Goldsboro weekly argus., 1914-01-29
What is the Meaning
of Home Loyalty !?
What Home Loyalty Means.

What Home Loyalty Means.
The Topeka woman promptly sen
her reply to the letter of the Larki1
company She was getting warmed
up by this time, and ready to enjoy
the correspondence. Her reply fol
lows:
Larkin e Co.,
Peoria, ILL.,,
Attention of Mr.. w. A. Gaes.
Dear Sir:-I appreciate your cour-
tesy in replying to my letter of Oct
18th, and have read your reply with
care.
Referring to the subject of "home
loyalty which you called "bogie''
held up by local merchants. You sug-
gest that it would be better for me to
send my money to mail order houses
and keep the retailers profit myself
than to buy goods at home and let our
home stores make the profit.
Your essential premise is that you
sell to me at the same price which the
local retailer pays at wholesale. That
is a vital point which l am not yet
ready to concede, except for the sake
of argument.
But assuming your promise to be
correct, has it ever occurred to you,
Mr.. Gates, what the consequence
would be if myself and all my neigh
bors out in the smaller towns should
begin to send their money to mail or
der houses in order to keep the profit
for ourselves?" Let us suppose that
my husband clerks in the store,
Mrs. Smiths husband drives the
delivery wagon,
Mrs. Browns husband is cashier
in the local bank,
Mrs. Jones husband teaches the
village school,
Mrs Whites husband breaches in
the village church,
and we all stop trading at home. Sup
pose all the rest of the women did the
same What is good for one is good
for all. What would be the result?
First the stores would close up.
My husband would lose his job. We
would have to move-probably to
some big city.
Mrs. Smiths husband would lose his
job, and they would move away.
The stores being closed and local
business suspended, the bank would
be driven into liquidation, and Mrs.
Browns husband would lose his job.
and would move away.
All the families in town having been
driven away, the school would OF
course be closed up and Mrs. Jones
husband would lose his place.
The church would die, and Mrs
Whites husband would be out hunting
for new pastorate.
And we women, by organizing our
Larkin clubs, and distributing our
Montgomery & Ward catalogs have
practically discharged our husbands.
and separated ourse1f and our chill
dren from our bread and butter We
would have to go to the farm or to the
big city in order to exist.
Of course 1 realize, as you also rea-
lie, that such condition is not like
ly to come to pass-but this is not
your fault Your policy if carried out
to it's logical end, would mean just
this:
Would it help much to "save the
profits at such a cost?
Your claim that the prices quoted
in your catalog are the prices which
the local merchant pays at wholesale
is not well founded.
Furthermore, I am inclined to be-
lieve from inquiries have made, that
| could go to our home stores and by
buying in $40 lots, paying cash, and
taking the goods home with me, |
could save enough out of $40 order
to duplicate the premiums you offer,
considering the cost of shipping and
delivery of goods from Peoria Be
sides it would be buying at home, save
several weeks of waiting, avoid the
risk of delay and loss, and I would
know in advance by personal exami-
nation, just what I am getting.
Referring again to the matter OF
profits, let me say this:
l do not know of any merchants in
/ the small towns of Kansas who are
/ making unreasonable amounts OF
money, if appearances count for any
thing. These merchants live modestly
and seem to practice the usual econo-
mics. Montgomery & Ward. on the
other hand, is a mu1ti-millionaire; the
profits of this company are increasing
by millions in each annual report;
Julius Rosenwa1d is multi-million-
aire; the Larkin family, | am told
are muIti-millionaires
Who are getting the big profits?
l asked you to give me the names O
a few of these wives of small mer
chants who are acting as secretaries
of Larkin clubs, so that | might writs
them You refuse to do SO, because
you say. they fear publicity. You als'