Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1874 — Certificate for Farmers to Sign. [ARTICLE]

Certificate for Farmers to Sign.

Hoopstown, 111., Aug. 26,18T4. Mr. “ Rural"—Sir: All; he canvassers that have come this way of late, when they take an order for a farm windmill, sewing-machine, or similar goods, demand that the farmer sign the followirig-eertiticate: , ••For the purpose of obtaining credit. certify that owhs in own nameacres* of land, with ——- acres improved, worth § over all incumbrances. own $ worth of personal property over and above all indebtedness.” What is the particular use of this paper? A Signer. The point is, that the signer guarantees that, at the time, he is good for the debt, and, failing in this, becomes a criminal, and is liable to be sent to the Penitentiary, for not less than a year, for obtaining goods under false pretenses. A better way is to do as he has done beforedo without the goods until the money is ready, and then the same goods may be purchased at 20 to 30 per cent, less, and all this trouble is avoided. If yob want a sewing-machine let your wife wait a year and get along as before, and not put her husband in an unpleasant position, and in the end make the machine cost him two prices. One of my neighbors took this course, and a few weeks since presented his wife with a first-class machine for $37.50, while another has just paid his note, given a year ago, forji no better machine at SBS, and to do this a part of the money had to be borrowed. There is an economy of purchase as well as an economy of labor that must have,, the attention of the farmer. The purchasing power of a farmer’s note isabbtir one-half that of ready cash; and, sb long ! as he makes use of it, so long is he the ! subject of the wicked monopolist. Few | farmers fail to meqt notes that have such j j memoranda attached thereto, but many | I times at great sacrifice; and no true wile j will consent that her husband shall sign | such a paper for the purpose of giving ! her a sewing-machrfie, a buggy, organ, or a farm windmill for pumping, or a new reaper for himself. A little-attention to, these matters will make no small difference in the year’s result. The other, day a banker told me that he held a large number of these j farmers’ notes, with certificates attached, land that he considered them the best ! kind of security. In this case they were ! givqn for sewing-machines, and the agent ! (?) borrowed money jon them, and paid cash in hand for the machines, getting a large discount —much larger than he paid fpr the use of the money. And for cash in hapd he made sales on (private terms most astonishingly low; billing the goods at- the usual price, but taking a much smaller sum.— -Rural, in Chicago Tribune. —The number of people out of Work in Hartford, Conn., is so large that the city is obliged to restrict itself to married men principally in giving employment. '