The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-11-26
Confessions ST a
Mail Order Man
By Mr.. M. o. x.
Revelations by One Whose Experience In
the Business Covers q Range From
Office Boy to General Manager
KEEP YOUR MONEY AT HOME AND
BOOST YOUR LOCAL TRADE.

The mail order business, with the ex
ception of the stock market, is the only
business in which the entire capital is
| furnished by the traders in advance OF
| the transaction.
Furthermore, there is no business In
! the world that could not be made
highly rofitable-abundantl so-if
the customers we're to pay their money
in advance at tle time of the giving OF
the order.
For the rerson C.. d. the merchant
or dealer who handles the cash is not
| subject to any loss from bad credits
cancellation of orders, return of goods
etc.
Did you ever stop to consider that II
there are half dozen, more or less, bad
credits, or, to use a more forceful ex-
preston, dead beats" in your com
munity on the books of the merchant
with whom you do business, that 1t
is you who must pay for his bad
debts? There is no other way for the
merchant to save himself from loss.
Somebody must pay and, naturally, it
is those who do pay their mills who
must pay enough extra to take care of
loss.
Something like half billion dollars,
sum which staggers the comprehen-
sion Of any mathematician, sum
that you could never count in a life
time were you to count every number
out mentally is. sent to the big cities
every year with orders for merchan-
disc to the big mail order house. You
send your portion of that enormous
sum.
This great sum would capitalize a
half million stores in as many small
towns with a thousand dollars each, in
cash. But there are not that many
small towns in America. In fact, the
figures are so big that 1t is impossible
to compute them with reasonable &C
curacy. However, If this great volume
Of capital were to be invested with
local merchants in the small towns. in
stead of. sending 1t away to the mail
order houses in the big cities, do you
realize what it would mean to your
own town?
DO you realize that it would mean
that the merchants in your own town
could supply you with everything that
the mail order houses can give you
that everything would be of better
quality and more substantial and that
you would be able to get what you
want, when you want it? Also that the
your own town, which would mean
more money from taxes for improve
ments, better streets, better lighting
facilities. better schools, better roads
in your county, etc?
Were you to go to your local mer-
chant and give him the money in adj
vance for any purchase you might de-
sire, instructing him to buy it for you
and giving him a few days time in
which to find Just what you want
ed, you would be more effectively
served and better satisfied. Should
there be an error in his selection you
could talk it over with him and he
would make it right. He would be
compelled to, even if he did not desire
to do so. But he would realize that it
was to his own interest to make the
deal satisfactory, without compulsion,
and everything would be on much
hatfpr fpptiDp all around
We're these conditions to prevail,
and they will prevail, without question.
some time, there are thousands OF dead
little towns now in existence that
would spring into prosperity, which
would increase the value and the real
worth of every house and lot in the
town. Yes, every farm in the com
munity would be worth so much more
per acre, every bushel of grain, every
ton of hay and everything raised on
the farm would be given an additional
value.
There would be a great readjust-
ment of values throughout the United
States. Country property would be
worth SO much more, while the inflated
values of city property would seek a
fair level
Just think of it, A corner lot in a
city, so feet wide by $50 feet long. be-
Ing set at value exceeding the set
value of a thousand farms in any of
our most productive states There are
lots in Chicago, New York and some
other cities, no bigger than the size
above mentioned, that are valued, and
are transferred on the real estate mar
ket at many millions of dollars You
can read of these transactions II the
newspapers every once in a while.
And speaking of newspapers, it is
the newspaper, the paper in the small
town, that stands between the grip OF
the big city on the prosperity of you
in the small town or the country and
your independence Of that life,
squeezing power. 1t is the little news
paper, as compared with the metro
politan journal, that acts as your
champion, that fights for you every
week in the year.
There is not a newspaper in the Uni
ted States, no matter how small that
cannot accept, If it will, more money
from the big mail order houses in ex
change for advertising and boosting
than 1t receives all told from the loca
merchants
speak from knowledge. | have
handled campaigns for the purpose O
substituting the small newspapers II
the interests of more than one mai