Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-07-12
PARCELS POST AND
MAIL ORDER BUSINESS
A Farmers Argument Showing Far
mers' and Home Merchants In
terests Are Mutual.

admit what the fine-toned orator tells
US, that we are the most Independent
people on earth, and so we could and
ought to be, but are not. We are sim
ply the serfs and slaves of that great
monstrosity, the mail order house,
which is sapping our financial lives.
/ put it strongly, because | hope to
awaken you to the realization of the
slavery we so voluntarily accept and
seemingly enjoy. | do not claim to
be any different or better than the
rest of you in this respect, but L
would like to join my fellow farmers
in throwing off the thralldom which
now exist. People are SO constituted
that it is hard to make any import
ant move in the community alone.
Our families like to have equal ad-
vantages with others, and so long as
it is popular for families like to have
equal advantages with others, and
so long as it is popular for families
to use the catalogues 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 a mean spirit toward
my family, but I am tired Of having
my family, but | am tired of having
my family sitting up nights and de-
voting Sundays to shopping by mail
and buying many things which are
not necessary for their happiness
or comfort, simply because a bar
gain counter is constantly spread be-
fore them. | believe we should build
up our own communities and enable
our home merchants to give us a good
market for our products by standing
by them. We can buy, as cheaply, by
doing our business at home and thus
ducts. How can we expect the coun-
try 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 always a standard price for some
kinds Of farmers produce how al
we expect tn country merchant to
buy our eggs, butter poultry and 9TH
er products, so vital to us all, if we
don't reciprocate? Is it not an object
for 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 near
by town with a ready market, with
schools and churches? Is not land so
situated worth mora than if it is is
olated and distant from everything
and everybody?
About the only thing the mail or
der house has left us for ourselves
is the production of babies, and /
shall not be surprised to see them
open founding hospitals and furnish
ready-made babies at reduced rates,
avoiding medical expense and the
purchase of barrels of Mrs. Win
slows soothing syrup.
If my farmer friends would unite
| would be glad to refuse the cata-
Ilogue3 table rooms in my house. I
want my family to have all the finery
and gewgaws we can afford, but |
want them to go to the home mer-.
chant to buy it, and not give their
trade to some one that has no other
interest than to take our money.
By standing by our home mer-
chants we are standing by each other,
and by standing by each other we will
thrive and prosper together. Is it
to u interest to build up great
houses in distant cities? | make the
broad assertion that while some
things on the surface may seem chea-
per than the prices of our home mer-
chant, after we have scrimped our
selves 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
destroying 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.
I know too well the selfishness
of human nature to imagine for a
moment you would join in a crusade
against catalogue houses if it did not
appeal to your eupidity. When you
can make and save more money by
dealing with your w merchants
than the catalogue man you will buy
at home. 1t is a fine thing to cut
your neighbor's throat if it puts mon
ey into your pocket, but when it