TRAPS FOR UNWARY ADVERTISING TRICKS OF MAIL ORDER HOUSES. COODS PRICED BELOW COST Articles of Standard Value Frequently Sold at Cost to Create False Im pression of Cheapness—Un thinking People Victims. The theory upon which a great number of mail order concerns pro ceed is to select a certain number of articles, those of standard values and well-known, and mark them down to wholesale prices or lower. This is for the purpose of "bailing," as well as to give the impression that regular dealers are selling goods at prices too high. On many widely advertised goods which are in constant demand the mail order house advertises prices much lower than the actual cost of the goods to the house. This is done with a view of catching customers, killing off the trade of local dealers, and with hopes ol' selling other goods at enormous profits. Then the ad vertising part of the deal is of some "value. People like to buy Roods at the lowest, possible cost. They get im pressions of low prices from compari son of goods of which they know the selling price. If a certain rifle is al ways sold in the gunstores at sll and the catalogue house sells the same at sll, the average man realizes that he is getting a bargain, even though the concern may lose a half dollar in the transaction. Hut the man is also im pressed with the idea that prices are just as low on other goods of which he has little information as to values. It is knowing this fact that causes the mail-order houses to resort to this trick. Then there is difference in quality of goods. In the different lines there are different grades. It is not long ago that a United States district court grand jury returned an indictment against a large mail-order house on three different charges of fraud. In each case there was mis representation. One of the charges ■was that "pure white lead" paint, sup posed to be manufactured by the con cern, did not contain a trace of white lead, and was manufactured by con tract by another concern. The other ■charge was that Jewelry was misrep resented. In the matter of jewelry there is great chance for fraud. That which is called solid gold ma/ be not •over one-tenth gold, a little better than brass. Gold always has a cer tain vulue. Whether it is in jewelry •or in a coin of the realm, the value is just the same. Its purity and weight is what counts. It is curious how intelligent people who know of the fixed value of gold will take the word of a mail-order schemer as to quality, when the article is sold at a less price than the metal which it is •claimed is represented in it can be bought for in the markets. Ixiw prices are generally quoted upon goods which the average people understand, and are acquainted with, and the loss is made up on the classes •of goods which allow the practice of deception, of the value of which the people lit'tie know. People who patron ize mail-order concerns should under stand that in the majority of cases ■they are paying more than they would be compelled to pay if they made their purchases at home. Then there is involved the principle of sending money away from the neighborhood where it is earned. If the people who patronize mail order houses would only buy such goods as they know are priced below cost to the concern, the mail-order (houses could not continue in business a year. But these concerns know that Mr. Barnum was about right when he said that the"American people like to be humbugged." They transact their business accordingly. The home merchant must go ahead on a differ ent basis. He depends upon his repu tation for square dealing. He knows that he must be honest, whether he is inclined to be or not, or that he will soon be compelled to get out of busi ness for lack of patronage. The mail order concerns look for a new crop •of "suckers" every year, and they find more or less of a crop. Economy In Home Trade. In an address made some years ago ■before congress the late Thomas B. Heed said: "Which is it better for the farmer to do—send his supplies a thousand miles to the seacoast, 3,000 miles across the water and sell it to the mechanic who gets loss wages, or sell it right here at home to tlie me chanic who gets more wages?" Heed's logic is sound, but he might have gone a little further, and shown the farmer how important it is to have the home market right at his door; how by the building up of the commercial and manufacturing importance of his home town, he widens the market for his products, and that ihe livelier and better the home place can be made, the better will be tin- prices he will receive for his products. Demand Home-Made Goods. One western state that is giving a wholesome example to other states in the matter of patronage of home industries is Colorado. A movement has been well started for a campaign in behalf of Colorado manufactured goods. Even the big department stores in Denver, Pueblo and other ■cities of the state advertise Colorado made goods, and extol their merits. Colorado people are becoming such advocates of home trade as to ask for articles manufactured in their state, and refuse to take substitutes manu factured elsewhere WHOLE IDEA IS A FALLACY. Systems of Co-Operation Weak Thea. retically and in Practice. Ono of the spirits of the ape is or ganization and co-operation of those who are engaged in the same lines of trade, industry or profession. It has been proved beyond cavil that men have a right to thus organize and pur sue any system in business, or in their special fields that they desire as long as ilieir methods are not unjust toward others. Prom many organiza tions conies much good. From others things that are harmful. It must be remembered that there are fundamentals in all systems that cannot be ignored. There are princi ples which must be observed, or fail ure will be sure to result. Within the past dozen years numerous alleged co operative organizations have been formed within the United States. These organizations have been of a kind that involves certain benefits to members —the elimination of profits to middlemen, the distribution of earn ings to members, etc. Not one in fir'ty of these organizations has been suc cessful, and the reason for failure is that (he systems followed were not in harmony with economic laws. In the world of commerce there are three important factors—production, distribution and consumption. Were there no consumption there would be no need of production or distribution. Rut civilized people must be fed and clothed and their other wants sup plied, and as long as intelligent man exists there will be need and methods to supply his wants. Thus we find the producers, the distributors, and the latter class divide into groups known as factors or jobbers, their agents and the so-called retailers who directly supply the consumers. The common co-operative plans deal with cutting out the distributors, the elimination of that cost in products which represents the compensation of merchants whether they be whole salers or retailers. The present sys tem of distribution has evolved from an experience covering some thou sands of years. It is based upon equity and upon the soundest princi ples of economy. The system cannot well be changed unless the whole field of human endeavor be modified. Peo ple must be employed in gainful occu pations, or they become burdemi upon the classes who are earners.' All can not he producers, but all can perform -n important part in production, in manufacture and in distribution. The co-operative system that means the elimination of the factors in com merce excepting the manufacturer means the robbing of a large class of a means of earning subsistence and an encroachment upon other fields of labor that are now well equalized. The present system of distribution is the most economical that can be de vised. No manufacturer of food prod ucts, unless he have a monopoly, can maintain exclusive distributing ware houses. Thus we find the jobber a co-operator merely, working in harmony with a multitude of manu facturers and for them conducting a general warehouse, guarantee!! g the collection and payment o" bill* due them and for his services receiving a small commission. His agent o:.- trav eler sells a hundred kinds of goods in stead of one particular kind. Here again we find co-operation in its high est type. The retailer carries !•. vari ety of goods, representative o)' per haps 200 or 300 manufacturers; here again is co-operation, and it may bo said that the earnings of all eusaged in distribution represent a small commission for performing a sf-rvice, and the aggregate of the earnings of any one of thefn—the jobber, his agent and the retailer—is dependent upon his labor and his business sagac ity. When these three factors In dis tribution be cut out just as expensive a system must be substituted. In case of the manufacturer who sells his products direct to the consumer, he has large advertising bills to pay, and a hundred little expenses which the manufacturer who sells his products through regular established channels does not have to bear. When a co-operative store is* estab lished with a few hundred stockhold ers as its patrons it is generally found that, it ran not be operated at lower expense than if conducted by an indi vidual, and it soon ceases to exist. Editor Realizes Situation. It has come to a time when the business man must take note of the mail order concerns. They are con tinually growing larger and taking more