The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-02-03
PARCELS POST AND
MAIL ORDER TRADE

Washington, d. c., Feb. 3.-The U.
S. supreme court has decided that the
L. & N. Railway Co, could not refuse
to carry beer for the Cook Brewing
company of Evansville, Ind. into dry
Kentucky counties and that the Ken
lucky local option statute attempting
to forbid such importations could not
operate against interstate commerce.
Chief Postofiiee Inspector Sharp re-
ports that during 1911, 522 persons
we're indicted for mail order frauds. OF
the 1856 tried 1S4 were convicted, IL
acquitted III await trial. Y await
grand jury action. % were arrested
but rot in cted.
Hon Oscar Underwood, chairman Of
the house committee upon ways and
means insists upon more economy in
public expenditures.
The Lorimer investigation has been
suspended because of illness of At
torney Hanecy. Lorimer's counsel.
The Moss committee Of the house
has exonerateo DR.. H. W. Wiley from
charges of conspiracy.
The reported activity of men close
to Geo W. Perkins of ~. S. Steel"
for southern delegatesygives credence
to the report that Col Roosevelt will
accept"
The hearings of the senate postoffice
committee upon the proposed parcels
post are drawing to a close. Some of
the phases brought out are the follow
ing:
To the casual observer it has seemed
easy and reasonable for this govern
ment to institute successfully sys-
TEN upon the order of that operated
in European countries. The twenty
eight million copies of farm journals
published each month have given
plethoric advocacy The ordinary
reader had failed to see the counting
room influence back of editorial en-
dorsement of these and the popular
mag zines. They themselves have
not disclosed that it does not pay local
dealers to advertise in such periodi-
calls an dthat these are supported by
advertising from houses which aim to
sell direct to consumer to the elimina-
ton of the 'middle-man." It has been
shown that you cannot eliminate"
him without uprooting many other To-
cal interests; the local newspapers,
banks-in fact every other element OF
towns vitality, and damaging prop
erty values including those of sur
rounding lands; that consumers would
then pay more than they now pay,
since the profits of retail mail order
houses in many instances are more
than that of wholesaler and retailer
combined.
Some people seem to have been
astounded that the mercantile associa-
tions have put up such fight against
business extermination Of their mem
bers. Here and there it has been sug-
gested that 1.-The express companies
must be back of it," etc.
When this charge was made by an
advocate before the senate postoffice
committee, it's injustice was so appar-
ent that Senator Bourne, chairman of
the committee, himself an advocate
of parcels post, promptly said that he
had not seen or heard Of any repre-
sentative fan express company as
sisting in the opposition
Some people not on the scene-and
among these a few local newspaper
publishers, who evidently have read
only one side of the question-act and
talk as though they thought the retail
merchants of the smaller cities and
towns OF the country were a lot OF do
cile ehumps willing to be effaced to
accommodate retail mail-order houses.
Representatives of nearly all of the
mercantile associations have been be-
fore the senate postoffice committee
with their protests revealing an other
side which mail-order journals have
not disclosed
The merchants have said that eleven
pounds proposed for immediate i'm
crease il convenient weight limit
for the purposes Of the retail mail
order houses, because something more
than 80 per cent of sales will come un-
der the eleven pound limit. 1t is said
to be also the weight of gallon of
whisky and container. Merchants
have contended that they are entitled
to some consideration in the communi-
ties in which they live because they
support local Institutions and enter
prises, pay taxes, ETC.; that, If the gov
ernment goes into the business Of
sporting an eieven-pound package
e.