The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1877-04-19
Home Correspondence,
The Business Mems AsSocia-

HuLsBoRo, O., April 1G, 1871.
ED. NEws-Dear Sir: A great many hard things
are being said against come Of our business men,
for organizing among themselves a Protective As
sOciati0n, the object Of which is to secure informa-
tiOn as TO the trustwurthiness Of citizens of this
vicinity. As there is an evident purpose among
few to misrepresent the objects of those connect
ed with the organization, l have Thought that few
words in your paper might do Justice to orr bust
ness men, who do not wish the personal annoyance
which q mistaken view of their purpose might
create.
First. The business men Of Hgllsb0ro have only
undertaken to do, in a small way what the whole
sale trade Of the United States has done for years
IN o larger way. There are each year commercial
reports circulated Oh over the country, in which
the financial standing of every business man or
firm in the land is given. If person should put
up peanut stand Ou a street corner in our town,
he would he reported. / am on this list, and you
ON this list. Il you or 1 do not pay our debts
promptly, we are so reported. If we do not pay a'
dt, we are so reported, and no judicioas house in
the world will sell us goods except for cash. The
Only way that we can get our names of the black
list is 70 ''pay up"
While II our town, as in every other town, one
man returns the standing of our business men to
the General Agency, so careful were the members
of our Association TO do no injustice to any one,
that they established a board consisting of IRE of
the oldest business men in the place, by whom
every name was canvassed before being placed upon
their list SO that no room could be given for spites
or personal resentments.
The business men Of HfIsb0rO, by close cOmpe-
tition, are driven to selling goods at extremely
small profits. Wholesale men in the cities tell me
that at point in their trade do merchants buy so
''clOse" and sell so low as here. Now, selling in
this way, we cannot afford to lose accounts.
The list that have prepared represents in
round numbers, $4,000 worth of uncolectable ac-
counts due the business men of our town. Cans
one blame US for taking steps to prevent, as much
as possible, further loss in this way?
Secondly. The Merchants Protective Associa-
ton did not get upa ''dead-beat list' They pre-
pared for their own use list of persons unworthy
Of credit" If outside parties chose to purloin
copy, and call themselves ''dead-beats," it was
their own doing. There are on our list many
names of people who are worthy and respectable, /
but still if they do not pay for what they get, we
have, think, right to inform ourselves and each
other of the fact, and if we contribute further to
the support of such, we can do so under the head
of "benevOlcnce."
In short, all that the business men Of HillsbOrO
have done is TO treat the citizens Of this vicinity
the business men of New York and Cincinnati
treat US. We do not object to the way we are
served, and do not think that any one has a right
to blame Us for our action. If any one feels hurt
at having his name reported as of bad standing he
can do as we do under like circumstance
"shoost pay dose leetle bills" MERCHANT.