Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1915-10-30
Confessions St a
Mail Order Man
By Mr.. M. o. x.
Revelations by One Whose Experlehoeh
the Business Covers a Range rom
Office Boy TO General Manager
KEEP YOUR MONEY AT HONE AND
BOOST YOUR LOCAL TRADE.

The mail order business. win inc eX-
ception of the stock market, Is One oHly
business in which the entire c. pltal IS
furnished by the trader in ao'ahce OF
the transaction.
Furthermore, there is no BUSINESS IN
the world that could not re Hlaue
highly profitable-abundantl SOL
the customers were to pay their money
in advance at the time of the giving OF
the order.
For the reason that the merchant
or dealer who handles the cash Is not
subject to any loss from bad credits'
cancellation of orders, return OF eoous'
| etc
| Did you ever stop to consider that II
there are half dozen, more or less pad
credits, or, to use a more forceful ex-
preston, dead beats, in your COM
munity on the books of the merchant
with whom you do business, that II
is you who must pay for MS pad
debts? There is no other way Tor the
merchant to save himself from loss.
Somebody must pay and, naturally II
ia those who do pay their mills VINO
! must pay enough extra to take care OF
the bad debts and save the dealer from
loss.
Something like half billion dollars,
a sum which staggers the comprehen-
sion Of any mathematician sum
: that YOU could never count in life'
, time were you to count every NUMBER
out mentally, is sent to the Dig cities
= every year with orders for mercnan'
disc to the big mail order house. You
send your portion of that enormous
.. sum.
This great sum would capitalize a
half million stores in as many small
towns with thousand dollars each, IN
p cash. But there are not that many
small towns in America. In fact, the
: figures are so big that it is impossible
to compute them with reasonable &C
curacy. However, If this great volume
b Of capital were to be invested witt
e local merchants in the small towns, IN
j. stead of sending 1t away to the mai
If order houses in the big cities, do you
g realize what it would mean to you
own town?
Do you realize that IL would meal
that the merchants in your own tow
could supply you with everything tina
II the mail order houses can give you
l. that everything would be Of a bette
quality and more substantial and tina
E. you would be able to get what yo
Is want, when you want Il? Also that tn
Is money would be reinvested right i
., your own town, which would neai
:. more money from taxes for improve
ments, better streets, better lgHift
Nc facilities, better schools, better roao
In your county, ETC.?
mt Were you to 90 to your local me-
as chant and give him the money IA a.
ed vance for any purchase you might @
ice sire, instructing him to buy II for yu
ON end giving him few days time I
which to find Just what you vat
ed, you would be more effective
served and better satisfied. Sho,t
there be an error in his selection y
an could talk It over with him and I
.en would make It right. He would
,ch compelled to, even If he did not des.
Nv to do so. But he would realize that
=, was to his own interest to make t
deal satisfactory, without compulsit
Jul and everything would be on s mu
hAS better footing, all around.
on Were these conditions to prevs
re. and they will prevail without duesti,
some time, there are thousands Of de
little towns now in existence Il
would spring into prosperity, viii
,ce would increase the value and the r
worth Of every house and lot in
er- town. Yes, every farm in the CO
ny, munity would be worth so much m'
Al per acre, every bushel of grain, eve
ton of hay and everything raised
oau the farm would be given an additio
avs value.
Dor There would be a great read1,
ment of values throughout the Uni
eV States. Country property would
riv- worth 30 much more, while the infla
on values OF city property would seel
fair level.
Just think Of t. A corner lot i
ler' city, 80 feet wide by $50 feet long,
5 in ing set at value exceeding the
ord value Of thousand farms IN any
our most productive states. There
laru lots in Chicago, New York and II
and other cities, no bigger than the
po, above mentioned, that are valued,
are transferred on the real estate
III ket, at many millions of dollars.
can read Of these transactions In
newspapers every once in while
And speaking Of newspapers,
= the newspaper, the paper in the 81
le'e town, that stands between the gri
Both the big city on the prosperity OF
ardll in the small town or the country
one, your independence OF that
com squeezing power It is the little n
plat paper as compared with the M
,olitau io,r,xaI that acts