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Show AROUND THE CIRCLE KEEP THE DOLLARS MOVING IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY. IT MAKES WEALTH FOR ALL Buy of the Man Who Will Buy of You and Your Dollar Will Come Back Again. iCopyrlKht ly Alfred C Chins.) As on tho western prairies In ploueer days, the trapper's camp llro, kindled to prepare his frugal meal or to warm him from tho biting wind, fanned Into lunowed vigor, spread, first on the tiny bludo of grass to neighboring blades, nnd thence to tho tangled masses all around until tho broad plains wero one vast sea of seathlng llamo destroying all beforo It, so the mall order business, started In tho eastern cities on a xmnll scalo, fanned by the breeze of Judicious advertising, ad-vertising, has spread until It now covers cov-ers tho length and breadth of our land and threatens disaster to tho smaller dealers everywhere. The note of wnrnlng lias been sounded, thu light Is visible In tho sky, and yot, apparently appar-ently oblivious to It nil, tho ones whose safety Is being endangered, heed not tho alarm nor the slgunl of dlsnstor. Tho country merchnnt nnd the farmer, whoso combined efforts can stem tho tldo of destruction that threntens to engulf them, nro nlono unconscious of the upproachlng devastation, devas-tation, that, llko a great sea of consuming con-suming llamo, Is threatening to engulf them. Tho country merchant and tho farmer farm-er tho simple, honest dwellers In tho rural districts, aro the victims this gigantic peril Is reaching out for to All its rapacious maw. Hach year Its grasp becomes firmer, Its power greater. Only a few Hhort years ago tho catalogue house was a thing unheard un-heard of, to-day It stands as ono of America's greatest institutions. And with great fortuno comes great power, pow-er, so now thu mall order business may well bo classed among the powers of the nation. Its efforts uro already being felt at the national capital, selves in this connection. With tho rapid growth of tho mnll ordor busl-aro busl-aro bolng established. Theso large firms nro dally reaching out for now sections of trade. What will bo tho result along this lino? With tho growth of tho catnloguo houso comes tho death of tho rural mercantllo trade. Lot them onco destroy tho country merchant and tho mnrkets of tho world will bo in tho hands of a few wealthy capitalists. Their branch houses will appear In all tho country towns and the farmer will no longor bo independent. Ills friend, tho country coun-try dealer, who through competition was forced to pay tho valtto of tho butter, eggs, etc., will bo a thing of tho past, and In his plnco will appear tho fat, gloating face of tho capitalist, In whoso benumbed conscience thoro Is no thought of pity, whoso breast contains Instead of a heart a great lump of cold stony gold, whoso ono ambition Is to bu'.ld up a greater fortuno for-tuno than tho world has ovor scon, nnd who cares naught for tho tears or trials, woes or weeping of his victims so long as ho can squcezo a llttlo mora of tho coveted glittering treasure from him. Again, tho dollar Bpont with the local dealer stays In thu community whoro it blesses tho spender over and oor again. Tho merchant pays It to tho butcher for meat, tho butcher gots his bread of tho bakor and thoroforo drops tho dollar Into tho bakor's till, tho bakor pays it to tho mlllor for Hour, nnd tho latter buys his grain from tho farmer, so tho dollar onco moro Jingles merrily In tho farmer's trousers pocket. But spend It with tho mnll order house and It Is gono nover to return. It goes to build up tho great commercial Intorosts of Now York or Chicago. Docs it pay the farmer to send his monoy to holp beautify and build up theso great cities? Has ho not moro Interest In beautifying and building up his own section of tho country? If not, he should. It a placo Is good enough for a mnn to llvo In and to mako his monoy In, it Is good enough for him to Bpond his money in. Who helps build tho churches, school houses, streets, bridges, etc.? Docs tho mall ordor houso holp? Will thoy glvo a dollar to educato tho farmer's children, or donate anything to support tho farmer's farm-er's widow or orphans? Do they holp to pay tho taxes, -or add anything to The Endless Chain It Keeps the Dollar at Home Where' It Belongs. where r.ur laws are mnde, and unless a check Is administered tho passage of tho parcels post bill will murk ono of Its grcntcst triumphs. But let us look at a few of tho simple reasons why the farmer should patronize tho home dealer. In the first plnce their Interests nro centered cen-tered In each other. Kvery season of plonty on tho farm means a prosperous prosper-ous year to tho country merchant. So In tho prosperity of tho farmer does the country merchant expect to gain. Tho farmer finds, therefore, In tho country dealer, a staunch and loyal friend nnd a defender of his rights. Thoy pay taxes together, llvo sldo by side, their children play and go to school together. When tho crops nro poor or mlsfortuno conies, to whom does tho farmer look? Not to tho mail ordor magnate, but to his nolgh-hor, nolgh-hor, tho country merchant. How often does tho mall ordor concern take any Intorust In tho political questions ques-tions or legal measures beneficial to the farmer? Yet with their bright-lined bright-lined catalogue of pictured "bargains" they reach out an open hand for tho fanners hard earned dollar. And does he got vnluo received? Not often. Tho first ordor ho may, but that Is only a bait. The business Is not founded on principles, It Is not bulldud on honorable methods, its mighty walls are erected on graft. Tho goods aro shop-worn or shoddy, or porhapB ninny kinds of goods have defects so cunningly concealed that tho naked eyo can scarcely seo a difference dif-ference between theso articles and those of a much higher grade. You aro expected to hcikI cash with tho order or havo It ready when the goods nrrlvo with tho big C. O. D. mark on thu package. Your crop failure, fail-ure, or shortage of money doesn't Interest In-terest the mall ordor houso, your credit with them Is good only so long as your pocket book Ib filled. Your ordor Is made out and you pay for goods you novor saw, put up and selected se-lected by men you do not know. If those goods do not pruvo to be worth tho monoy, if the shoes do not wear woll, or tho suit Is tdioddy goods, will the mall order linn mako them good? Not often, Yot tho lovml dealor will do this. He knows his honesty Is his best drawing card. So much for the advantago of dcallug with honest mou and not with grr,fters, Still other Issues present them-ness them-ness sub-stations or branch houses bring comfort or necossnry Improvements Improve-ments In the country placos? Then why should tho furmor patronlzo them? By actual test It has been found that the snmu goods can bo proem pro-em cd ns cheaply, If not at moro roa-sonnblo roa-sonnblo prices, at home. Trade with your neighbor, whoso Intorosts aro your interests, whoso hand Is always ready to assist you In time of trouble. Patronize thoso who patronlzo you. Uio the flashy cataloguo of tho mall ordor houso to holp klndlo tho Ijltchon flro, and keep your monoy at homo where It will benefit you and your neighbors ovor nnd over again. Tho farmer's dollar, earned by honest toll, should not be added to tho' blood monoy of theso groat mall ordor corporations. cor-porations. Tho- farmer must Join tho local merchant and the country editor In battling this great peril that Is creeping, creeping onward with great rapidity, and unless theso forces are combined and tholr efforts provo increasing, in-creasing, tho day Is not far distant whon tho chanco will bo gono forever tho power will bo too great to con-quor. con-quor. IVER H. SMITH. |
