WHAT ONE MERCHANT DID L Correspondent of Home Trade League Testifies to Value of Publicity -t.jwvx-'B mi 1 t—l IMMM mrfii I mu i ' 'Tiiawii im. r .n One country merchant writes the Home Trade league as follows: "Since I have adopted the city idea of advertising—naming now goods with prices, aad at the same time making known what I desire to dis pose of at or about cost to make room for new goods—my sales have not only increased very largely with regu lar customers, but I have secured many new ones. Not only this —in- stead of the farmers' wives spending from a half to an hour and a half look ing about the store to see what there is in stock they may want and taking the clerk's time who otherwise would have a chance to sell goods to several other customers, they come in and ask for the very articles they have seen advertised and which they have already decided they do want from seeing the advertisement in this week ly paper, and the result is I have been able to dispense with one of my clerks to whom 1 was paying SSOO per year." This merchant further says that ■this saving of clerk hire expended in this same kind of advertising during the year will, he is confident, increase his trade 50 per cent, and that he can already name 28 customers who but very recently have been buying their goods almost entirely from Chicago .catalogue houses. This experience without doubt can f>e duplicated by thousands of other men in business throughout the coun try. It is to be feared that the aver . age merchant in the smaller towns has allowed himself to get into a rut, and it is one from which he must swiftly «emerge if he has any desire to "stay IS UUH WEAKNESS THE DESIRE TO GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. AN IGNIS FATUUS TO AVOID One Cause That Has Led to the Down fall of Many—Fallacy That Ever Tends Toward . Evil. A man who won the confidence, re upect and admiration of the people of his state was elected to the United :States senate. Soon it is discovered that he was "owned by the railroads," bought by favors and instead of repre senting the interests of the people who sent him to his high place in She nation's councils, preferred to rep resent the corporations that made it possible for him to ride over rail roads without cost. It is only a dem onstration of human inclination to get .something for nothing. The member of a state legislature was accused of showing special atten tion to legislation favorable to the railroads and corporations. He was •charged with riding on passes; and in -fact it became known that his prin cipal supporters, too, rode free over •the railroads. Another illustration of the human desire to secure something for nothing. The mayor of a city regularly occu pied a box at the leading theater; handed out. a free street car ticket to the conductor, enjoyed free drinks at the bars —another example of the man who wanted something for nothing, and at last his greed caused him to pnter into dishonest deals that landed him in the penitentiary. On certain days of the month at inumerous supply depots conducted by county and city charities, long ■ rows of men and women can be seen awaiting their turn to get a small supply of flour, sugar and other neces saries of life. Some are helpless, de formed, and their looks indicate want and misery, but there are others who have no appearance of need. Here again we find men and women leaving pride and self-respect behind because . of the desire to secure something for . nothing. On special sales days in the retail districts of every large city great crowds can be seen about the en trances of the great department stores, crushing, fighting to get to the bargain counters, all bent upon getting something of value for little . or nothing. From the highest walks of life to the lowest the all-prevailing and dom inant trait in evidence to show the weakness of the individual is the struggle to get something for noth ing. It is based upon a knowledge of this fraility of humankind that some great business enterprises are built. Wonderful bargains are advertised, and the masses rush to buy, without calm reasoning in the matter of any of value. Good business judgment is cast in the background by the madness to get something for nothing. The get-rich-quick operator uses the rime methods to lead to his trap vic tims with dollars as do the railroads, the big department stores and the others who have certain objects to gain. It is always the promise held out to give something tor inadequate compensation, without its equal in ex - iionditure of money or labor that al in the game." The