MAIL-ORDER WAYS
A EAD ADVERTISEMENT FOR
CATALOGUE HOUSES.
AT SCHOOL OF EXPERIENCE
Sooner or Later It Teaches Every Mail
Order Patron the Error of
Sending His Money
from Horns.
The methods of the mail-order
houses are their worst advertisement.
Sooner or later there will come a time
in the experience of every purchaser
of their goods when he will wish "he
hadn't done it," when he will wish he
had spent his money with his home
merchants. This is not only because
he will see the ruin wrought in his
•own community by the nefarious prac
tice of sending the money of the com
munity to the city, but also because of
the practices of the mail order con
•cerns.
The story in the catalogue sounds
well. It sounds like you would get
the identical thing you wanted and at
a much lower price than you had im
agined it could be bought for, and you
•order it. The purchase arrives and
when opened you feel that some mi -
tako has been made, that the concern
has sent you the wrong good,s; it is
not what you ordered.
Ah. but it is! The difference is be
tween the way it actually looks and
the way it sounds in the catalogue.
You explain that the goods you re
ceived is not what you ordered and
ask for an accounting, and are told
■that it is you that is in error, that
you got just what you ordered, and
tthen if you are wise you buy ol the
The one sure method of curbing the mail-order giant is to bind him with
+the thongs of home patronage. Are you helping in this work? Are you
spending your money at home and helping your town to grow, or are you
sending it to the city to swell the fortunes of the mail-order man?
"home merchant next time, and know
■what you get when you pass over the
money for it. He may not be able to
sell you what you thought you were
buying from the mail-order house at
the catalogue price, but he can sell
you, if he has it, the same goods you
get from the mail-order houses at an
equal or less price than they ask for
it, and what is more, he can sell you
wiiat you really want at as reasonable
a price as you can get it for else
where.
The following letter, written by a
Michigan farmer, explains in a clear
and unmistakable way the danger of
buying of mail-order concerns. It was
addressed to one of the largest of this
class of institution in this country:
Baldwin, Mich., Jan. 12, 1907.
•Gentlemen:
1 have your favor of recent date,
and also your catalogues and accom
panying circulars offering premiums
for distribution of the same among my
friends. I have no doubt, that, as you
say, I will thereby confer a great fa
vor upon you, but 1 am compelled to
take issue with you on the statement
that i will also confer a favor upon
my friends.
In my dealings with you, extending
over some time past, I have received
no favors from you—l paid for all 1
got, and the length o? time I traded
with you, instead of establishing
friendly relations and gaining me ad
ditional favor as it would in a home
store, gave you the opinion that, un
like a new customer, to whom you
give your very best, so they will come
again. 1 was a steady comer and any
old thing would do for me.
Our last deal opened my eyes and
convinced me of your policy. Your
catalogues offer some apparently great
bargains. But let us draw up our
*hairs and see if there are not a few
things very essential to the rural citi
zen that are not mentioned within its
voluminous bulk.
For instance, there is no reference
to paying cash or exchanging goods
for wheat, oats, corn, beans, butter,
eggs and hay.
How much will you pay for cattle,
sheep ami hogs, 112. o. b., at Baldwin?
How much will you pay to support
the Lake county schools and educate
our children? How much for improv
ing our roads and bridges? For sup
porting the poor? For the general
public expense?
On what page do you offer to con
tribute money to the support of our
churches?
What iine of credit will you extend
to me when my money is low because
< 112 sickness, or poor crops? What do
you provide in the way of entertain
ment ior the public and in the way
of providing those things that make a
town desirable and thus keep up the
value c'Z my property?
As a matter of fact, do you do any
thing to help locai'v or do you merely
take the money on* of a community,
returning noting whatever, beyond
the value of tho goods bought? Think
ing it oyer carefully, 1 believe it is
better to rail upon our local dealer
and look over his stock where wo can
see the goods before buying. There
are then no errors in change or re
funds to bn haggled over across a 300-
mile stretch.
Yes, it is better to trade at home.
Our home merchant's guarantee upon
an article means something, as he
wants our good will. Keeping the
money at home benefits home indus
tries and thus, indirectly, us. We can
not expect to sell our products to the
local merchant and do our trading in
Chicago. It is all one-sided and some
time we would have no local merchant
to do our buying.
Catalogue houses, I have found from
bitter experiences, are tricky. If those
who are dealing with them will watch
their purchases, they will find it so
sooner or later. Our last deal, had it
occurred here at home, would have
been straightened out in five minutes
and without feeling, but with you it
takes me all winter to get my money
back when the goods are not satisfac
tory, and even then 1 get only a credit
card which is lost through studied
carelessness upon the part of someone
in your concern so that I have noth
ing to show for my claim.
