Arizona republican., 1915-04-28
MAIL ORDER BUSINESS
 KILLS THRIVING CITY

A very interesting side of the trade at-home question is illustrated by the experience of an Iowa farmer, as print = ed in the journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin of New York, rec ently.
 We farmers need awakening to the fact that We have unmistakably reached the period where We must think and plan. l am one of the slow thinking farmers that had to be shown and I am now giving my experience that others may profit, for knowledge is even more expensive now than ten years ago.
 Twenty nine years ago I began my farm career I had an old team and $59 Our furniture was mostly home made-chairs, cupboard and lounge were made from dry goods boxes, neat ly covered with 10-cent cretOnne by my girl wife. We rented eighty acres. Be ing a boy of good habits, I got all need ed machinery and groceries of our home merchants on credit, until fall crops were sold. The first year was a wet season and I did not make enough to pay creditors. I went to each on date of promise and explained condi- tions, paying as much as possible. and they all carried the balance over anoth- CT year. They continued to accommo- date me until was able to buy forty acre piece of my own.
 As soon ais I owned these few acres, the mail-ordcr houses began sending me catalogs, and gradually I began sending my loose change to them, let in hnT1 town where I had gotten my accom- modatiOns when needed.
 We then had one of the thriftiest lit tie villages in the state-good line of business in all the branches, merchants who were willing to help an honest fei low over bad year and a town fuK of people who came twice a week to trade and visit Our little country town supported library, high school ball team and we had big celebrations every year.
 A farm near a live town soon doub- led in value. I sold forty acres at . big advance and bought eighty. and by gradually adding to it, had 200 acres of the best land in Iowa. I then felt no need of asking favors. and found it easy to patronize the mail order hous es. regret to say that I was the first in the country to make up neighbor- hood bill and send it to a mail-order house. Though we got a little at home every once in while, we got in the habit of sending away for goods.
 The Mail Order Reaction
 Gradually our merchants lessened their stock of goods-for lack of pat ronage. Finally we began to realize that when we needed machinery. or clothing for sickness or death. We had to wait and send away for it. which wasn't so pleasant One by one our merchants moved to places where they were appreciated, and men of less ener- gy moved in. Gradually our town has gone down; our business houses are "tacky' in appearance, a number are empty; our schools, churches and band. no library, no ball team. There is no business done in the town, and therefore no taxes to keep things up. The hotel is closed for lack of travel. Go down to the depot when the freight pulls in and you will find the sequel. the mail-Order packages.
 Nine years ago my farm was worth S195 an acre; today I'd have a hard matter to sell it at $167 an acre. It is too far from a live town'-so every farmer has said that wants to buy. He wants place near schools and church. es, where his children can have ad- Vantages. I have awakened to the fact that in helping to pull the town down;