home which cln ~ pUf.
chased M 0uf vefy dn0ts.
1hoy have emphasized me oiyiaus
fact ihit these Chicago, sd toui. and
New fnfs m8ll order hause. de hut
cprfl1uto one psnby ~ ouf pfus
psfity They take our dollars md nll
VIE get va return "A the goods W. or
defc1 when often fail gefpfaf abort
" belnR as represented m their hand.
s9me catalogues They never have.
ana never viii, pay cent w taxes TO
mIih'ain our state or county " ma.
niclpM governments They never
contribute fraction " mill to the
snppyft ~ our churches and schools,
nor would they so much ~ notice an
appeal for local charities
On he other hand, our merchants
are our own people. They are citizens
of our county, own property here and
ply taxes on IL; help us In maintain.
Ing churches and schools; sell us
goods on credit when cash money is
scarce and, IN word, are such essen.
tai factors Ia our prosperity, indiyid
unlly and collectively, that we could
not get along without them.
All these things are obviously true
and the newspapers have repeated
them with sometimes tlfesome ltera.
tion.
MERCHANTS TO BLAME.
But j. 10 not true, also, that the
merchants themselves are largely TO
blame Tor falling to check this con-
slant stream OF money which pours
Ia unbelievable volume into the cash
vaults OF the big mail order houses?
Are they not sleeping on their op-
portnnilyY Are they letting the pep
pie know Through the recognized
, MEDIUMS Of publicity that they have
! the same goods TO sell, and can sell
{ them rs cheaply as Montgomery
Ward Il CO., or Sears s. Roebuck2
Does that man who sends to Chi
cage for a set OF harness know that he
i caa buy that set FOR the same money
y In Magnolia? Does the local news
! paper which he reads advise him con
stantlS that such and such stores Ia
I the neighboring town can furnish hin
with all his household aud farm ol
. shop necessities, let him see then
4 before he buys them, and back ar
their value with the guarantee OF the
@ merchant?
Candid answers to these questions
! Will reveal the whole source Of the
trouble.
The consumers are not so much &c
blame rs the merchants are them.
s'lsts. The time has passed when
the buyer az merchandise will hunt
up the seller. 1t has been demonstra.
ted SO often that 1t has become axiu.
matte IN the business world that a
merchants sale OF merchandise IL In
proportion to the publicity he gives
To his Inducements to the buying pub
lie. Tue merchant who merely hangs
his sign In front Of his door and sits
down so wait for customers, will,
sooner or later be asking his good
wife to patch the bosom OF bis truu
sers, In the same town where he is
attempting TO do business, the post
Office around the corner will he hand.
Ink out handsomely illustrated cata.
lAgncs from some hig mail order
mouse, with the picture and price of
everything It has to sell, and the PEG.
pie who might be his customers will
be using the mails to supply their
wants from this euterprising store in
a far.olf city.
PAPERS FRIENDLY.
The newspapers OF Mississ ippi have
! been the best friends the little town
aud rural merchant has had but, AS a
. rdle, he has failed TO recognize that
! fact. They have offered him golden
, opportunity to turn those thousands
J OF mail order dollars into his store.
but, generally speaking, he has de.
c'ined to take advantage OF it because
the newspaper man charged few
dollars for his space.