Every man should trade at homo if
conditions admit of purchasing a good
article at reasonable prices. If not,
then he had better trade at the next
town or city that his money may go
to build up the country around him.
He sends it to Chicago that it may go
into profits of some big mail-order
house until there is enough sucker
money to build and endow some great
charitable institution as a monument
to the greatness of the mail-order man
and the gullibleness of the easy pub
lic.
I have already asked that you adjust
the matter of our last deal. I want
my money returned without further
dickering and unless 1 Rot it I shall
certainly get its equivalent in adver
tising you and your methods anions
the people of Lake county.
Awaiting your reply, I am,
Yours truly,
CAUL SCHULTZ.
Wolf Lake, Michigan. P. O. Baldwin,
Mich.
Can you, Mr. Purchaser, not profit
by the experience of others and turn
your money into home channels by
trading with home merchants where
you will get a dollar's worth for a dol
lar, or must you follow the mail-order
man's lead to trouble for yourself and
destruction for your community? l»o
not wait for that evil day when you
have learned wisdom in <he expensive
school of personal experience, but
profit by that purchased by others.
You will find it far cheaper and mora
satisfactory in the end.
A Turkish Health Report.
The French government, wishing to
obtain definite statistics on points re
lating to certain Turkish provinces
recently sent blanks with questions
luting to certain Turkish provinces,
to be answered to the Provincial gov
ernors. The replies received from
the Pasha of Damascus are worth
quoting:
Question. What is the death rate
in your province?
Answer. In Damascus it Is tha will
of Allah that all should die. Some die
young and some die old.
Q. What is the annual number of
births?
A. God alone can say—l do not
know, and hesiiate to inquire.
Q. Are'the supplies of water suf
ficient and of good quality?
A. From the remotest period no
one has died in Damascus of thirst.
General remarks as to the local san
itation: Man should not bother him
self or Lis brother with questions
that concern only God.
A Squelcher.
"I gave that odious Mrs. Dough
purse something to think of this after
noon," says Mrs. Bankfull to her hus
i band, who was amusing himself by
1 tossing S2O gold pieces into the artifi-
I cial lake in the drawing room for the
j pleasure of hearing the gold pieces
| plunk as they sunk.
"Whajja say to her?" asked Mr.
I Bankfull, rolling himself a cigarette
I in a hundred-dollar bill.
| "She was boasting about the solid
| gold radiators they are having put into
| their new house, ar.d I told her we
| thought steam heat was so old-fash
! ioned that we were going to heat our
I house with radium hereafter."—Judge.
Minister Discovers Comet.
| Ministerial duties do not prevent the
j Rev. Joel H. Metcalf, of Taunton,
I Mass., from pursuing astronomical in
| vestigations. His study of the stars
has resulted in the discovery of a new
j comet, which is now being closely ob>
! served by astronomers throughout the
| world, it bus been named Metcalf's
I comet.
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1907.
THE HOODS.
Rivers at Pittsburg are
Rapidly Receding.
TRAFFIC RESUMES.
Damage lo Properly in Pittsburg
District Is Very Large- Wheel
ing Entirely Cut Off.
Pittsburg, Pa. —With the rapid
receding of waters in iiu* Alo
nongahela, Allegheny and Ohio rivers
which is taking place here, conditions
are last assuming normal proportions
and the greatest flood in the history
of the city is at an end. At nightfall
Friday the approaches to the bridges
were elear of water and several hours
later street car service in the Hood
districts was resumed. Thousands of
suburbanites who have been stranded
in this city since early Thursday were
able to reach their homes, while the
down town section, which has been
crowded with sightseers since the
sudden rise of water, is almost de
serted. The only apparent indication
of the flood in the down town section
are many pipes across th<* sidewalks
through which water is being pumped
from submerged basements.
At i) o'clock last nißht the rivers
had fallen almost tight feet.. At thßt
hour the stage was lift feet and drop
ping a half foot an hour.
Immediately following the subsid
ing of the water the task of comput
ing and repairing the damage was be
gun. A majority of the employes of
the large manufacturing establish
ments who were temporarily thrown
out of employment are endeavoring to
put the plants in working order and it
is said that by Sunday all these es
tablishments will resume operations.
Ten square miles were inundated.
The loss in dollars will probably
never he known, but the actual loss
will probably not exceed $1,000,000..
The probabilities are that the Be
lasco, Gayety, Alvin and Bijou the
atres will be open lo the public this
evening. A large force of men are
repairing the electric plants damaged
by the water in the basements of the
playhouses.