methods of a gen eration ago, it must be remembered, are not necessarily adapted to the conditions of to-day. By the persistent and persevering use of every device for publicity the catalogue houses have built up their present enormous trade. It is not rea sonable to suppose they can be dis lodged from the position they occupy —a position, as has frequently been pointed out, that threatens the well being if not the existence of every small community throughout the coun try—unless they are opposed with something like their own weapons. A favorite phrase much in use to-day is "Get business!" and to get business you must go after it. Is it reasonable to expect it will come to you un sought? Take the experience of this Home Trade league correspondent as a guide. He had the goods. He wanted to sell them. His proceeding was simple. Through publicity, which in his case simply meant attractive and truthful advertising, he brought the goods and the people together. Re sults were never in doubt. To sum up, successfully to compete with the powerful catalogue houses of the cities the country merchant must in a measure adopt their meth ods. They have won by publicity. Meet them on that ground. Match advancement with advancement. You have the medium in your local paper. Let your advertisements say some thing, and mean what they say. Let the people know what you have to sell, and depend upon it, they will come to buy. lows the frauds to succeed. There Is j magic in the "something for nothing" deal. It is a bait that catches people in every rank and walk of life. It often is the cause of the downfall of men who have all the abilities to sue- | ceed. It is a fallacy that tends to- ! ward evil. There can nothing be gained without adequate compensa tion. "The something for nothing is an ignis fatuus that the wise will avoid. D. M. CARR. SHARP PRACTICES. Schemes by Which People in Country Districts Are Defrauded. One of the winning games that is widely played is the giving of prizes for the sale of baking powder, flavor ing extracts, etc. Numerous con cerns are interested in this line of business. Premiums are offered to club raisers, and an outfit for can vassing is sent for a dollar or so, or perhaps furnished free if some person will vouch for the honesty of the ap plicant. But a "bond" is required as security for goods sent. The offer is so attractive that many are induced to order a lot of the goods to get the premium. The goods are of the cheapest and most trashy kind. The soap, the extracts, the species are all of an inferior quality often adulter ated and unwholesome. The person j who orders them realizes that the lot is worth little. If they are not sold by the agent, it matters little to the concern sending them out, as the per sons vouching for the honesty of the "agent" will be informed that they will be held for the price of the goods, and to save trouble, the agent will' send the money due, and make the best of a bad bargain. It is a good thing to avoid all propositions that offer much for little. Give Charm to Town. Attractive streets, well paved, good sidewalks, clean appearing buildings, signs arranged well, all goto add a charm to a town. One of the things that often gives strangers to a town a bad impression ia the loose manner in which storekeepers and others take care of the exterior of their places. Often not a sign about the place is to be found to designate the character of the business carried on, and this can only be a peep through the open door. The windows are often arranged in such a way as to give little knowledge of the goods handled. During the summer time awnings hanging low over the walks, so the passer-by must stoop to avoid them, are found in many places. Just a little care is needed to improve along these lines. An attractive sign does not cost much and is a good In vestment for the storekeeper. Clean liness in front of business places makes a good impression. In fact strangers will seldom enter a store if the outside appearance indicates slov enliness and carelessness. The up to-date merchant will always be found with a well-cared-for establishment It is quite often you can tell the busi ness importance of a man in the com munity by the appearance of- his store. Make business places attractive as possible. It. may cost you a little money, a little extra labor, but it will pay in the long run. Piys to Keep the Town Neat. The streets r.f a town overgrown with weeds never makes a good im pression on the stranger. Good side walks, well-ke; t, streets in the resi dence and business portions of a place, always speak we" for the hab its of its residenis. CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1907. OIL TRUST EVADES ! LIS OP TEXAS OPERATES IN THAT STATE UN DER ANOTHER NAME. I STANDARD OIL'S TREASURER j Tells About the Trust Agreement thav was in Force from 18S2 Until 1899—Some Very Interest ing Testimony. New York City.