The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1917-09-14


copyrighted. 1914, by Thomas ]. sullivan.l
Said a clever quack TO a painstaking
business man, How many of the pass
ing multitude, do you suppose. appre-
ciate your honesty or understand the
impositlons of quackeryT"
Not more than one in ten" was the
answer
well" said the quack, you may
have the one. III take the nine"
That is the system upon which the
mail order houses operate. and nothing
more striking ly pOrtrays the credulity
of mankind than their success. Quack-
cry is a thing UNIVERSAL and unlver-
sally successful. In most cases 1t is
literally true that no imposition is too
great for the credulity Of man.
The Quack Doctor of Commerce.
The retail mail order house is the
quack doctor Of commerce. 1t prom
ises much and guarantees nothing.
Like patent medicines. the directions
are always on the inside. and you must
buy a nonreturnable package before
you can find out what they are.
The mail order house never helped
to build the little white school in your
district or turnpike the road past your
door. No mail order house ever took
you by the hand when you were in
distress and told you to let the little
account run Until after harvest next
year. No mail order house ever sold
you a vehicle and spent every cent Of
its profits in the community where
you and your neighbours could get 1t
all back again. No mail order house
ever showed its patent leather shoes
under your TIA BILE and rejoiced with you
when you were glad, nor spoke en-
couraging words when aflliction visited
you, nor stood with uncovered head
beside the gray yes Of your children.
Sentiment Is Unknown.
That the mail order houses are after
your money is an undlsputed fact
Every dollar sent to them leaves your
neighborhood forever. The mail order
house may bear upon its face the
OF friendship, but no human
heart beats Under its cloak Of hypoc.
risy. Sentiment to 1t is unknown
The whole institution is as cold and
bloodless as a corpse.
There never was a farm in all
whose value was increas
ID by the mail order houses. They are
PARASITES to which life is worthy of
only while they can draw the
financial blood out Of the communities,
o the upbuil ding Of which they CON
nothing. They create no local
market for the product Of the farms.
They have no property in the country
can be assessed to help bear the
burden of tn X alton.
Can Duplicate Every Offer.
In every to W In the country the To-
cal retail merchant stands ready to
duplicate every offer seductively set
in the catalogues Of mail order
houses. and more, He will trump the
best trick the mail order house ever
If you will put down spot cash
md accept from him a class Of goods
devoid Of respectable ancestry and
lpon which no reputable manufactur-
ar's name can be found, but In which
The disease germs Of prison made goods
ire secreted.
He can sell cheap goods If you will
buy them from him with your eyes
shut He can meet the best price
made by a mail order house II
you will plank down your money and
accept what he gives you without
question and without recourse. But
YOU must not expect him to be in his
place Of buSineSs every day in the
year, ready nd Wiling to make good
any defect, ready and willing to stand
back Of every article be sells with his
own reputation and the warranty of q
responsible company.
Local Meren ant Needs No Advocate.
The local IN Merchant needs neither nd.
vocate nor defense His methods rest
upon principles that have built ap in
this country a system OF Internal com
merce which is both the marvel ana
the admiration Of the world. His bust.
ness is legiti mate because its success
contributes TO the general prosperity
the comm unity in which it stands
MS a thriving example of honesty and
industry.
II does not require that a man shall
be endowed with unusual mental Mt.
for him TO know that a pri.
nlonOpoly In restraint Of trade. de
to wiring extortionate profits
from consum ers, IS detrimental TO the
best interests Of the patrons Of that
industry Any combination organized
for the purpose Of smotherlng competi
lion. whether It be " capitalists. cap.
tains Of industry laborers, farmers.
reimbursement. transportation lines or
any other bra nch Of the business world.
Is essentially unethlcal. unwise and de.
'tructive Of business In the end.
The honest consumer must pat him.
self enthusiasticaI on the back when
be spends his money In such a way
thnt In supplying his own wants be is
to build up the community IN
he lives.