trade out of the smaller towns. Of course we all know that it is not right for Wilkinsburg people to send their money to Chicago or New York or other places for their groceries, dry goods, etc., when we have people, neighbors and friends selling the same goods right at home. The local merchant has no one to blame but himself for the condition which now exists. This may be a little hard, but it is true. Many of the local mer chants do not let their old customers, and prospective new ones, know of the articles they keep by advertising them. The mail order houses are the largest and most successful advertis ers in the world, and without adver tising they could do no business. Now, If they can afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to keep their old customers informed and to get new ones, the local merchant could put a big "i:ink" in the mailorder business by adopting the same method on a smaller scale. —Wilkinsburg (Pa.) Call. Lincoln's Wise Saying. Home-traders should always bear la mind the saying of President Lincoln: "If we buy a dress in London, w« have the dress, the Londoners have our money; If we buy a dress here, we have both the drcs3 a.ud the mouoy," CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1908. BOMB THROWERS WRECKED WINDOW OF A BANK WHERE $40,000 IN CASH WAS DISPLAYED. GLITTERING STACK OF COIN • Was Quickly Placed in Bank's Vault and No Loss Resulted —An Event in New York City's Ital ian Colony. New York City. —An exploding bomb last, night wrecked the front of an Italian bank building on Eliza beth street, briefly exposing $40,000 In silver and gold which the bankers. Pasquale A. Pati & Son, had piled in the windows as ocular proof of their ability to pay depositors on demand. The junior partner, Salvatore Pati, who was on guard inside, was cut by the glass that crashed in upon him, but stuck by his charge and soon had the money stored away in the vaults. The clerks had left the place some hours before and the explosion in jured none but the younger Pati. The bomb throwers, who were not seen by the banker, were quickly lost in the crowd of several thousand ex cited Italians who gathered about the wreck and their motive is a mystery. It was at first believed that a robbery had been attempted and the distress in certain sections of the city lent color to this theory. If robbery was the object, the perpetrators, it is be lieved, were amateurs who lost cour age at theVritical moment when the tempting treasure was within arm's reach from the street. Pati the elder is one of the most prosperous Italian bankers of the city. His institution is capitalized at $500,- 000. During the bank troubles he conceived the idea of a window dis play to reassure doubting patrons and the realistic advertisement has since been one of the sights of the foreign quarter. A CONSPIRACY THAT FAILED. Portuguese Who Planned to Establish a Republic Landed in Jail. Lisbon, Portugal.—An abortive at tempt to overthrow the monarchy and proclaim Portugal a republic was nipped in the bud Wednesday night by the prompt action of the govern ment. The plot was organized by a small group of republicans. As near as can be ascertained the plan was to assassinate Premier Franco and then depend for success upon street risings, supported by republican and labor or ganizations armed with bombs and revolvers. Tiie conspirators intended to take advantage of various festivities to car ry out the coup d'etat. The royal family were at Villa Vicosa entertain ing the Duke of Abruzzi. Most of the army and navy officers who were in the city were attending a gala per formance at the theater, while many of the chier functionaries of state were present at a ball at one of the lega tions. The police discovered what was in the wind early in the evening and sur rounded and raided a house where the ringleaders in the plot were con ferring. When they broke in the doors the lights were extinguished and in the confusion that followed most of the conspirators managed to es cape. Several of them, however, were captured, including the leader, Joao Chagras, a republican journalist who was prominent in the republican re volt of 1891; Franca Borger, editor of a newspaper, and a merchant named Grendella. A general alarm was immediately sent out and while the prisoners were being taken to jail troops began to appear from all directions. A squad ron of cavalry was placed around Premier Franco's house. BURIED UNDER FALLING WALLS. Four Firemen Killed and Many Others Injured at Baltimore. Baltimore, Md, Fire broke out a short time after midnight in the upper part of the building occupied by J. Regester & Sons, southeast cor ner of Holliday and Saratoga streets. Th« first alarm was followed by a general one, calling out all the appa ratus in the city. Fanned by a high wind, the fire spread rapidly and in a short time the northern wall of the building fell. Saratoga street being very narrow, four firemen were killed and many injured, among the injured being George Horton, chief of the lire department. The fire burned towards a number of old structures. A four story building in the rear occupied by the E. B. Read & Son Co. soon caught fire and burned fiercely. Fifteen firemen are known to have been injured. While the damage cannot he esti mated, it is believed to be the heav iest fire since the great fire of 1904. Conqress. Washington.