Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-10-18
National Buy-at- Home Bulletin
Special Articles Appearing Weekly Are Reprinted From
The Organ OF The National Buy-At-HOme Movement
Original articles copyrighted owned and controlled by National
Buy-AtHome Movement National Headquarters Executive
Offices Fort Wayne, Ind.

was one of those magnetic person
alitieS, of which there is generally
but one found in evry town.
1t so happened that just a week
previous Mrs. Bradley had noticed
in one of her latest magazines a
very alluring Club Offer" where
in was possible to secure BEAU
TIFUL PREMIUMS ABSOLUTE
LY FREE by simply organizing a
club among ones friends and or
dering a small amount of goods
each month for each member.
Such offers had never before APP
pealed TO Mrs. Bradley, but in this
particular advertisement one of the
premium articles illustrated hap
pened to be a piece of furniture
which she had been thinking
about buying for the house. The
more she looked at the illustra-
ton, the more attractive it grew
and straight-way mailed the cOu-
pom for their big" catalogue and
club plan.
And it follows that on this
bright June day, the mail man
brought to Mrs. Bradley a beauti-
full illustrated catalogue, alluring
and tempting. Mrs. Bradley, of
course, Immediately showed the at
tractive catalogue to the members
of the Literary Club, and before
adjournment that afternoon they
had made out their first order,
Mrs. Bradley being delegated TO
forward IL to the mail order house
together with a remittance to COW
err, which was in accordance with
instructions.
From that day, the downfall of
Bradley was fated. The news of
the newly organized soap club
spread through Bonneville like
lwild-fire. The women, completely
fascinated with the club plan idea,
held a conclave and Mrs Bradley
proved TO be a ring-leader IN urg-
ing that additional clubs be or
ganized. And so it was determin-
ed. Brilliant woman though Mrs.
Bradley was she completely for
got what the local merchants and
banks had done for her husband
in days gone by. Her husband,
shrewd lawyer that he was, had
sufficient foresight TO see what
would be the end of Bonneville If
mail order buying became general.
He foresaw that many merchants
would go out of business, banks
would subsequently have to close
their doors, property values would
deteriorate and public improve
ments would be at a standstill, and
he pleaded with his wife not 10
buy goods out of town and urg-
her to use her influence in dis
suading the other women of the
town from doing likewise. But he
reckoned without that peculiar
characteristic of women-her cur
iosity and lack of business fore
sight.
To make 4 long story short, it
developed that soap clubs and mail
order buying increased daily. The
women seemed completely hyp-
Noticed by the cash-in-advance
town destroyers. Buying out of
town became a perfect mania with
them and it wasn't long before
one by one, the Bonneville mer-
chants closed their doors and NOV
ed to other towns. Several of the
banks, deprived of the business of
these merchants, gave up the
ghost, and 10 and behold we find
the once prosperous, once pTOmis-
ing, once growing town of Boone
vile in a terrific slump. Proper
ty values fell away off, no trad
ing in real estate was taking
place, public Improvements were at
a standstill, no new manufacture
Z ing plants were coming into the
town, outside capital steered clear
, of the community and you can
guess what happened to our friend,
Bradley, His practice went com
/ pletely To pot. He had specialized
in deeds and abstracts and when
the slump hit the town, he found
that he could no longer go TO
friendly merchants and banks for
assistance because they had either
gone out of business or were not
financially able to help him, and
the end was that this brilliant
lawyer had to go into bankruptcy.
His beautiful home was sold for
song to satisfy his creditors.
Other property that he had ac-
uuired went with the rest and with