The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-05-30
BLOW TO MECHANICS
Parcels Post Bill Strikes at Home
Working Man.
TOWNS WOULD BE DESTROYED
Effect of Parcels Post and Mail Order
Houses on Foreign countries-A
Situation That American Artisans
Should Fight Against-What About
Your Boys Future.

Your Boys Future.
"How viii the parcels post, If 1t be.
comes a law, affect me?" you ask.
Suppose you are a stone mason or
a carpenter or a man following any
trade in the building line: you are a
resident in a typical country town In
an agricultural state; the parcels post
becomes a law, thereby lending assist.
ance to the mail order houses, the
fathers of the bill. The mail order
evil is thus abetted and aided to be-
come a monster Of even fercer mien.
1t has already been a blood sucker of
your town business and a stumbling
block to progress. 1t now becomes
even more formidably SO. The home
merchant will be seriously crippled
because the u%nthinkinG people of the
community will send their money to
the mail order houses in greater vol
ume.
No More Work For You.
The natural result to you will be
this: the local merchant will become
distressed; business will be bad, it
will be bruited about on the street
that the town is not progressing. This
will reach the ears of people who had
intended to build; outsiders coming
In will learn Of the dissatisfaction and
stagnation and will not purchase va
cant property on which to erect
homes; those who have homes will
become dissatisfied and endeavor to
sell them; what was one a busy little
town In which you were kept employed
will be a retrogrsding, half deserted
hamlet, populated by a lot of dissatis-
fed souls who would go away If they
could, but who are held by property
interests from which they cannot re-
lease themselves.
This is not a dream. 1t is an actu-
ality. Let me point you an exact
proof. In the state of Iowa twenty
five years ago there was a flourishing
town of some 1000 people with a
healthy business. In the village was
a mercantile firm that occupied a
four-story block. Within was a model
country store affording the people op.
portunity to buy almost anything they
could desire. There was a large
school building in Vernon, a newspa,
per, a p~ostofice, a library and the
dozens Of civic advantages that go to
make a desirable residence location.
And into this ideal country town
there stalked the destroyer!
A mail order house, one of the
houses now fathering the parcels post
bill, found 1t advisable to go after
Vernon's business. Vultures follow
flock wise!
What about Vernon today?
The ~postofice is gone!
Business has flown!
The great store, occupying four
floors OF a mammoth building, is a
thing of yesterday. All that remains
is a small stock in a part Of one of
the lower floors of the structure!
The ample school building is va
cant, ave one room where n school
teacher is able to teach the few chill
dren who patronize the school!
Here is an apt example Of ruin
wrought by the mail order house, with
out the aid of the parcels post! With
the added advantage that will accrue
to these vandals of trade, with the pas
sage Of this bill, what can we hope for
the country town in years to come?
Suppose you had been a carpenter
or a mason In Vernon? Where would
you be now? Who would build homes
under such conditions as I have enum-
Grated above?
1t must appeal to you that a measure
giving the mail order house an adj
vantage over the country merchant
will tear down the home town. The
local lumberman who has been your
friend, who has helped you figure on
jobs and carried you financially until
you could finish the jobs, will not be
In existence when the mail order
house aided by the parcels post has
had al opportunity to do its devastat.
ing work. The town In which you live
will be dead and there will be little
demand for building material or build
er. What demand there is for lumber
can be filled by the city wrecking
house-and you in your general taxes,
should you still exc out an existence
In the town, will help pay the delivery
bill.
The deficit In the postofice depart
ment last year was very large, and
should the parcels post become a law,
what 1t will cost to transport eleven
pound packages, not only by express
but by rural delivery, where this has to
be done ON horseback in the far
country. Is alarming to contemplate.
The people will be taxed to pay the
deficit.
Let's Go Slow on This.
We Americans are given too much
to hysteria. We want to change too
frequently; we are like weather-vanes,
shifting with each wind. We should
be more conservative. Take your own
case. for instance: you would be salts
fled to ~continue living in the town In
which you now reside. You have your
home, and II you could be paid well
for your work and have plenty of It,
you could not Justly find much fault
with your location. But IL the mail
order house Slapped the vitality of the
town and deprecated 1t until there