—During consideration of the urgent deficiency bill in the house on the 23d Mr. Tawney, chair man of the appropriations committee, declared that there would be a treas ury deficit of $100,000,000 unless the appropriations for the next fiscal year were cut down. The senate devoted most of its session to debate of the bill to revise the criminal code and then adjourned until the 27th. A Deathbed Confession of Murder. South Bethlehem, Pa. Believing that his illness would result fa tally, John Fetter, aged 73 years, on Thursday confessed that he murdered his daughter, Ella Fetter, aged 39 years, in November, 1894. Fetter told Justice Haus that he had placed a rope around his daughter's neck and then told the neighbors that she had hanged herself. Skaters Drowned. Amesbury, Mass.—Lewis Woodman, aged 22, and Miss Blanche Ailkins, aged !">. were drowned hi Lake Gr.rd nvr wfci!-_ Rating, DOUBLE TRAGEDY IN A CAFE. WOMAN KILLED AN ADVERTISING SOLICITOR AND HERSELF. Friends of the Woman Claim that She Assisted the Man in His Adver sity and When Eettsr Days Came He Scorned Her. New York City.—Sweeping through the crowded restaurant which takes up the eighth floor of Macy's de partment store and into the gen tlemen's cafe Wed net-day, a tall, styl ishly dressed woman bent for a mo ment over the shoulder of a diner, whispered something in his ear and then, drawing a revolver from her muff, emptied the contents of the live chambers into his body. As her vic tim, Frank Brady, u newspaper ad vertising solicitor, slipped lifeless to the floor, the woman flung the weapon from her and, taking a second revol ver from her muff, shot herself first in the head and then twice in the breast. She died half an hour later. A note found in the woman's purse proved her to be Mrs. Mary Koberts Clark, a manicurist, the widow of a police officer anil stepmother of a 6- year-old son, Raymond. Brady was 30 years old anil the sole support of a helpless aged mother, for whom he hail made a ho»e. The shooting was the culmination of a series of violent quarrels, and according to the wo man's intimates, in fulfillment of a threat to murder Brady in a public place "before the world" unless he renewed the attentions she asserted she received from him when he was less prosperous and she in a position to befriend him. The police had little difficulty in tracing tha tragic story back from effect to cause. The suicide, who was about 30 years old, was Mary Mc- Lean when she married John Rob erts. When the latter died a year ago she assumed the name of Clark and supported herself and child first as the wardrobe woman at a theater and then as a manicurist. She was of prepossessing appearance and had marked business ability. Last August she made a will in which she provided for the education of her son at a school In Westchester count}*. While she was in prosperous cir cumstances and before the death of her husband, Brady had lodgings at her home and she declared that she helped him to the success which he subsequently attained. A few months ago he left her home and made a home for his mother, whom he brought here from New Jersey. Re cently Mrs. Clark thought that Brady was evading her and when he called at her home occasionally they quar reled. AMERICAN FLEET LEAVES RIO. Our Battleships Enter Upon the Third Stage of Their Voyage to the Pacific. Rio Janeiro. Brazil.—To the hoom ing of guns and the cheers of thou sands on the accompanying pleasure craft, the American warships sailed from Rio Janeiro Wednesday, bound for Punta Arenas, on the Magellan strait. Ten days will bring the fleet almost midway on its 14,000-mile cruise to San Francisco, and the ships and the men carried with them the good wishes of the whole Brazilian nation. Xot an untoward incident marked the visit of the Americans here. They were feasted and feted, both officers and men, during their sojourn in Rio, and half the population turned out to give them a fitting farewell. As up on the arrival of the fleet, so upon its departure the quays, the public build ings and the hills were crowded with