WRONGS TO FIGHT EFFORTS TO PREVENT MONEY LEAVING HOME COMMUNITIES. MAIL-ORDER SYSTEM BAD Many Concerns in Small Towns Im poverished for the Benefit of the Few in Business in Larger Cities. Bright minds of the different trade associations have for some years been "working devising means of preventing the growth of the mail order business. Various plans have been projected. Nearly all that have been tried have met with failure. The catalogue sys tem of business continues to advance. Some small houses have dropped out of sight, but tho big ones are grow ing bigger. The mail order problem Is a trouble some one. One of the reasons why it is so is because of the methods that the houses pursue, their wide adver tising, and the presentation of their side of the question by the hundreds and thousands of farm, religicAs, so ciety, fashion and mail order papers that goto the homes of the masses, and which are mainly supported by the advertising of the mail order con cerns. Each locality has its peculiar local conditions. Merchants in some towns, and these towns are many, are not the aggressive and enterprising class that are capable of competing with the mail order concerns. The Agricultural classes are among the most intelligent, are readers and think ers, but there are channels along •which their thoughts flow. Close study demonstrates that as a general rule farmers labor under the impression that a low estimate is placed upon them by the people of the towns. The city folk dress better, the children of the merchants move in a different class front the children of the farmer, and even tho merchants' wives per haps dross a little more expensively than do the wives of the farmers. All these things have their reflection in business matters. Then, owing to the impressions that are the result of con tinual reading of the advertisements of the catalogue houses, the farmer is Is d to believe that he unnecessarily pays higher prices for what goods he requires when he purchases them of the home merchant than he should. He believes that he is made a victim and that the profits that goto the merchant should not be so great. It is evident that the farmer's educa tion ahjng economic lines is defective. He has to a great extent developed a warped idea of business and commer cial values. If the catalogue house proposition be ameliorated it is evi dent. that the consumers of every class he made to realize that they are in error. In fact, a course of education along right lines is necessary. It is not good business policy for the pa pers that draw support from mail or der concerns to combat a business or publish anything that is likely to in jure the income from advettising. Thus little help can be expected from the papers that have their columns filled with mail order advertising. Then there remains only the country press as the medium through which the people may be enlightened. But here is another problem. The .aver age country editor is not by training equipped to carry on an intelligent •campaign. He is likely to injure the cause by creating prejudices, by his too blunt attacks on the catalogue house system, and on their patrons. Any effort that he may make is looked upon by the farmer as emanating from the business interests of the town, and published solely with a selfish mo tive. Thus are excellent arguments deadened, and shafts that should be < ffeeUve, act as a boomerang. It has been the inclination of the merchants' associations to discuss the mail order house behind closed doors. 'ln his small knowledge of association work the farmer is most likely to think that when business men of a town organize it is for the purpose of raising prices and working against the interests of the farmers in gen eral. The way the associations have been conducted in many towns almost justified this belief on the part of the farmer. It must be understood by th" merchants that any matter that -affects the interests of merchants and farmers and laborers alike should be discussed openly. There is no reason why a lecturer on business economy should caution hi 3 hearers that, only merchants should be present to hear him. If his proposition will not stand the criticisms of all whom it should interest, it is a poor one. Farmers and laborers have their own organizations. These are all of the protective class. It is the aim of the average farmers' organization to combat the machinations of the trusts that dictate to them the prices that they shall receive for their prod ucts. It is the object of the laborers' associations to combat the inclination of the capitalistic classes to lower wages, and raise prices of commodi ties. On close investigation it will be found that the farmer who is the most, active worker against the trusts, and the laborer who cries loudest against tho oppression of the employ ers. are the ones who by their short sighted policy give the very systems that they complain about the greatest support. The evils of trade and corn mere*' to-day are the offspring of cap (ltal concentration. For years vast •sums have been diverted from all sec tions of the union to the great metro politan centers. Billions of dollars have been drawn by the great insur ance companies; country banks have jmade in the aggregate many millions of dollars' deposits in the big cit/ banks. The trust companies are load ed down with trust money from all sections of the land. These vast sums must be employed In a way that wil pay Interest. Financiers devis® means for investment. A dozen con cerns are amalgamated, combined into one mammoth concern, and the money for the purpose is the money of the people of the country at large who send it to the large cities through dif ferent channels. Here we find a trust built up that works to the detriment of the farmer and the masses of the land, and operated by the dollars that were supplied by the very people op pressed by it. There is one cure, and one euro only for capital concentration. That is a strict adherence to simple homo trade principles. Keep in each com munity to the greatest extent all the earnings of the people of that commu nity. The withdrawal of capital from a section impoverishes it just so much. It takes away the means of establish ing new industries for tho employment of the people. Thus are towns re tarded in their upbuilding, and real estate values are kept from advanc ing. The home market for the farm ers' products is destroyed, and every interest and every person in the com munity suffers from the effects. Thus it be seen how vital it is to the masses to understand that any system of business that draws from a community the surplus earnings of the people and takes away the legitimate profits that should goto its trades men, is a system worthy of condemna tion. Cannot these questions be dis cussed openly before the farmers and the other laborers? Is there any argu ment that cannot be well sustained? Is there an intelligent farmer who would not do some substantial think ing when it is shown to him that he is working directly against his own financial interests when he patronizes other than home stores and home in stitutions? n. M. CARH. USING SHOW WINDOWS. Arrangement of Goods to Attract At tention Is Not to Be Neglected. Many grocers consider it useless to display stocks in windows for the pur pose of attracting attention. The same ones will carelessly stack up out side heaps of perishable goods, and fail to even use mosquito netting to keep the flies off. One of the most prosperous groceries in a large city in the west made rapid progress from a small stand to a big concern in a few years. It was the neatness of the place and the display of the goods, and tho promptness in looking after orders that built up the business. This, at least, is what is claimed by the rtwner. One of the notable things about the place is that there is nothing displayed outside the store unless the same is in a case. The show windows, one each side of the door, are as carefully fixed up two or three times a week as the windows of a fashionable dry goods store. One display will be of a certain kind of canned goods on which the grocer is making a run. Cans will be artistically arranged in pyramids, stars, triangles, with a view to har mony in the color arrangement of tho labels. Later a display of olives, products, bacon, hams, sausages, lard, catsups, condiments of all kinds, will be arranged. Everything is season* able. When the berries begin to ar> rive these are displayed in the win< dows, and sometimes the windows made to hold whole stocks. While in one window there may be a display of canned goods, in the other will be ar tistically arranged a line of meat and complete assortments of the goods of some well-known house. Neatness and cleanliness are the two principal things to be observed in the grocery window display. There sl\otild be am ple protection from flies and insects. It is necessary that changes be made frequently. And let the arrangement of the goods in the store correspond well with the show made in the win dows. Personal Advertising. Advertising of the proper kind al ways pays, whether it is by circular, letter, billboard or the columns of the frcal paper. The newspapers are by far the best mediums and the least expensive in the long run. Yet it may be not amiss to back up your news paper advertising with circulars now and then, or better still, by letters. Merchants in small towns sometimes labor under the impression that they are well known to all in tho communi ty; that there is little need of adver tising, as there is only so much trade to be had and it will naturally drift their way. This reasoning is wrong. not if Mr. John Jones visits your store daily, he will appreciate getting a letter from you calling his attention to some new things that perhaps he has been studying up in the mail-order house catalogue. It. is a pretty good idea to spend a few dol lars in special advertising every time you get in stock anything new and salable. Dollars spent in advertising are never lost if good judgment is ex ercised in the construction of the notice. Business Methods Changing. Merchants should consider well all phases of any proposition that will eventually work to their detriment. Year alter year conditions are chang ing. The retailer is finding the screws becoming a little more tightened. There is bound to be a reaction. He bates in the way of railroad rates, in tiie way of trade in general, arc being pretty well aired by the government. The time is not far distant when tho interests of the consumers and the re tailers will be much better protected. For the carrying out of these purposes there is necessity for stringent action. When any system is a bad thing for the people iu geueral It should be changed. . ..., CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY," MAY 7, 1908. Picked Up I I FORD CITY. The residences of Steve Paliem and John Morosky were damaged $1,500 by Are. H ARR ISBU RG—The Pennsylvania national guard will be mobilized by brigades at the division encampment at Gettysburg this summer. BRADFORD.—SamueI Christcnson, residing 011 a farm about two miles out of Kane, McKean county, on a country road, killed himself by shooting. GREENSBURG— Suffering from »;■- phoid fever Irwin Sell, a farmer of Youngwood, committed suicide by shooting himself through the head. JOHNSTOWN. Louis Flecken stein, a well known German, attacked his wife with a hatchet, fatally in juring her, and then hanged himself. BUTLER.— Thomas M. Marshall, aged 09, of Mars, died at the Butler hospital from injuries sustained on a Baltimore & Ohio railroad siding at. Mars. BUTLER. Through an explosion of gas in tlie firebox at an oil well pump station near Chicora Miss Mar garet Blaney, aged 15, was seriously burned. GREENSBURG.— For an alleged threat to kill his three children, roast them, eat them and then kilt himself, John Kurdy of Haydenville was lodged in the county jail. CONN ELLSVILLE.— The dead .body of James English, aged 68 years, of Pittsburg, a civil war veteran, and for years a wanderer, was found in a shanty at Lemont. HARRISBURG.— Josiah T. Evans, for 2:5 years an inspector of mines in the Cambria district, has retired. He is one of the oldest inspectors 111 point of service. KITTANNING.— A trolley car ran into Charles Lugnet's automobile, dam aging the machine and injuring Lug net so seriously that he had to be taken to the hospital. PITTSBURG.— .Mrs. Margaret Wol fram was killed and her husband and 4-year-old child seriously fnjured on the North Side when they were thrown from a buggy. WEST NEWTON. —John Abley, a retireil merchant, aged 89. is dead at his home here. Mr. Abley spent most of his life here and was a mem ber of the Lutheran church. K ITT AN NING. —The shade tree com mission of Wickboro has decided that all poplar trees in the borough's streets must be cut down by next fall and give place to maple trees. GREENSBURG— WiIIiam Strippey, 45 years old, of East Greensburg was killed at the new courthouse, mark ing the first fatality attending con struction of the $1,500,000 building. NEW CASTLE. —Notice was post ed here that the Shenango Valley steel plant, operated by the Carnegie Steel Co., would start in full opera tion. The order affects 1,200 men. BELLEFONTE. Robbers entered the store of Montgomery & Co., clo thiers, and Heller's drug store, and carried off clothing and cigars and almost ruined a SI,OOO cash register. BUTLER. Complaints to county authorities from the Butler county oil districts indicate that brass thieves have looted machinery to the extent of thousands of dollars within a few weeks. CORRY. —ln trying to save her aged parents, David Weatherbee and wife, both past 70, from death in their burning home in Centertown, Mrs. Arthur Lemm perished with them in the flames. ERlE. —Bernard, 2-year-old son of Bailey B. Nagel, president of the Pennsylvania Boiler works, died as the result of taking medicine that had been prescribed for his father, believ ing it was candy. H ARRISBU RG. An application has been made for a charter for the t Goldsboro Light, Heat and Power Co. of that town. Charles F. Will iams, who will build the plant, is the chief owner of the new company. HARRISBURG.—The April bulletin of State Zoologist Surface deals with pests of household, orchard and farm, 110 less than 33 classes being brought before the public with cold-blooded ad vice as to the best means to kill them. WASHINGTON.— Spencer Gardner, a farmer near Sycamore, has a sheep killing horse. Gardner saw the horse carry off a lamb between his teeth. It also rushed into a Hock of sheep and. trampling one to death, carried it off. BUTLER. A forest fire which started from a locomotive spark along the Bessemer & Lake Erie railroad in the "pine tract," near Oneida, north of here, destroyed timber 011 hun dreds of acres and endangered a score of oil rigs. WASHINGTON— Arter taking his nine children to see a circus William Gatlin, a negro, had five of his young est offspring committed to the Chil dren's home at Arden. Catlin, al though industrious, is unable to sup port his large family. RALSTON. —A work train 011 the Susquehanna & New York railroad near Laquin. Pa., was wrecked by a runaway car which dashed into the train after descending a steep grade. Eight lumbermen were killed out light, one died after being taken to a hospital and 15 were seriously in jured. MONONGAHELA.- Pete Taschca, 10 years old. was caught in cog wheels at the American Tinplate works and bis left foot torn off. CARLISLE. —Fire destroyed the dwelling and barn at Longsdorf sta tion belonging to Dr. 11. H. Longsdorf, causing a loss of SIO,OOO. WASHINGTON. While burning brush 011 her farm near Mt. Morris, Greene county, Mrs. Charlotte Will iams, a widow, aged 77. was burned to death, her clothing catching lire. CORRY. —Three persons were cre mated and a fourth probably fatally burned in a lire which destroyed the home of David Wetherbee at Cen tervilie, a village 15 miles north of Corry. KITTANNING. —James Sowers, a farmer, was found under a wagon in an alley and died without recovering consciousness. lie had evidently been struck on the head, but was not robbed. JEANNETTE. —It is confidently claimed street, cars of the Jeannette, West Newton & Monongahela Valley Street Railway Co. will be running be tween Jeannette and West Newton within a year. LANCASTER. —Construction opera tions on the great dam and power plant of the McCall's Ferry Power Co. on the Susquehanna river have been resumed after having been suspended since last fall. JOHNSTOWN. —Pennsylvania Rail road Brakenian Smay of Jeannette and Conductor John J. Cunningham of Piteairn are dead as the result of an accident on the main line at. Center ville, west of here. LANCASTER. —Struck by lightning, Miss Jennie Martin, 1!) years old. of Bird-in-Hand, lives to joke over her experience. The bolt tore off every particle of clothing and ripped her shoes to tatters. MONONGAHELA.— WhiIe attempt ing to arrest two men who had broken into a box car in the Pittsburg, Vir ginia & Charleston yards Officer W. Bergman was beaten into uncon sciousness. The thieves escaped. HARRISBURG. —The state authori ties have killed 20 of the fine cattle at Danville hospital because of tubercu losis. Wernersville and Harrisburg state hospitals have also lost lately through the rigorous state inspection. PHILADELPHIA.— After an illness of several weeks Very Rev. John Jo seph Fedigan, former prryrlncial of the Order of St. Augustine, and well known throughout the United States, died at the Augustlnian monastery at Villa Nova, near here. CARLISLE. —By an order made by Judge Sadler all grade crossings 011 the Philadelphia, Harrisburg & Pitts burg division of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad will be abandoned 111 Lower Allen township, Cumber land county, and subways erected. HARRISBURG. —The annual report of the state bureau of railways for 1907, just handed to the governor, shows that 87,000,000 more passengers were carried 011 the street railways of Pennsylvania tliifn in 1900, while there was a tremendous growth of capitali zation. BUTLER. —Awakened early in the morning Joseph 6. Miller, an oil opera tor. arose from bed and stumbled against a burglar, who gave battle. The intruder shot Miller in the breast. The wounded man did not re lease his hold until a second shot was fired. WASHINGTON. —Fear of punish ishment for some prank caused 11- year-old George Lambert of C'anons burg to leave home. A strange negro promised to pilot him to Pittsburg. Young Lambert was found in a serious condition near Marshalsea, and the negro is being hunted. H AR RISBU RG. —Deputy Attorney General Fleitz gave an opinion to State Highway Commissioner Hunter that the Westmoreland county com missioners cannot annul the contract made with the Pitt Construction Co. of Pittsburg for the improvement of a portion of road in North Huntingdon township. OIL CITY. —The Farmers' National bank of Emlenton, Pa., with a capital of $50,000, and the First National bank of Clintonville, Pa., with a capi tal of $25,000. were closed by the comptroller of the currency. It is be lieved the suspension is only tempor ary. and that the stockholders and de positors will lose nothing. HARRISBURG. —The general order for the summer encampment of the na tional guard has been issued at the capitol, designating July 10 to 25 as the dates 011 which the encampment will be held at Gettysburg. The or ders for the brigades to enter camp are different from those heretofore is sued, the Third being ordered out from July 10 to 23, Second, 17th to 24th, apd First, 18th to 25th. YORK. —Crazed over the death of his 10-year-old daughter Nathaniel De vinney, 44 years old, committed sui cide by hanging at the county aims bouse. He used a bedspread which he tore into strips. HARRISBURG— "I'd like to see the reports that we are having no trouble with foreigners," said State Game Commissioner Secretary Kalbfus. "Why, we have almost daily calls from people who say that Italians and other Europeans are violating our laws. We are making arrests as rap idly as possible, but the scamps out number us." You Read the Other Fellow's Ad j p You ar« reading this one. i | That should convince you 112 J that advertising in these | a columnsisaprofitableprop -3 I osition; that it will bring .j I business to your store, 112 | The fact that tha other A M feilow advertises is prob ; | ably the reason he is get g 1 ting more business than is t S falling to you. Would it H | not be well to give the I I other fellow a chance To IM Your Ad In Thsse SsHaratss ) Your Stationery !s your silent representative. If you sell flno goods that are up to-date in style and of superior quality it ought to be reflected in your printing. We produce the kind that you need and will not feel ashamed to have represent you. That is the only kind it pays to send out. Send your or ders to this office. The Buyers' Guide The firms whose names are repre sented in our advertising columns are worthy ot the confidence of every person in the community who has money to spend. The fact that they advertise stamps them as enterpris ing, progressive men of business, a credit to our town, and deserving of support. Our advertising columns comprise a Buyers' Guide to fair dealing, good goods, honest prices. G.SCHMIDT'S,^ __HEADQUA«TERS FOR |JP^ ' ' FRESH BREAD J popular p " nc '^ ea , J; r \ n NUI | a CONFECTIONERY Daily Delivery, All orders given prompt and skillful attention. Don't Use a Scarecrow tTo Drive Away tbs Mail Order Wolf Yc>u can drive him out thousands of dollars every week in order to get trade from the home merchants. Do you think for a minute granted that every one within a radius of 25 miles knows what you have to sell, and what your prices are. Nine times out of ten your prices are lower, but the customer is influenced by the up-to-date adver tising of the mail order house. Every article you advertise should be described and priced. You must tell your story in an inter esting way, and when you want to reach the buyers of this com munity use the columns of this paper. jSpfk A MOST TOUCHING APPEAL falls short of its desired effect If ad dressed to a small crowd of interested L .r listeners. Mr. Business Man, are I -ou -ou wast ' n ff your ammunition on the 1 Aj small crowd that would trade with \ > ou an v way, or do you want to reach Tv\ ssr those who are not particularly inter- j ested in your business? If yoti do, y-' mm Sas^~~- —" make your appeal for trade to the ® ® largest and most intelligent . audience {n your commun r4 \Vt\ ity, the readers of this i y/y y/y tytf paper. They have count jC \\ 1 less wants. Your ads will be read by them, and they will become your custom ers. Try it and see. S The Plate to Bnj Cheap S ; J. F. PARSONS' ? iiiiyMATlSlwl I otbsqo, ssi&Tical 1 NEURALGIA and! ■KIDNEY TROUBLEI glj "5-OHOPS" talcen Internally, rids the blood H fat of the poisouous matter and acids which ■ em are the direct causes of these diseases. M 2§! Applied externally it affords almost in- ■ Eaj stant reliol from pain, while a permanent 9 H cure Is being eUccted by purifying the BB blood, dissolving the poisonous sub "2J stance and removing it from the system. DR. S. D. BLAND , Of Brewton, Ga., writes: I *•! had beon a sufferer for * nnnbtr of years HQ with Lumbago and Kbwumatlsm In my arras K And leg«, and tried all the remodles that 1 could BM gather from medical worke, and also consulted MB with a number of the beet physicians, but round fIH nothing that #a*e the relief obtained from 23H «*ft.DR( >PB." I sball prsicrlbe It in my praotloe [ffi * or rheumatism and klodred diseases." • I FREE H&P If you are Buffering with Rheumatism, KB Nouraliiia, Kidney Trouble or any Utn- K3 dred disease, write to us for a trial bottle gj of "(-DROPS." and test it yourself. Bj is "a-DROPS" can be used any length of H •aj time without acquiring a "drug babit."B< aj as it is entirely free of opium, cocaine, It B alcohol, laudanum, and other limilarKl 9 ingredients. K H Ltrfi Bite "S-15KOPR" (BO» Dose*) K D 91.00* For Bale by lirifiliti. ■ i SVJAHSQH eh=ukat;g DURE CC»P.?3Y, ii £>ept. 80» 160 Lake Street, Chicngo.^®! 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers