Postal Riders and Raiders

by W. H. Gantz

The mail order houses “will knock your business silly!”

Now, of course, it must be admitted that, in this day of super-heated service of self, a man’s personal interests must receive his first consideration. But I cannot for the life of me see why these “Western merchants and travelers” take the talk handed them by “traffic” cappers, express company agents and space muddlers—take it in such large slugs—and apparently overlook the fact that these talking and writing bubblers are serving special interests. Can you understand it, Mr. “Storekeeper” of Rubenville? Or you, Mr. “Merchant” of Swelltown? Or you Mr. “Shipper” of Cornshock or Feedersville?

Mr. Benson in his March article in Pearson’s, says something anent the great hue and cry which the raiders, aided in this particular case by merchandise jobbers and some of the larger department store retailers, are trying to raise among country merchants and rural residents about what a great “menace and danger” the mail order houses would be if a cheap, serviceable parcels post was put into operation. I hope my readers will carefully peruse what he has said. Here it is in part only:

The railroads, in fighting the parcels post through the country merchants, are playing the old game. The old game is to work upon the fears of a minority, create what appears to be a difference of opinion among the people, and thus give Congress an opportunity to say that as sentiment seems to be divided, it would perhaps be better to do nothing until the public can thrash the matter out and discover what it wants. In the present instance we see great firms like Marshall Field & Company combined in an organization to spread among country merchants fear of a parcels post. Such an association was recently formed in Chicago with a membership of 300.…

There is only one country merchant, perhaps, to every 500 country customers, and the country customers are all in favor of a parcels post. All other things being equal, Congress always moves in the direction of the greatest number of votes. But in this matter, as in many others, things are not equal. Great financial interests and a few country merchants are regarded by Congress as a majority.…

“At any rate, I cannot forget that while Marshall Field & Company cry out against a parcels post, because it would build up the mail order houses, that they themselves do a large mail order business.

“This action on their part may seem like patriotism of the highest sort—but it isn’t. The mail order houses don’t care a rap about a parcels post. They are not against it, but they are not for it. My authority for this statement is Mr. Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck & Company of Chicago, the largest mail order house in the world. I approached him upon the subject, believing that he would grow enthusiastic, but he didn’t. He said he had never signed a petition for a parcels post, or otherwise interested himself in the matter, and never should do so. He didn’t tell me why, but I found out why and will tell you.

“The minimum freight rates of the railroads literally drive country customers into the mail order houses. A farmer’s wife, we will say, has a present need for two or three articles that she can buy from a mail order house for less than her local merchant can afford to sell them to her. But the articles weigh only fifteen pounds, the express charge would annihilate her saving, and the minimum freight rate, for which she might as well have 100 pounds shipped to her, is just as high as the express rate. But she still wants the two or three articles and she wants to buy them from the mail order house. So what does this thrifty woman do? First, she increases her order by putting down a few articles that she will need perhaps three months later. Then she canvasses her neighbors for orders until she gets enough to make 100 pounds, and divides the freight charges pro rata. The result is that the mail order house gets an order for 100 pounds of goods instead of an order for the fifteen pounds that would have been bought if a parcels post like the English or the German had enabled the farmer’s wife to order only what she first meant to buy. Incidentally, the country merchant in her vicinity is not helped thereby.

“If you have any doubt about the truth of this statement, send a petition for a parcels post to Mr. Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck & Company, Chicago, and see how quickly he will not sign it. You will not be able to get him to lift a finger to help you. He is sending out fifty-eight loaded freight cars each day, comparatively little express matter, doing a business of $63,000,000 a year, and is quite satisfied with such transportation facilities as exist.

“But don’t blame the mail order men because they don’t help you. Help yourself. First, help yourself by getting it clearly in your mind who in this matter is the chief offender. Your government is the chief offender. So far as postal matters are concerned, your government is protecting the interests that are robbing you. Your government goes even to the extent of submitting to robbery at the hands of the interests that rob you. I refer to the continuing scandal of exorbitant mail contracts.”…