thousands watching the warships un til they had disappeared through the mouth of the bay into the open sea. The president of Brazil, Dr. Penna, came to Rio' Janeiro from Petropolis about 11 o'clock and proceeded on the yacht Silva down to where the war ships were lying. He went aboard the cruiser Benjamin Constant, which was in readiness to accompany the Amer ican fleet, and made a tour of all the American ships. Accompanied by Ad miral Alencar, the minister of marine, and other high officials, he visited the divisional flagship Minnesota, remain ing there about an hour. Admiral Thomas, commander of the flagship, Oapt. Hubbard and the American am bassador, Irving B. Dudley, received him with all honors, and the band played the Brazilian national anthem. In the salon of the Minnesota there was a mutual exchange of greetings. While tho president was aboard the Minnesota and during his trip among the vessels salutes were exchanged, and on his departure from the flagship 21 guns were fired. Dr. Penna then returned to his yacht, which proceed ed to a point off Fort Villegagnon to watch the departure qf the ships. About 3. o'clock the American fleet began to move, passing out in single column and in inverse order accord ing to divisions, the Alabama lead ing. The Brazilian navy followed in three divisions, composed of three battleships, seven cruisers and three destroyers. Congress. Washington.—ln the senate on the 22d Mr. Hansbrough, of North Dako ta, made a speech in which he de clared that the harvester trust is at tempting to control the selection of delegates to the national republican convention. The criminal code bill was considered for two hours. The house devoted the day to considera tion of the bill to codify the criminal laws. Wants $14,000,000 for the Census. Washington, D. C.—Director North, of the census bureau, has asked the house committee on census for an appropriation of $14,000,000 to defray the cost of taking the census of the United States for 1910. He said that 3,300 additional clerks were needed in the census bureau, some of them to serve from one to three years. Killed by a Highwayman. Connellsville, Pa. One man is dead and another is seriously in jured as the result of a holdup at Dunbar, Pa., Wednesday. Both men are foreigners. I Baloom A Lloyd. I % WE have the best stocked general store in the county jj if and if yon are looking for re- a liable goods at reasonable S lr prices, we are ready to serve you with, the best to be found. H Our reputation for trust- § ffi worthy goods and fair dealing | is too well known to sell any J but high grade goods. H Our stock of Queensware and * Ohinaware is selected with w great care and we have some U 0 of the most handsome dishes 0 g) ever shown in this section, both in imported and domestic makes. We invite you to visit 3 us and look our goods over. I ! Balconi S Lloyd. J m, m m, LOOK ELSEWHERE BUT DON'T FORGET |Jj THESE PRICES AND FACTS AT || 1 | LaBAR S|| 1 6,1 M M Wc carry in stock 7— >■ kg ft J the largest line of Car- ~ £4 kg pets, Linoleums and fi£_ * PI Mattings of all kinds PJ ever brought to this % m J J Pj town. Also a big line ! ** P* •fir of samples. fllJJluJJlJjjjm P<J A very large line ot FOB THE L£~qjP M p SSHF cowdhtm mm k Art Squares and of fine books In a choice library PJ Rugs of all sizes and select the Ideal pattern,of Globe- P* M kind, from the cheap- Wernicke "Elastic" Bookcase. M •4 est to the best Furnished with bevel French g|jg plate or leaded glass doors. I M I# Dining Chair*, I »»••* »* I Rockers and GEO. J. LaBAR, *>( jtjt High ChairS. 8010 Agent for Cameron Count j. |J Eg A large and elegant 11 112 J line of Tufted and ?? Drop-head Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices. |^ j fed |3O Bedroom Suite, COC |4O Sideboard, quar- ttOfl solid oak at 4>ZO tered cak 4>U(J P* 126 Bedroom Suits, CO I $32 Sideboard, quar- Pf solid oak at 4)/ 1 tered oak s£o ?C P * $25 Bed room Suite, COfl $23 Sideboard, quar- ttf(J Pw H solid oak at 4>/U Cered oak, 4>fU || PI A large line of Dressers from I Chiffoniers of all kinds and pjf || $8 up. all prices. |J || J || k j The finest line of Sewing Machines on the market, fcg JJ the "DOMESTIC" and "ELID&IEGE.' All Stop- Jj ?2 heads and warranted. S3 A fine line of Dishes, common grade and China, in j *2 sets a °d by piece. P* PI As I keep a full line of everything that goes to P^l PI make up a good Furniture store, it is useless to etwrm- pi M erate them all. || PI Please call and see for yourself that lam tssiqg || || y° u the truth, and if you don't buy, there is no haflh kg || done, as -it is no trouble to show go'dds. j; GEO. J .LaBAR. *| OKEXSSXSXS2SS2ZS3. SSSXSSZSii 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers