Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-07-30
Swindling Agents.

lOuHP FARMER In tne Boston Jour-
nal, in a recent issue, hits the nail of this
matter pretty squarely on the head, ant
we print it for the "good of all con
cerned." While there are, no doubt
scoundrels among agents, they by nc
means have the monopoly of rascality
and there's lots of cheap talk about ras.
cally agents, when, if the truth was
known, there's as much blame on one
side as the other:
1t is very fashionable for writer's upon
agricultural topics, or for agricultural
papers. to denounce the patent right men
and those who are establishing agencies
for the sale of machines through the
country, as being swindlers, frauds and
all that is bad. | have written something
of that sort myself, and nothing that |
care to take back. But it is an old saving
that " there are two sides to all stories, .
and was reminded by talk with ma
chine agent the other day that there are
two sides to the reports of the doings of
these men.
Il CO." he says, to town to estab-
AiSh an GNU gill 10
see Farmer So-and-so. l show him the
machine, and he likes it. He would like
to have one, but money is short in these
times. Thinks several of his neighbors
would buy them if they saw them.
Then l begin to talk business. Show
him how many of the machines he would
have to sell for the profit to pay for his,
and offer to send him machine and take
his note for time long enough to allow
him to sell that number of machines. He
thinks he can do it in four months, but to
make sure thing we had best make the
note for six months, which | do, and |
send him the machine, with the posters
and circulars necessary to advertise him
as our agent.
pass the note over to the firm and they
use it as their business paper. By-and-by
the six months are over, and the note is
protested. l go to see him and he declares
that | said he need not pay until he paid it
from the profit on the machines sold.
Bnt he has not sold machine; the
circulars and posters have not been dis
tributed, and no one in the neighborhood
knows that he was agent, or that he want
ed to sell the machines. l might have
waited until doomsday for the payment of
my note if its payment had been dependent
upon his selling machines enough to paw
it from his profits.
The result is he pays the note with some
legal expenses added, and the county pa
per comes out next week with an article
headed Beware Of swindlers! Another
honest farmer robbed of his hard earn
ings! which entirely ignores the fact of
his having the machine, and makes state
ments which if they could have been
proven in court would have rendered the
note void and sent me TO state prison."
There is something of truth in his re-
marks. Some farmers are easily persuaded
to buy what they want or perhaps what
they do not want if they can buy it by just
signing little bit of paper for it. They
are willing to accept an agency for any
thing, if there is chance for Immediate
profit Gin use of machine if nothing more),
and no money to pay over Immediately.
They do perhaps, actually believe that
they can make money easier by selling
machines than by laboring at their own
business, but faint half-hearted trial for
! day or two usually discourages them.
They give notes due at certain time and
hen let them 60 to protest, and excuse
themselves by saying they "forgot Just
what day it was DUE" or they "conldn't {
20 to the bank very well that day, and
hey thought a day or two wouldn't make
my great difference to a rich firm as long
IS they knew l was able to pay forty such |
notes any time" and finally, if the holders t
If the note will not throw off the protest
ees, they denounce them as swindlers cor
90 sharp men to deal with, any way"
OF course there are swindlers and Sharp {
RS among these smooth talking agents, t
nd there are farmers who are equally Q
dishonest, if not equally sharp, and this is |
sually the class who get bitten by dealing +
With that class of travelling agents.
Now don't sign q paper unless you know d
list what 1t is, nor note unless YOU +
now just when it is to be paid nor unless n
on can see prospect of paying it at that C
me. Don't take an agency for any arti-
lie until you are satisfied that you are C
either getting humbugged yourself OR o
king a chance of humbugging your
eighbors, and don't take one unless YOU
lean to try to sell the goods, and are
Ire tthat you understand the merits of n
lem well enough to give you prospect A
being more successful in that business q:
ian you would be if attending to your |. !.
rming the same length of time. F.