Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-05
THE NEW MATRIMONIAL BUREAU.
A syndicate Tint Will DO n Land
office business Between thc
East and the West.

office business Between the
East and the West.
A special New York correspondent of
the st. Paul Mimi Pioneer Press is re-
sponsible for column and a half in that
papers issue, telling the details OF a
matrimonial racket lately inaugurated
and describing the workings of a syndi
cate lately formed for the purpose of pro-
noting intermarriage between the over
plus female population of the East and
the preponderant male element in the
West The Press says:
Early in June last half dozen gen.
tlemen formed joint stock company un-
der the name Of the American Exchange
Bureau and were incorporated under the
laws of New York -Four offices under
various DISCUSSES Immediately opened,
one in New York, one in Sioux
City, one in Helena, Montana, and one in
Portland Oregon. The gentlemen forming
as men of wealth and wide financial ex-
perience, including such names as the
| Hon. Ellis G. Seymour and General John
Hughes, of New York City; Warden M.
Clay, of Massachusetts,; d. l.. Westfield,
of San Francisco; Henry Woods, of Min
nesota, and Major Edwsrds, Of Fargo,
Dakota. The stock is divided into 500
shares, but it is understood that the orig
inal six hold controlling interest"
1t then proceeds to detail how the work,
which commenced July LIST and closed
November 18th, was proceeded with
through the medium Of commercial trav-
elers. These men were engaged by the
syndicate to make thorough canvass OF
the whole country. They were furnished
with blanks to get descriptions of men
and women desirous to marry. Correct
name, age, complexion, height and weight
were insisted upon, but fortune, acquire
ments and accomplishments were left
largely to the lady's own estimate. Plitio-
cal and religious views were not required,
candidates being classed by the agent
only under four general heads, "beauti-
full" "fair to middling," "plain" and
"ugly."
The scheme met with great success,
says the Press. Men who longed for
wives, needed housekeepers and craved
companionship men whose business
conld not be neglected, and men whose
means were limited, all sprang to the
front. The Western agent was furnished
with two sets of blanks, one very
similar to the ladies', with fewer
details, name, age, postoffice ad-
dress, and bank account being the inn
+ called the "contract" and "order card y
tallies with the descriptive blank filled by
the ladies', the gentlemen simply filling in
age, complexion, height, weight and the
accomplishments chiefly desired in wife.
, These orders are forwarded to Eastern
agents, who say they have little difficulty
in filling them satisfactorily. The can
vass closed with the following orders
Dakota, $4,000; Montana, 25,210; Wyom-
ing, 29,912; Oregon, 1920; Washington
Territory, 10000; Nebraska, 2O,249, and
Idaho, 5,0OS, against 10000 ladies from
. Massachusetts,; New Hampshire, 27 900 !;
Maine, 3O,7O4; Vermont, 22,5OO; Rhode
, Island, 1916, and Connecticut, 2S,910.
, A total OF 125, 200 orders against 20S, 700
, head of girls, leaving a surplus Of 73,500
still unprovided for. But agents say that
even a partial canvass OF Utah, New
, Mexico, Arizona and Nevada will supply
them all in the fall shipping season.
"Of course the syndicate makes some
thing out OF each marriage. No commits
sions to the company are less than $40,
and some run as high as $500 and 81 900.
Especially in the large cities and subur-
, ban towns is the revenue enormous. 1t
is believed that Boston alone will yield
over million and half. There will be
two shipping seasons the coming spring
n and fall, and the railroads will
be kept busy. The spring shipping
season opens May LIST and closes
August 1st, which will necessi-
tate the sending of over twelve hundred
+ daily from the two Eastern depots-New
) York and Boston. Two trains will leave
each city daily and run straight through
to the great distributing depots of Sioux
. City, for Nebraska and Wyoming; Bis
i marck, for Dakota; Helena, for Montana,
, and Portland, for Washington Territory,
l Oregon and Idaho"
Look out for the first train-load of girls.
Every man who has ordered wife has
his blank numbered, and by presenting
E it when the train arrives can claim his
| bride by the corresponding number on
one of the girls blanks.
The correspondent says great bust
t ness boom all over the country will result
t from the scheme, and concludes his letter
in these terms:
"The nation ought to throw up its hat
for the American Exchange Bureau,
and give three cheers for the boys and
girls who have come to the rescue-two
, hundred thousand souls with but single
thought, two hundred thousand hearts