The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-09-13
MAIL ORDER MEN FIGHT
FAIR TRADE BILL
TRADERS ISSUE A
PAMPHLET WRITTEN BY COL
LEGE STUDENT.
Show Attitude of Country to Adyer.
tised Articles by Asking 141
Women Their Stand.

| New York City.-Every indication
over the country shows that the big
catalog and mail order houses are
making desperate effort to defeat
| the national legislation known as '"The
Stephens Fair Trade Bill"
They have issued a pamphlet pur-
porting to be the result of a consumer
investigation made by one Raymond
B. Callahan, of New York university" ="
After investigation by members of the
Fair Trade League, it was found that
Callahan was registered as a student
OF that university, but the National
Trade association, in publishing the
pamphlet sought to give the impress
sion that the author of the investiga-
ton was a professor
According to the statement sent out
by the National Trade association.
Callahan, sent letters to 400 women in
New York, asking them questions con-
corning their marketing 1t is claim
ed that replies were received from 141
and on these replies Callahan deter
mines the attitude of the hundred
million residents of the United States
on truth in trade, in honesty and ad-
Vertising
Question Uufair.
One of the questions propounded by
Mr.. Callahan was: do you believe
that the manufacturers of articles
which are put out under trade name
should be empowered by national law
to designate the price which the re-
taller must charge you for the art
icle?" In answer to this question 20
women say, no. 21 say, yes while
three frankly say they do not under
stand the subject sufficiently to an
swer intelligently. 1t is obvious that
this last question was deliberately
framed to SO appeal to selfish inter
est as to invite negative reply. The
form is distinctly unfair when one
considers that it was addressed to
women who are presumed to know
nothing about the principles of stand
ard prices. If the question had been,
do you believe that manufacturers
of trademarked goods should have the
their gods?' the tenor of the replies
received would have been very differ
ent. While it is gratifying to learn
that more than one-fourth of the Sc
Iected housewives are intelligent CON
verts to honest advertising principles,
it is impossible, considering the neg
ligible number, as compared with the
great mass of the public, to make any
definite deduction on that or any other
point covered
But the absurdity of Mr. CaIlahan's
efforts to bolster up the collapsing
case OF the trading stamp crowd in
his conclusions is so evident and
there is so much in the testimony that
is helpful to the honest advertising
cause, that we shall be glad to assist |
in the distribution of the pamphlets" :"
said E. Whittier, secreary of the Am
erican Fair Trade League.
Small Dealer Benefited.
This bill in one of the most import
ant measures of recent years in the |
interest of small dealers. When mail |
|
tised goods that the manufacturers |
have created market for and cut the |
price below the price that local re- !
tailers must pay for these goods, it |
simply drives the retailer out of the |
selling field in those lines and the |
catalog houses, after getting this bus
mess at less than cost price, makes !
it up on other goods SO that the local |
merchant is hit from both directions.
1t took several years to pass a par
GELS post law and when it was passed, |
the local merchants over the country |
were protected through the zone sys-
tenn. The mail order houses made the |
effort to have a one-fat carrying rate
on parcels post, carrying a parcel !
from ocean to ocean as cheaply as the |
same parcel could be carried at ten
miles distant. Congress, when it
passed the parcels post law, very
wisely created the zone system, max
ing packages pay according to the
distance they travel which was fair
and equitable.
Manufacturers and jobbers and
Small merchants are all directly inter-
ested in seeing the Stephens bill pass
ed and the big opponents of this meas
ure are the mail order houses which
want no restriction placed on their
unfair business. If they can kill off
the Stephens bill, they will be still
further equipped to combat the small
ler merchants scattered over the coun-
try. The whole question is rapidly
becoming one of whether the mer-
of the country shall be
into the hands of the few
great houses in the larger cities o.
whether the merchandising shall be
done on an equitable basis among re-
tail merchants through the cities and
towns over the entire country.