Reports from all parts of western
Pennsylvania are that the flood has
subsided and efforts are being made
to clear up the wreckage.
Railroad service which was demor
alized by the high water is rapidly
resuming.
Wheeling, W. Va. —The crest of
the flood passed this city at 9
p. m. The water reached a stage of
almost 50 feet and then began to re
cede at the rate of one inch an hour.
The city and surrounding towns on
both sides of the river are completely
cut off from the world by rail and
steamer. Every foot of Wheeling Isl
and is submerged and 7,000 residents
have been driven to upper floors. It
is estimated that 5,000 homes are
flooded, affecting 25,000 people. The
property loss will reach $500,000. One
fatality is reported, that of a Wheel
ing Island resident, who is missing
and was last seen Thursday night in a
skiff.
Boatmen are charging extortionate
prices for rescuing marooned resi
dents. All newspapers have tempo
rarily suspended publication because
the plants have been submerged.
During Friday a score or more of
houses passed down the river, includ
ing two-story dwellings and a school
house, the latter with the stars and
stripes bravely floating from its little
flagstaff.
An Exclusion Edict !s Issued.
Washington, D. C.—President Roose
velt has issued an order direct
ing that Japanese or Korean laborers
who have received passports togo to
Mexico, Canada or Hawaii and to
come therefrom be refused permission
to enter the continental territory of
the United States. This is practically
the linal chapter, except so far its the
Question may be taken up in treaty
negotiations with Japan, in the issue
growing out of the action of the
San Francisco authorities in prohibit
ing Japanese school children uttendins
the schools set aside for the whites.
Stock Market Recovers from Panic.
.\evv York.—An unusual scene was
enacted 011 Friday on the floor
of the stock exchange just after the
market had closed strong and buoy
ant, in sharp contrast to the de
moralization of Thursday. Brokers
gathered around the trading posts anl
cheered loudly in demonstration of
their relief at the change in specula
tive sentiment. Congratulations were
exchanged all around the room on tho
fact that the members of the ex
change bad successfully passed
through the severe decline in prices
of the past two weeks.
Jap Children Enter Frisco School.
San Francisco, Cal.—Nine Japan
ese girls who had applied for ad
mission to the Redding primary school
were admitted Thursday after an ex
amination as to their knowledge of
the English language.
Killed His Sweetheart and Himself.
New Orleans, La.—Accosting Miss
Dudez Dobson, his 17-year-old
sweetheart, on the main street of
Pointe la Hache, La., Whitney
Moliere, a young planter, asked her to
marry him. Upon being refused
Moliere shot and killed the girl and
himself.
Street Railroaders' Strike Ends.
Louisville, Ky.—The 800 striking
union employes of the Louis
ville Railway Co., last night accepted
terms agreed on by their executive
committee and the company.
A MID WINTER VERDICT.
"Bright Sunshine All Winter," Is What
a Western Canada Lady Says.
Maidstone, Sask., Canada,
Feb. 4, lUO7.
C. J. Broughton, Esq.,
Canadian Government Agent,
Chicago, 111.
Dear Sir:
Being so well pleased with Canada
we wish my father and brother to
come here. Will you please send them
reading matter on Canada.
We have been here nearly a year
and are delighted with this country.
Wo have lived in Illinois, lowa, and
Michigan and we find Canada away
ahead of any of them. We have had
bright sunshine all winter so far, only
two nice, easy snow storms. If it was
not all right you know I would not
want my father and brother to come
here, but we think it is grand.
Yours truly,
(Signed) MRS. ED. TROUPE.
High Prices Paid for Pets.
A spinster with money to burn m
cently paid $5,000 for a bulldog. A
man in Massachusetts has just bought
a cow for SB,OOO. Walter Garvey has
a hog for which he refused a cash
offer of $4,000. James Keene refused
$200,000 for Sysonby, a race horse.
There are several roosters of fashion
able blood priced as high as SBOO
each. You can buy a fine lion for
S3OO and a tiger for S7OO. By and by
we shall have a craze for breeding
fishes, and a fine male salmon, edu
cated to pond life, might be worth
SI,OOO. The SB,OOO cow has one calf
a year, worth $4,000. The female sal
mon may become the mother of 300,-
000 little fellows in the same time,
■worth in the aggregate, possibly, as
much as the calf. —N. Y. Press.
CASE OF ECZEMA IN SOUTH.
Suffered Three Years —Hands and Eya
Most Affected—Now Well and Is
Grateful to Cuticura.
