The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-04-06
Population, Land Values and
General Prosperity Injured,
Speaker Holds

Mail order concerns are drainln;
the life blood of North Dakota bust
ness. They are taking the thirty per
cent margin that makes for prosper
ity out OF the state Alex Karr. o
jamestown. editor of "COmmunit!
Life" magazine and Spirit of thu
Spiritwood ChautauQua, declared il
an address before the commercial
club, last night Then he produced the
proof, an unwavering set OF black and
white figures, showing the sales costs
and expenses OF mail-order houses
Here in Bismarck he continued
during the last year more than $40.
600 has been spent BY mail order con
Germs in advertising propaganda. This
is represented by postage charges on
twenty carloands OF catalogs. In
jamestown l know OF two carloads OF
catalogs arriving recently. which were
catalogs arriving recently, which were
stamps.
Use Schools for Abuse
Il learned a lot," said the speaker
"a few weeks ago when a mailorder
concern sent debaters Of the Inter
state debating contest, a read-made
speech in negative OF the question:
Resolved: That the practice of mail,
order houses is detrimental to the best
interests of the state Of North Da-
kOta' There was twenty pounds OF
other literature sent for the students
to add, in case the typewriter many
PACED speech was not sufficient.
II do not feel any malice toward
mail-order houses, but even the men
who, wrote that speech know there
are lies in it. What impressed me
more than anything else, however,
was that this concern was using the
educational machinery Of the state,
supported by the people Of the state
to further a propaganda of abuse and
misrepresentation against most OF
. the business men of the state
rIn their circulars Sears and Roe
buck claim the third largest printing
plant in the world, in which is printed
sixty-five million catalogs year, US
ing five carloads Of white paper a
day.
Oscars and Roebuck, according to
their own records, paid the freight
on $12,460,646 worth Of goods last
year, to the customer and back. Yet
they make the assertion that they
could not do business more cheaply
than local dealers, but for the fact that
they seldom have goods returned.
They make that assertion in their cir
culars, meant fer the eyes of the con
sumner, but their records of goods re
turned are not so public
Expenses
81 am in this campaign because the
North Dakota Retail Merchants as
ISOLATION have sent me to tell the
truth about firms that are causing
slack business, curtailing increase in
population. and decreasing land val
ues in this state.
advertising Propaganda
The speaker reviewed the methods
used by mail-order concerns. "Adver
Using propaganda, was his name,
of summing them up. He told hoy
The Deleniator magazine had refused
to accept mail-order advertising TO
the reason that these firms were in
furious to business throughout tn
country, and reflected on their legit
mate advertising.
He proved through his black an
white figures, obtained after a long ir
vestigation. that mail-order concern
do only $265 worth of business O.
each catalog sent out. The cataloi
cost. mailing, together with the mis-
cellaneOus magazine aud newsDane
advertising and circulars, are create!
than the local dealers overhead e.
pense on the same amount of bus
ness. '.And that leaves out the emo:
nous freight expenditures on return
ed goods to the mail merchant. an
their millions spent in postage h
added.
Advocates Federation
what North Dakota dealers nee
to combat this propaganda of advel
Using is-a propaganda of advertis
ing. The dealers must federate, poo,
ing their advertising expenditures j.
one great educational campaign. Yo:
need Only tell the people the truth
and, any man with any intelligence
will see the fallacy of the mail-orde
firms claim of cheaper goods. Don:
blame your farmers for patronizini
mail-Order concerns 1t was probabl
city merchant who told him abou:
II. And it was townspeople who frs
patronized them. Every farmer get:
large quantities of Sears and Roebuc
and Montgomery Ward advertising
but they don't get any real advertising
from their local merchants. Whe,
they have only one side of the argu
ment how can you expect them tt
know whether it's true or not?
Community Day Cure
GAS a means of bringing about fed
GRAFTON and enlightenment on the
mail order house business costs Mr.
Karr proposed a community bargain
day, with the schools closed a few
hours, during which time meetinf
IN the Auditorium would be held, wher
speakers could explain the situation
Lyceum talent would be present tc
entertain between speeches. Bargain
sales would be held in all local stores
He then told of two jamestown mer
chants Who broke the mail-order say
ink bubble. They advertised Their
prices for goods and the prices of the
mail-0rder concerns side by side
Twenty-Five articles advertised by one
store averaged - cheaper and seven
ten advertised by the other were al
most equally below the mail-ordel
concerns price.
il 1--WE nee1 ssede}5 tim and "COPPER"
Hon IN North Dakota" he continued,
awe afc-t0 saCceed siasste91t