Fergus County Democrat., 1915-10-07
NOVEL CAMPAIGN CONDUCTED.
BY ILLINOIS CITIZENS
Systematic Investigation Of Comparative Values
Proves of Great Benefit to Consuming Public
$4,000 Worth of Mail-order Merchandise Goes
on the Dissecting Table,
(By David POWell)

III tue ulStTlCL tributary " lhC WV
referred to at the close OF my article
published last week crops had been
good and prices high for two or three
years and the farmers who had hum
bly, begged accommodations i'll the
way of credit, and III many cases,
cash, during the preceding nara
times, now found themselves out OF
debt with an abundant supply OF
ready money they we're dying to
ypend. The big mail-order concerns
who keep watchful eyes on every lit
tic nook and Granny Of the country,
and are always the first to take adj
vantage Of favorable trade conditions,
lost no time in getting their well oiled
machinery in motion. Soon after the
first good crop had been harvested
and sold, they began their campaign
Or catalogue advertising and every
mail brought hundreds Of appeals 70
the citizens Of the town and country
to: "Cut out the middle man. Save
money" BUY direct from the fac
tory" and countless other phrases Of
a similar nature. 1t took" and took
GOOD. The seductive Influence OF the
beautiful illustrations. and the we'll
chosen words Of the silent salesman
soon had the merchants Of the town
Ill their wits end as how to combat
this insiduous Influence that seemed
hArh dnv ~ he raining firmer hold
N tha nnrsastr;nRs Of their former
,rtrnna
Citizens and Merchants Join Forces.
q The fate Of this little city would
49, nrnhahlv have been that Of
Snurt,asa othara had II mt 50 han
,nsnnr, that thrae or four Of its mer
E.nnta uara pannine live wires who
refi,sed 10 admit defeat and we're
dnnn ana broad enough 10 realize that
I nav condition existed that had to
hA .rnat IN . new way
/ tr.I1ev organized some two hundred
~ fiIa;r mnst nrogressiye citizens into
! 1raaa.at,Hnme ,earue the purpose
~ which was to establish a bureau
e comuaratiye investigation for the
nsa and benefit of the consumers liy
fnr within tho city's trade zone. AL
though every member was an enthusi-
astic booster and helped in every way
bossible. the active work was done
liz a committee Of ten representative
hmsiness men who took several
months 10 Get things in readiness for
the c,irtain to raise on this pioneer
drama of commercial art but when
that time came they had demonstrate
"a beyond a doubt the fundamental
snundness of tho theory upon which
ti1eir lahors we're based
purchase Mail.order Goods For
consumntion.
mai1.nrder houses doing tbe bu,k n,
t1,e business in that territory had
been taken and carefully gone
through. page by mage. and from
eyery line of merchandise was choser
from one to a dozen articles that a,
near as could be determined nv th,
Illustrations and descrintions seemef
n, he IF about tho same quality a.
similar articles carried nv tho ,oca
merchants When tho list was com
pieted they began buyine these arti
cles from the catalopue bouse
through the Medium nj their friends
their wives and their clerks and .,
thev cama in wara t.Lon ~ tho die
niav rooms and thera c.refn,lv .na
lyzed both as tn nualitv and work
manaf,in Shoes ware .owod !, mol,
.firnitmra taken anart mattresses
rinned ohan and in foot oyar, artic,
was thorh,rhlv dissectod -, a.,.l
article was- fhen attacber c.r
showing ihe result of tho inyostig.
tion. dwnIlinp in detai, IN every ..
sential feature If cnnstrnct;nn on
materiaI THO card a1sn ,,nd ~
catalogue i,lustration and dasar;,,;n
attached shnwinr tho not cn., of ~,
article delivered there rxh;h;.ad i
fhe side 81 this was one 80 &c ,a.r ~
same quality and stv,a nc could i
found in : ,ocal store which ~.
treated in exactlv the same n.nna,
the attachad card giving ,ha sannn !,
formation for comnar;son nc .,a :,
shown on the other
81 pr.n,r. ln,n,r+;,I Ex,;h;4
rhn cnn,o;t,aa ~ ,.h,,r &c =,
work vas ahsnlntol, ;nnart;., i, ~, -,
narin~.h, ax1,;,,;. - :. ,'.a -. ~ =. -
n;daa mo, sor ~ ,..,,. -. =.
ri;rt, narn,ona,. rns,,,t. !. ,,,, :,
tniIv ~ an otbaru;sa >, - ~ ~;
Graar article. -. ia .i,o ,a. % -,
arc,,n,ont 1on5 thnra 80 s. So ~ "
tLcr,I raro i,,.t ~ .e..,,..'.,.' %
,,lnitad .s th".a It'll, sn,.aa,h ~,
hhr,o marohont VI
L.