—That the Stand ard Oil Co. is operating under j the name of the Corsicana Refining Co. j in Texas, which has forbidden the oil combine to operate within that state, was indicated Thursday when Wesley H. Tilford, treasurer of the Standard Oil Co., under examination in the gov ernment's suit against the company, testified that H. C. Folger and C. M. Payne, whom Frank Kellogg, the at torney for the government, says con trol the Corsicana Co., are prominent in the conduct of affairs of the Stand ard Oil Co. Mr. Kellogg sought to draw from the witness the information that the Corsicana Company was really a Standard Oil concern operating in Texas because the anti-trust laws of j that state would not permit the com- I bine to operate it. Mr. Tilford replied I that as far as he knew the Standard | Oil Co. hail no interests in Texas. He j said that Mr. Folger and Mr. Payne were both officers of the Standard Oil Co., but he was not aware that they owned the Corsicana Co. Frank Kellogg spent a busy day tracing the various changes in the Standard from the time of its incep tion in 1882, when the trust agreement was signed, until the trust was dis- j solved in 1599 and the Standard Oil j Company of New Jersey was formed. | Mr. Kellogg developed many of his j questions from the trust agreement of J 1882, which was contained in the bill j of complaint filed in St. Louis last De- I cember, when the present action was ' commenced. This trust: agreement, 1 which was entered into by John D. ! Rockefeller and 45 other oil men, pro- j vided that Standard Oil companies should be formed in Ohio, New York, j Pennsylvania and New Jersey and in j I other states whenever the trustees j ! deemed it advisable. All the properties and assets of the j embraced corporations were to be i turned over to the several Standard I Oil companies, which in turn issued j their own stock in exchange. Under ' the terms of this trust agreement, all | stock was to be delivered to nine trus tees, who issued to the depositing stockholders trust certificates equal at i par value to the par value of the sev- j eral Standard Oil companies. The \ nine trustees under the original agree- i ment were John D. Rockefeller, O. H. j Payne, William Rockefeller, J. A. Host- j wick, H. M. Flagler, W. G. Warden, j Charles Pratt. Benjamin Brewster and John Arclibold. The trustees had ab- j solute control of the companies. Another interesting development ' was the official statement, made public | for the first time, of John D. Roekefel- j ler's personal holdings in , the Stand- ! ard Oil Co. Just to what extent the reputed head was individually inter- ! ested in the great concern has long been a matter of speculation. It was | brought out yesterday that Mr. Rocke- i feller owned 256,854 shares, or more j than one-fourth of the total 972,500 ! certificates of the Standard Oil Co. Based on the earnings of the company as placed on record Tuesday, it is computed that Mr. Rockefeller's profits during the past eight years have aggregated almost $125,000,000. NAMEO A JUDGE FOR GOVERNOR.! New Jersey Republicans Hold Their \ State Convention at Trenton. Trenton, N. J. Supreme Court I Justice Franklin Fort was nomi nated for governor at Thursday's re publican state convention on the first ballot. The nomination was not ac complished until alter 6 o'clock, owing to a long wrangle over the platform on the excise question. The sub-committee appointed by the state committee to draft a platform did not complete its work until about j 1 o'clock, having been in session, with | interruptions, since Wednesday night, j The whole trouble was over an excise ; plank. Finally a plank was drawn ; which wtihout specifically saying so j endorsed the so-called Bishop law of , 1906, which compels the exposure to j public view of the interior of saloons ! on Sunday. The Colby people, of Essex county, j wanted a plank giving to local munici- j palities the power to make their own excise regulations. In this they were supported by Passaic and Atlantic counties, the greater portion of Hud son county and by a large percentage of the vote of Bergen and Union counties. The Colby amendment was defeated by a vote of 537 ayes to 619 nays. After the nomination had been made Justice Fort appeared before the con