The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-25
MERcaANTs' PRoTECTTVE UNION.

+" Commercial Agencies" or ''Mercan-
tile Agencies" which are supposed to
have great influence and actual power
in producing or prejudicing the stand
ing and credit OF business men through
out the Union. Having their own Sc
cret agents in nearly every city, town,
village, and at almost every cross-road
in the length and breadth OF the WhoIe
| land, these concerns have become inter
woven with the whole mercantile sys-
! TEN of the country. Every merchant
trader, manufacturer, and banker
whether likely or not to make purchases
on time or 10 ask for credit in any OF
the principal cities, is fully reported
at their headquaFters-his business,
means, responsibility" standing, are
published. and even his private habits
are detailed and open to the inquiry of
their customers. SO complete and
thorough a system of espionage as these
concerns have everywhere extended, IS
probably unknown even to the police
departments of France or Austria.
So long as business shall continue to
be done upon the credit system, esIab-
Iishments of this nature will probably
continne to exist, in some form or an
other; but the mode in which they have
been conducted-namely, by printing
books of reports, in which tens of
thousands ofbusiness men are denoted
by dash q, or an asteric ~, an in
terrogation point ~, or some similar
mark, signifying that the party SO in
dicated is mot recommended for
credit" or that the customer should
Enquire at the ofhee"-must, in view
of recent decisions in Islander and libel
suits, be materially modified.
| Those establishments, with their nu-
merous clerks standing behind long
rows of desks, on which lie ponderous
volumes wherein can be learned
story, whether true or false, of every
| merchant in any part of the country
whatever, will probably modify their
| business, or pass away-the liability
| in view of recent decisions to SANDER
| suits arising out of their operations, be-
ing too heavy to incur.
In the Mercantile Agency case of
Beardsley against Tappan, the plaintiff
recovered ten thousand dollars and
upon a motion for new trial made be-
fore the United States Circuit Court for
| the Southern District of New York, the
Hon. Samuel Nelson, one of the ablest
Justices of the Supreme Court has de-
livered an opinion denying the motion,
holding that the publicity given to in
| formation depreciatory ofthe standing
and character of merchants, "by re-
coTdIng the lil1elous words in a book,
| deprived the communication of its 9TH.
eTwise privileged character" He was
| further of opinion that "to legaliZs these
/
/ tent used by the defendant, Is placing
| one portion of the mercantile cOmmun-
ity under an organized system OF es-
I pOinage and inc uisition Tor the benefit
| of the other, ex pOsed, from the very
nature of the Organization, TO pervision
and abuse. Eta Dr..
With the view OF obviating the objec.
tionAbie features of the former sys-
TENS, II company, with a capital stock
of $500, coo, divided into $40 shares, has
been organized and Incorporated under
the laws OF the State of New York, un-
der the title of The Merchants PrOtec-
tive Union, on basis which seems to
be free from the evils. difficulties, and
EN- barrassments under VIII ich those
heretofore In existence have labored.
The plan adopted by The Merchants
Protective Union, though analogous in
some particulars to that of the estab-
Iismenis above referred to, yet differs
amenable TO the objections urged
against them, the main points of diff
ference being the following:
First. All necessary Information as TO
the pecuniary responsibility or finan-
cial condition and standing of business
men will be based upon the written
statements OF the parties themselves
SO far MS attainable-to be furnished at
least twice each year, the agents OF the
Union examining and revising such
statements when deemed erroneous (;
and where the same cannot be obtained
from the parties themselves, by reason
of their declining or refusing to furnish
II, such information will be supplied
by the reliable and responsible cores
pondents OF the Institution, whose
names will also be published in the
Mercantile Reference Reports, TO be
issued every six months. The charac-
ter OF its correspondents, and the pub
! RkNn1 fViU n hAi
with the organization, will prove q
sufficient guarantee of the correctness
of the Information thus obtained, and
the justice of the reports furnished by
4 them. There Will be nothing "Secretm
or IS strictly confidential" in its reports
of the ratings and markings OF the
credit and capital of business men
there will be no futile prohibition TO the
effect that such information - shall
never, in any way, be communicated
| 10 the persons reported "-there will be
nothing that may not be exposed to the
light of day.
Second. The reports and information.
furnished by the Merchants Protective
| Union will be confined to those who
are considered worthy of credit of some
| grade and the names of none who can
not be recommended for some line or
degree of credit will be mentioned or in
any way referred to.
| It is believed the above plan, adopted
after consultation with SOME of the
nbIest counsel i'll nearly every State,
| will avoid the evils of those heretofore
in operation; will be productive of no
harm; will work substantial Justice to
| all and will, at the same time, furnish
reports more truthful and complete,
and therefore of much greater value
than any previously issued.
| 1t will be seen, from their announce
ment in another column, that in Sep
| TENDER the Merchants Protective Union
| will publish in ono large Quarto vol
| ume, the Mercantile Reference Register,
containing, among other things, the
names, nature of business, amount of
capital, financial standing, and rating
as to credit, of over 4O0, 600 of the prin-
| cipal merchants, traders, bankers,
in more than 10000 of the cities, towns,
villages, and settlements, throughout
the United States, their territories, and
the British Provinces of North Amer
lea; and embracing the most important
Information attainable and necessary
| to enable the merchant to ascertain at
a glance the capital, character and de-
gree of credit of such customers as are
deemed worthy of any graduation of
credit; with n newspaper directory,
containing the title, character, price,
and place of publication, with full par
tlculars relative to each journal, being
| a complete guide to the press of every
county inIthe United States.
BY aid of The Mercantile Reference
Register, business men will be enabled
to ascertain at a glance the capital and
graduation of credit, as compared with
financial worth of nearly every mer-
chant, manufacturer, trader, and
banker within the above named geo.
graphical limits. The price of the