River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-01-19

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tells us, that we are the most indie
pendent people on earth, and so we
could and ought to be, bat are not.
We are simply the serfs and slaves
of that great monstrosity, the mail
order house, which is sappiug our
| financial lives. | put it strongly,
because l hope to awaken you to
the realization of the slavery we so
voluntarily accept and seemingly
enjoy. do not claim to be any diff
ferent or better than the rest of you
in this respect, but would like to
join my fellow farmers in throwing
off the thralldom which now exists.
People are so constituted that it is
hard TO make any Important move
in the community alone. Our fam
lilies like to have equal advantages
with others, and SO long as it is
popular for families to use the cata-
logues for shopping tours they will
feel that they are deprived of some
of the important comforts of life, if
it is suspended | do not wish to
be considered as talking from
mean spirit toward my family. but
l am tired OF having my family sit
ting up nights and devoting Sun
days to shopping by mail and buy
ing many things which are not nee
essary for their happiness or COM
fort, simply because a bargain
counter is constantly spread before
them. l believe we should build up
our own communities and enable
our home merchants to give US
good market for our products by
standing by them. We can buy all
that we need, and, on the average,
as cheaply, by doing our business
at home, and thus make a better
market for our products. How can
we expect the country stores to
thrive and grow if we, as farmers,
refuse to trade with them, but send
our money to some distant city,
which does not interest US or help
US in the least. While there is al
ways standard price for some
kinds of farmers produce, how can
we expect the country merchant to
buy our eggs, butter, poultry and
other products, SO vital to us all, if
we don't reciprocate? Is it not an
object for us to build up our market
town and make markets for our
products? Does it not add to the
value of our land to be able to point
to some thriving nearby town with
a ready market, with schools and
churches? Is not land so situated
worth more than if it is isolated and
distant from everything and every
body?
About the only thing the mail or
der house has LETT us for ourselves
is the production of babies, and l
shall not be surprised to see them
open foun ding hospitals and furnish
ready-made babies at reduced rates,
avoiding medical expense and the
purchase of barrels of Mrs. Wins
lows soothing syrup.
If my farmer friends would unite
l would be glad to refuse the cata-
logues table room in my house. l
want my family to have all the fin
cry and gewgaws we can afford,
but l want them to go to the home
merchant to buy it, and not give
their trade to some one that has no
other interest than to take our mon
ey.
By standing by our home mer-
chants we are standing by each
other, and by standing by each 9TH
er we will thrive and prosper to-
gether. Is it to our interest to
build up great houses in distant
cities? l make the broad assertion
that while some things on the sur
face may seem cheaper than the
prices of our home merchant, after
we have scrimped ourselves to get
the cash and paid freight and other
charges, and paid for things we do
not need, because they seem cheap,
we are actually out Of pocket; we
are simply gulled by the cormorants.
If we keep depressing and destroy
ing our home merchants, we will
find after a lifetime that our farms
are in an isolated region and have
not increased in value as they would
if we had made a market at our
very door.
l know too we'll the selfshness of
human nature to imagine for mo-
ment you would join in a crusade
against catalogue houses if it did
not appeal to your cupidity. When
you can make and save more money
by dealing with your own merchants
than the catalogue man you will
| t. g GY,o +hipor e