vention. He first handed to Gov. Stokes, who was present, his resigna tion from the supreme court bench. He then made a short speech in which among other things he declared for the greatest measure of home rule In the matter of police regulations. This was interpreted by the delegates favor able to liberal Sunday laws as a dec laration in their favor, and as a re sult their gloom of an hour before over the defeat of their amendment was turned to joy ard they joined vig orously in cheering the candidate. One Alleged O.raftor Is Missing. Philadelphia, Pa. Stanford B. Lewis, confidential man for .Joseph M. Huston, the capitol architect, could not be located '1 liursday by the Harris burg dete:;tiv< who came here to eerve warrant::. \'< eef the attorneys iden tified v.ith the defense of the accus •.! eapUol «e-4 would admit that they Knew U>" whctv.ibr.'ils of l-ewis. A Destructive Storm. St. Johns-. >.'. K.—The heaviest gale I recorded In -in year.'. "pt the New ' foundland eoa> i Thursday. Reports | from fishing towns show that five lives ' were lost. 1,000 PER CENT. PROFIT STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF IN DIANA EARNED IT. More Light Is Thrown on the Subsidi ary Companies Composing the Oil Trust. New York City.—More light was ; shed Wednesday on the remark j able earning capacity of the various | subsidiary companies of the Standard Oil Co. when Frank B. Kellogg, who is conducting the federal suit, succeeded in placing upon the record the profits I of 17 of the principal subsidiary com j panics in the years 1903 and 1906. The | statement of earnings of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, which was re | cently fined $29,240,000 by Judge Lan j dis for rebating, disclosed that in 1906 1 the company earned no less than $lO,- j 516,082 on a capitalization of $1,000,- 000, or over 1,000 per cent, a year. The Indiana company in 1906 earned more than any subsidiary company of the big combine. Mr. Kellogg developed while Clar ence G. Fay, assistant comptroller of the Standard Oil Co., was on the stand, a curious problem of financial bookkeeping, or handling of accounts, which Mr. Fay failed to explain. From figures submitted it was shown that, the Standard Oil Comuany of New York, in 1904, made a profit of $7,751,- 160 and paid in dividends to the Stand j ard Oil Company of New Jersey tha total sum of $32,998,430. This transaction reduced the net as- I sets of the New York company from | $40,425,900 to $15,179,706, while the liabilities leaped from $47,646,235 in 1903 to $81,395,145 in 1904, an increase of nearly $34,000,000. The gross as sets of the New York company, how ever, increased from $58,074,56 l in 1903 to $96,574,852 in 1904. Meanwhile the accounts receivable of the Stand ard Oil Company of New Jersey grew | from $19,045,014 in 1903 to $58,272,924. Mr. Fay was closely questioned as i to the nature of the increased liabili ! ties of the New York company and in ! crease in the accounts receivable of j the Standard Oil Company of New Jer j sey, but he said he could not tell until : he hail examined the books of both j companies, which he told Mr. Kellogg j he would do. Charles M. Pratt, secretary of the j Standard Oil Co., told how he had [ held for the Standard Oil Co. the j stock of the Waters-Pierce Oil Co. at I the time when it was not permitted to j operate in Texas. He said he held i the stock as a matter of convenience | and not to avoid the anti-trust laws of j Texas. Mr. Pratt threw some interesting 1 sidelights on the Waters-Pierce Oil ! Co., the stock of which was held for a long period by M. M. Van Buren, who i was not connected with the Standard I Oil Co. Mr. Van Buren bought the j stock from .Mr. Pratt and early this year the Standard Co. bought it back. | The nature of the transaction showed j that Mr. Van Buren received from the I Standard Oil Co. exactly what he paid j for the stock and that during the time he held it the dividends were paid to I the Standard company. PREFERRED DEATH TO PRISON. Man Facing 20-Year Sentence for Kid naping a Boy Commits Suicide. Norfolk. Va. Before he could ! be apprehended by the local po j lice at the request of North Carolina | authorities, Joseph Harrison, of Cur rituck county, North Carolina, put a bullet in his brain late Wednesday af ternoon at. a hotel here. He is dying at St. Vincent's hospital. Harrison was convicted of abducting Kenneth Beasley, a son of State Sena tor Beasley, of Currituck. The alleged act was committed in 1905. The child i was never found. Harrison was given 20 years in the penitentiary. He ap- I pealed to