"My wife was taken badly with ec
zema for three years, and she em
ployed a doctor with no effect at all
until she employed Cuticura Soap
and Ointment,. One of her hands
and her left eye were badly affected,
and when she would stop using Cu
ticura Soap and Ointment tho eczema
came back, but very slightly; but it
did her a sight of good. Then we
complied with tho instructions in us
ing the entire set of Cuticura Reme
edies and my wife is entirely recov
ered. She thanks Cuticura very much
and will recommend it highly in our
locality and in every nook and cor
ner of our parish. God bless you for
the sake of suffering humanity. I. M.
Robert, Hydropolis, La., Jan. 5 and
Sept. 1, 190 G."
Korean Women Advance.
The Korean Ladies' club held a
meeting a short time ago at which it
was suggested that, changes should be
attempted in the dress of the Korean
women, that the matter of education
should be held in abeyance for a
time, but that special efforts should
be made along the line of life insur
ance, so as to protect the interests of
women in case of the death of the
husband. —Korean Daily News.
Affection consists not in use of
carefully prepared utterances.
if
CATARRH
n4 w ™ e
fIIROAT, 112
LUN J&«o»
KIDNEYS
BLADDER
112 organs
W. A. Mitchell, dealer in general
merchandise, Martin, Ga., writes:
"My wife lost in weight from 130
to 68 pounds. We saw she could
not live long. She was a skeleton,
so we consulted an old physician.
He told her to try Peruna.
"She gradually commenced im
proving and getting a little
strength. She now weighs 106
pounds. She is gaining every day,
and does her own housework and
cooking."
I Balcom & Lloyd. I
|
WE have the best stocked (if
general store in the county 8
and if you are looking for re
| liable goods at reasonable J§
Its prices, we are ready to serve
y yon with the best to be found.
0 Our reputation for trust
lj] worthy goods and fair dealing
is too well known to sell any
g but high grade goods. 1
nj Our stock of Queensware and jf
ffl Chinaware is selected with Sj
ij great care and we have soma fg
ffl of the most handsome dishes
H ever shown in this section, J
SIK both in imported and domestio
makes. We invite you to visit
us and look our goods over. I
p! u
1 i
8 I
| Balcom Lloyd, j
I *•
mm mum rwrw
****** <***!* ***lll Mk ********
J! LOOK ELSEWHERE BUT DON'T FORGET
|| THESE PRICES AND FACTS AT |J
N H
II || LaBAJTS || 1
M 'I ft*
M ft!
M We carry in stock | i fc*
fc* the largest line of Car- ' g|
fed pets, Linoleums and SL r j jiSSCfI fTTT?7?TTTfmW' fed
K Mattings of all kinds - W 3' '
ever brought to this UMlMl]|| 3 ■
» s, P e° abig,i " - M s|
Avery large line ol 'FOR TM£ jtjj
if Lace Curtains that can-
SI GMPM IIMIS i\
Art Squares and of fine books in a choice library
£? Rugs of all sizes and select the Ideal pattern of Globe
ft* kind, from the cheap- Wernicke "Elastic" Bookcase.
£3 est to the best. Furnished with bevel French ||
M plate or leaded glass doors. I fe£
Dining Chairs, DY ||
II R ? ckers a ! ld J- LaBAR, **
High Chai rS. I Solo Agent for Cameron County. I fe2
E2 A large and elegant 1 ■ I
line of Tufted and jjjl
Drop-head Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices. £2
—— |I
It| S3O Bedroom Suits, CIE f«;deboard, quar- COfi km
solid oak at 4)ZO tered cak 4)uU P9
|2B Bedroom Suits, COIf 32 Sideboard, quar- COJ* ife*
M solid oak at 4>/l tered oak 5$
im k*
s2o Bed room Suits, ffOfl f22 Sideboard, quar- (FIC *Ti
H solid oak at tered oak, 4)10 £|
|| A large line of Dressers from Chiffoniers of all kinds and ||:
|| $8 up. all prices. ij|#<
|| J |#
feg The finest line of Sewing Machines on the market, |1
gj the "DOMESTIC" and "ELDRJLGE.' All drop- gl
£2 heads and warranted. E9
A fine line of Dishes, common grade and China, in £5
5* sets and by the piece.
ftl As I keep a full line of everything that goes to ft*
|| make up a good Furniture store, it is useless to enum- ft*
|| erate them all. | M
£| Please call and see for yourself that lam telling |£
|| you the truth, and if you don't buy, there is no harm £*
done, as it is no trouble to show goods.
|j GEO. J .LaBAR. -j
UNDERTiLBLIIVO.
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3