Holbrook argus., 1912-04-16
DOINGS
 ar THE CAPITAL
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at low flat rate. Local merchants in some communities have begun little quiet investigation to learn what mem- tail mail order houses.
 Larkin & Go, Of Buffalo, N. Y, have sent telegrams and letters to various members of Congress stating that re- tail merchants of the smallercitie and towns are bound to be forced out of business by their ''direct to you" meth- ods. Many Congressman have taken exception to the activity of retail mail- order houses here. Hon. H. A. Barn. hart, of Indiana who is also publisher of the Rochester Ind, Democrat and knows the benefits of the mercantile interests to community, has asked this house how much it has paid in taxes or for the benefit of any public spirited work in the 18th Indiana Dis trict.
 The Washington Herald says: "Mr. Taft is wisely appealing to the busi- ness sense of the country, while at the same time he is not displaying lack of courage in dealing with the great monopolistic corporations which are alleged to exist in defiance of law. It is impossible to repeat too often or to emphasize too greatly the value of this busniess support" However, he seems to be discriminating as to the business support he seeks. Recently he held pro- longed conferences with Julius Rosen- wald,. President of Sears, Roebuck & Co.,, Chicago. It is rumored that Mir. Rosenwald will take charge of cam paign finances. Advocacy by his Post al Department of scheme for trans portation whereby the products of old settled communities are to be shipped into growing sections of the West and South as cheaply as it is charged to the local industries and dealers thereof mas not increased general mercantile confidence.
 The Interstate Commerce Commis- sion has decided that the Texas State railroad commission did not have au- thority to lower rates for Dallas ship pers in territory competitive with Shreveport, La, that the rates should have been made according to distance. The Washington Times says. "Discri- imitation in railroad rates is just as much means of protection as the im- position of import duties at custom house." Members of the House Post- office Committee have reported a bill whereunder the Government will charge to industries and dealers located In the districts of individual members of the committee, for shipment of thirty miles, one hundred times as much per mile to carry merchandise as it would charge per mile to the distant manu- facturer or retail mail-order house to ship merchandise three thousand miles.
 A campaign of deception has been engineered by retail mail-order houses l;assieted by certain advertising agen- -cies to. make publishers and managers of newspapers, particularly in the lsrg- CT cities, expect large amount of ad- vertising from them if Parcels Post be 1 fnaugurated. This has influenced edi- -orial advocacy and favorable news treatment of Parcels Post. Other advo- cates have excited the cupidity of ma nagers of city department stores to capture through it. extra business in smaller cities and towns and get adver- tisers to influence their newspaper publishers. If aware of plans now made by big retail mail-order houses to cap ture their own trade, such department store managers would be more content to "live and let live" The supposed chance to swallow "smaller ish" blinds them to the peril that they are near sharks. Meanwhile certain astute gentlemen of advertising agencies laugh in their sleeves at the gnllability of such newspaper publishers, realizing that precious little advertising busi- ness will go to such newspapers; for, if parcels are carried in all American territory at low uniform price, maga- zines and farm journals, etc, which reach all parts of the country will con- l tinue to get the advertising of retail mail-Order houses. In number of such magazines stock is held by advertising agencies. They know that Parcels Post would increase the profits of retail mail-order houses through Government subsidy and lessen the business of To- cal dealers and their ability to adver- tise in their local newspapers. But so far their game has worked remarkably we'll
 It Looks Like A Crime