the supreme court and Tues day he was denied a new trial. Wednesday afternoon the Norfolk police were notified that he had conxe to this city and were asked to locate, arrest and disarm him, as he had threatened to commit suicide. He has a married daughter residing here, whom Mrs. Harrison is visiting. Detectives located him at a hotel. A bell boy was sent up with the request that he come to the telephone. He . laughed, declaring that the police I could not trap him so easily. He closed I and locked his room door. Before the ! boy could get back to the officers the I report of the pistol was heard. EACH GIVES $60,000 BAIL. Arrest of Men Involved in Pennsylva nia Capitol Frauds. j Harrisburg, Pa. The long-ex pected arrests of those held respon sible for the frauds committed in the furnishing and decorating of Pennsyl vania's $13,000,000 capital were made Wednesday, the attorney general caus ing warrants to be issued for 14 of the IS persons and firms named by the capitol investigation commision as be ing involved in the scandal. The warrants were sworn out before Harrisburg aldermen and nearly all the defendants, who had been notified by the attorney general of the action he had taken, appeared during the day, waived a hearing and entered bail for their appearance ir the Dauphin county court. Several were unable to appear because of illness and will make their appearance later. ■ The principal defendants were held in $60,000 bail, which was furnished in every instance by surety companies. All the defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the state by making false invoices. Plan for Permanent Court Fails. The Hague. The plan for a ; permanent court of arbitration which j for some days past lias been under j eorsideration by a special conimittet I has failed to pass. A final effort was taa le Wednesday to reach an agree ment In iln matter of the selection of judges, but it proved futile. Boiler Explosion Killed 11 People. Toluea, Mexico.—Neglect of duty <ii the part or an employe re sulted in the death of 11 persons and injury to! 2 more through the explo sion of a boiler in the Ferrer factory at Asorrader. ( Balcom & Lloyd. | I WE have the best stocked general store in the county 9 and if you are looking for re- Hl liable goods at reasonable h prices, we are ready to serve B you with the best to be found. 112 Our reputation for trust- S g§ worthy goods and fair dealing is too well known to sell any |f but high grade goods. jf g Our stock of Queensware and o[ B Ohinaware is selected with Bj ! great care and we have some f£ B of the most handsome dishes @ | ever shown in this section, both in imported and domestio makes. We invite you to visit 3 us and look our goods over. I I I | 1 | Balcom & Lloyd. J U LOOK ELSEWHERE BUT DON'T FORGET |! || THESE PRICES AND FACTS AT || I ULaBAFSI | N 11 H- M M M H We carry in stock i-— — - i M jk| the largest line of Car- -, M |g pets, Linoleums and SL- 1 $4 H Mattings of all kinds *-■ fl ever brought to this j}tXiXTjCCDTfT]jB I Pf town. Also a big line -»■ ** ir* of samples. |Ji3X||a SM A very large line of FOR THE |« Lace Curtains that can- ♦ _ *2 I pHce! Uy iliiE LOD6ING N ftl it s Art Squares and of fine books In a choice library C 3 Rugs of all sixes and select the Ideal pattern of Globe- PJ t* kind, from the cheap- Wernicke "Elastic" Bookcase. M PI est to the best. Furnished with bevel French |jg M plate or leaded glass doors. M M Dining Chairs, I "a l - 1 BV I || M Rockers and GEO. J. LaBAR, High Chairs. Bole Agent for Cameron County. *1 £ g A large and elegant £2 Ei line of Tufted and Drop-head Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices. H M |3oßedroom Suits, (OP |4O Sideboard, quar- tfQA solid oak at teted cak 4)OU P* M $26 Bedroom Suits, tfOI $32 Sideboard, quar- ftflC pf solid oak at 4>Zl tered oak 4^ZD $26 Bed room Suite, COH $22 Sideboard, quar- ftlQ P» I! solid oak at )ZU tered oak, 4>lo gtjQ P| A large line of Dressers from Chiffoniers of all kinds and P* M $8 up. I al prices. ij fcj The finest line of Sewing Machines ©n the market, ft£ || the "DOMESTIC" and "ELDRIDGE.' All drop- gj heads and warranted. £3 A fine line of Dishes, common grade and China, in? 5 £¥ sets and by the piece. M As I keep a full line of everything that goes to lM M make up a good Furniture store, it is useless to enutn- N erate them all. „ ' ' pi Please call and see for yourself that lam telling M || you the trutn, and if you don t buy, there is no harm done, as it is no trouble to show goods. | GEO. J .LaBAR. | M PW'WWWWWW*!? 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers