Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1890 — MERCHANTS' ORGANIZATION. [ARTICLE]

MERCHANTS' ORGANIZATION.

The retail inerchiuts of Rensselaer met in the Town Ilrill, Thursday evening, .May 1, and listened to an address by W. A. MeAneney, of the Merchants lie tail Commercial Agency 54 Dearborn .St., Chicago Ills. The system in use by this Agency has for its purjioso the protection of Retail Merchants. The legality, practicability and resnlts of the system were fully explained. After consideration, a motion was Jmade that those, present proceed to again organized the Rensselaer Branch of such Agency, The motion prevailed by a unanimous vote. The following were chosen as officers:

E. P. Honan, President; Geo. K. Murray, Vice-president; C. W. Coen, ■Secretary; C. W. Coen, Treasurer; John Eger, Geo. E. Murray, Emmet Kannal, Amzie Laßue, A. Leopold, Executive board. This Agency uses no dishonorable means to force collections or settlements, but the merchants propose to exercise their legal right to refuse credit to a person who gains the reputation of not treating a member of the Agency honorably. There is no law compelling merchants to sell their goods on credit. There is no law forbidding merchants refusing credit to any person they sec fit, and when a merchant sells his goods on credit it is an accommodationto the consumer Bumer has no appreciation of the favor extended and willfully neglects to make a reasonable and honorable adjustment of his indebtedness, then he should be compelled to pay as he buys. It is better for him and much more profitable for the merchant. Many a poor worthy man has been refused credit for the necessities of life because of the mercliant’s unpleasant experience with bad debtors, but this system will tend to obviate all that, because the man who does respect his credit will be known and have a standing among merchants, while the “dead beat” and others of his kind will also be known to the members of this Agency and be absolutely refused credit; no matter if he moves to another town or state, his reputation as poor pay will follow him and the merchants in -such new place of residence will also refuse him credit. This Agency issues a regular and legal Bi-Monthly Abstract of unsettled accounts. Each member agrees to forfeit twenty dollars to his branch as a penalty, in case he extends credit to a person whose unsettled account appears in the abstract and no account can appear therein until the debtor has had a full and fair opportunity to go to the merchant he owes and in some way arrange such indebtedness. The man who can pay and won’t pay and the man who cannot pay, but will not go to the merchant and state his condition and make effort to arrange, is the person this Agency is after.

This Agency does not interfere with the credit of men who deal hon'Orably, no matter if they are slow; neither does it in any way regulate prices. Its sole object to compel men to be honest with merchants or to pay spot cash for goods purchased. Something of this kind has been needed for a long tune aud this system will work. "In combination there is “strength.’” The members have the success or failure of this system in their own hands. Wherever merchants hare properly combined, the system has proven a great success. The west is being carefulsly covered by this Agency, and the merchants in all the small towns are visited and solicited to join the county branch.

C. W. COKEN,

Secretary of Rensselaer branch.