Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-06-29
An Infamous Institution.

1t IS not generally Known outside ol Inc mcr-
cantie community that there exist in this city,
and every other city ur a!ge town of the Union,
institutions which is litle tctir than the bcasiy
Spanish inqui>iiou of Il century or two ago.
This domestic institution, with its ramiticalinns
throughout the Union, is Uf the most scanJalouS
ingui,iiorial character, and we have no hesitation
in saving that the wrciches who govern il are
among the meancst and d;lirst uf mankind.
1t is the husincss Of The Villains who co"dnct
this institution to pry not only into the business
Affairs of almost every man III the community
where it may exist, but into his domestic and
most private habits If he has fallen upon mis-
fortune and seeks by credit to get back into
good fortune, he will find the fact of his mistur-
tune duly recorded oppnsiic his name aud ad-
dress, in books kept for that purpose. If he
imbibe onc three or 4 dozen glasses of brandy
and wafer Il dav--if he be an inordinatc smoker
of good, and therefore costly cigars-it he seek
relaxation in a game Of whist, or billiards, or
ten-pins-all these facts are also recorded as
damnatory Of him as business man in the eyes
of some puritanica or cri%caAt merchant he may
seek credit Of And TO his surprise, 10 his NOR
LITIGATION, and to his ruin, that credit is refused
This merchant has gone TO the office Of his b:u
tai inQuision. and has inquired (tir't, of course.
paving fcc) into the status Of B., and has
found black line drawn under his name. This
is enough for our crjgcaM merchants. B is
from that moment lost man. and he knows
not why. lie sends note for discount TO his
banker; the banker finds that BIS. account has
been growing small by degrees and most aboln-
inabIy less The banker suspects That g. is on
the road 10 misfortune. and so he seeks conirma-
ton Of his suspicious by Il recourse TO the in-
question: and he finds ii. Bs. note is not dis
counted. and his ruin is complete; sill he knows
not after what manner or why. He feels that
he is IN honest man, he is sure that he can see
his WAY clearly. He knows that he has, up to
this rn"uic"t -ti-t"in"'i an "ni,np""r"nhin char
artcr in this community: lie knows that he. of
himself. has done nu,hng 10 forfeit or to tarmi-h
that character Then, why is he thus d"mncd! !
1t is that this brutal iuqui>iion may receive lis
blood-monty.
There is no cxaggeratioH in this 1t is fact,
that more than one such blood->ucking inqui>i-
ton rs this we have tried 10 give some description
of exists in this city. These mercantile agencies,
rs they call themselves. ramfy all over The land.
A doubling merchant in New York writes 10
one of these agencies of New Orleans, Mobile
or ST. Louis, for an account of The standing. the
credit, and the habits of c., who ha, applied for
Il large stock Of certain goods. The imluisiiioa
sends word back that c. has pretty good credit.
but that he plays rather deeply 1T poker, keeps
Il fast horse, and--its cnncomliant. Ali credit
is refused C.. Yet, notwithstanding the fact
that G.. does indulge in poker That he does keep
fast horse, together with his feminine c0Ac0ni-
tanl--il is believed and it is also fact, that lie
can at any time pay unc hundred and fifty ccn,s
on Il dollar.
No man is safe under such a system of ras
cally Japanese espionage as This. Talk about
NiIocq or Fuchc police; what is it in cruelty,
wrong and deadly injury to perfectly innocent
AMI honest men, and through them to whole
families, TO this domestic damnab!e system!
And yet it is unbIusIringly carried on in open
day in the face and before the eyes of the com.
munity. We know gentlemen engaged in mcr-
camille pursuits, who have been waited upon by
the subordinate lecchys, The hircling bIood-suck-
crs of these leprous establishments, for Ihe pur-
pose of asking them themselves 10 give full par
iiculars of their means, credit standing. and
everything connected with them and their blsi-
ness. All Of Which, if given, is duly noted
down by the subordinate rcctc5, 10 be sub>c-
scqucnily duly recorded in the books of the
grand Ierch establishment and thence to be sent,
for fee, to any or to all parts Of the Union.
The reader will sec that any man may Pur
chase character of the whicst kird or that lie
may provoke, one of the LIackcst and most
crushing kind, bya refusal to give information,
or by neglect to furnish Il sufficient amount of
black mail to these ncIarinus establishments.
There can certainly be no honest, no sense Of
honor in such institutions, for their very con-
ccplion is full of sin, and their bringing forth
abounding in iuiquity.-Ncw York Sunday
Mercury.
LOVE AND DErT.-Thcrr is very little differ
encc between the man in love and the man in