Bridgeton pioneer., 1914-04-02


ployed than when they are honestly
making money.
The value of a dollar is to buy Just
things. A dollar goes on increasing in
value with all the genius and all the
virtue of the world A dollar in n
university is worth more than a dollar
In jail; in some industry in tenn
perate, law abiding community than in
some distant mine. oil well or prob
lematical fruit farm in distant terri
tory.
The lack of money has brought many
a community to a state of oblivion.
and the community's pauperism is in
variably the result of unpatriotic resi-
dents sending their money away to
the large cities for supplies
Catalogue Houses Sow Discord.
The retail mail order houses, as
leeehes in the side of rural CONNER
cialism, work day and night, in fair
weather and in foul. They gnaw at
community's substance with ipvisi-
BILE teath.
They bind industry with their film
as fly is bound with a spiders web.
They sow crop of discord, and the
harvesters reap thistles instead of dol
lars.
Mail order buying builds up the large
cities at the expense of the smaller
cities and towns Every dollar used
in this way by the residents of a COM
munity takes dollar out of circula-
ton at home and puts it into circuia-
ton many miles away.
Result of Violated Contracts.
The dollar spent with the home
grocer. dry goods dealer. hardware
merchant, druggist or other business
man upbulds the community in which
you live.
These merchants pay taxes to sup
port your town, repair your streets.
maintain your schools and build up
snd sustain your churches and main
tain your markets
Ii the people must have inferior
goods, such as many mail order houses
carry, the local merchant no doubt can
arrange his stock to correspond with
In some instances the lower prices
quoted by the mail order houses are
the result of violated contracts and
chleanery, which have no place in an
honest merchants business.
Adopts In the Art.
The mail order houses are adopts in
the art and science of preparing inter
esting and readable catalogues. If
read critically the skill with which
plausible sentences are put together
and words made to say what they real
iy do not is apparent.
When purchaser goes to his re-
taller he can examine what he wishes
to buy. He can look it over carefully.
test 1t and If he wishes receive a guar
antee from the merchant that the ar
ucie Is satisfactory. The guarantee
Is good because the retailer intends to
remain In business among his friends
ana ne cannot afford to deceive.
Substitute Goods as Original.
The catalogue houses. however. may
offer to replace unsatisfactory goods.
Dut there is the annoyance of writing
claim letters, packing the goods found
not satisfactory and shipping them
back and waiting for the new ship
ment
And there is the chance that the sub
stitute goods will prove to be no more
satisfactory than the original. and all
the trouble will have to be experienced
again.
When the consumer learns that it is
not only easier. but much more salts
factory. to buy of the home merchant
than of the catalogue house then the
latter will have much more stony
path to travel than today. and 1t is be-
coming more rough with the passing
OF each day because the consumer is
becoming educated to its ways and
methods of business.
Cash Versus Credit Business.
All that has been said is predicated
on the theory that the farmer wants
to do a cash business. He can do no
other kind of business with the mail
order houses
ANY man who accepts common de-
cency as standard will tell him that
he has no right to send his cash to the
big cities and ask for credit at the
small local store
That is not business. While such
practice is not forbidden by statute
law. it Is nevertheless immoral, unjust,
mean. No fair minded man would
nave the consummate impudence to at
tempt defense of such conduct
Entitled to Cash Business.
Ii the local dealer is good enough
to deserve the credit trade of his com
munity he is entitled to the cash bust
ness as well. If he is not honest
enough to eRtitle him to the patronage
of the cash customer he will take ad-
vantage of the credit customer.
But If you deal honestly and fairly
with him by giving him both your
cash and credit trade the chances are
that he will deal fairly by you.