The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-30
COUNTRY TOWNS
GAN Be KILLED
Farmers Tells How Patronage Of the
Mail Order Housed Cut Down
the Value Of His
Property.
HE LOST MONEY BY IT

| Stores Went Out OF Business ana
/ Cost Him $500 In Nine Years
4 40 Land Value De-
creased.
Hans Garbus, an Iowa farmer. wrote
the following letter to farm journal.
which tells . story of the mail order
| house.
We farmers need awakening to the
fact that We have unmistakably
reached the period where We must
think and plan. I am one Of the slow
German farmers that had to be
shown, and am now giving my ex-
perience that others may profit. for
knowledge il more expensive than ten
years ago.
Twenty-nine years ago began my
farm career. had an old team and
$50. Our furniture was mostly home
made-chairs, cupboard and lounge
made from drygoods boxes, neatly
covered with tan-cent cretonne by my
girl wife. We rented eighty acres.
Being boy of good habits got all
needed machinery and groceries Of
our home merchants on credit, until
fall crops were sold. The first year
was wet season and I did not make
enough to pay creditors. went to
each on date of promise and explained
conditions, paying as much as pos
sible. and they all carried the balance
over another year. They continued to
accommodate me until was abba to
buy . forty-scre piece OF my own.
AZ soon al owned these few acres
the mail order houses began sending
me catalogues, and gradually began
sending my loose change to them. let
ting my accounts stand In my home
town, where I had gotten my accom-
mediation when needed It.
We had then one Of the thriftiest
little villages in the state good line
Of business In all the branches, mer-
chants who were willing to help an
honest fellow over bad year and .
town full of people who came twice q
week to trade and visit. Our little
country town supported . library,
high school, band, ball team. and We
had big celebrations every year. A
farm near q live town soon doubles
in value. sold my forty acres at 4
big advance and bought an eighty.
gradually adding to It until had 200
acres Of the best land in Iowa. then
felt NO need Of asking favors, and
found It easy to patronize the mail
order agents that came almost weekly
to our door. regret to say that l
was the first in the county to make
up a neighborhood bill and send It to
mail order house. Though We rot
bit every once in q while, We got In
the habit Of sending away for stun.
Gradually our merchants lessened
their stock of goods-for lack Of pat
ronage. Finally We began to realize
that IL we needed bolt quickly for
machinery, or clothing for sickness or
death, we had to wait and send away
for It, which wasn't pleasant One
by one our merchants moved to places
where they were appreciated, and
men Of less energy moved in. Grad
ually our town has gone down! our
business houses are ''tacky'' in ap-
pearance, q number are empty, our
schools, churches and walks are going
down, we have no band, no library
nor ball team. There Is no business
done in the town, and therefore no
taxes to keep things up. Hotel is
closed for lack Of travel. Go down to
the depot when the freight pulls in
and you see the sequel in mail order
packages.
| Nine years ago my farm was worth
| S195 an acre; today I'd have . hard
matter to sell 1t for 1857 an acre. 1t
is too far from a live town"-so
every farmer has said that wants 20
buy. He wants a place near schools
and churches, where his children can
have advantages. have awakened
to the fact that in helping to pull
the town down, It has cost me $500
4 in nine years. Like the majority OF
j farmers, didn't figure far enough
ahead.
This sort of business means the
doing away with country towns. What
will 1t mean to farmers to have only
ia few large cities at a distance of
500 or 1000 miles? What are we go
ing to do with our children, who are
demanding even better advantages
than we had?
y The cities we help to build re-
turn no favors; they take our money
but offer no credit in the time Of need.
II we want high schools. etc, we must
raise the money and build near our
farm hcmes or send our boys and girls
to the cities at great expense, amidst
/ temptations Of which the farm has
no equal. Neither am the only
awakening farmer. These mail oder
agents that come to our homes every
week are becoming a nuisance and
ma king II unsafe to leave women and