Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-10-20
BAD FOR MR.. SPRAGUE.



to Lawsuits-Schemas to Avoid the Recent
Act of Congress Ansnt the Mailing of OBJ.
iect enable Matter.
That the ways Of the bad debtor are devious
and but little is known to the generality of
mankind has, perhaps pever been more poIut-
eddy illustrated than by Dick Swlveller, the
famous creation of Dickens genius Mr..
Swyeller's method of evading the irasclble
creditors would not go very far in these en-
lightened times when only Tascotts manage
to disappear. The inventive genius OF the
present has devised the bad debt collecting
agency, an institution which in ninety. mine
out Of hundred cases ma nages to bring the
most recaleitrant debtor to terms Speak ing
OF these collecting agencies in a general
way, as well established features of modern
! life, it may be said that they are divided into
two classes-the agency which hsndles COM
mereial accounts exclusively, has branches
in all the leading cities Of the country, and
employs methods Of which the owner Of no
rghtiul Claim need be ashamed; aud ano Their
class, OF which the recently arrested Thomas
". sprague is one OF the best eSponents that
can be found In Chicago, says The Times.
This latter class again comprises two
branches. One seeks to scare the debtor into
paying and the other keeps strictly within
the letter OF the law, taking advantage Of ali
the technicalities Of which the glorious un-
certainty" admits. Sprague be longs to the
former, large number Of lawyers whose
shingles have failed to attract legitimate
clients engage In the latter branch IL would
DC aiming FAR OIL the mark to assume that
these peruicious prosecutors Of an unhappy
debtor are shYlocts, or vampires Who fatten
upon the life blood Of unfortunate pc ople, for
theE are not such In outward appear ance,
however meTcless their methods may be. The
average collector Of bad debts is smooth
iongued, afflble young man. In the maiorl-
ty OF cases he purchases the claims which he
represents outright for a very small consid-
GRAFTON, the owner prefeTring to have some
thing rather than nothing and esehewing the
tactics oil the bad-deot collector. In a rev
instances he works for commission.
Sprague's bad debt collecting agency did
very little local business. The yery pIib
young man, who now finds himself ia the
meshes OF the law, collected principally small
amounts owed by parties In small towns,
debts which II would not paw to have collect.
ed by lawyer in the usual way provided by
law. Up 10 early In the summer Sprague's
agency sent out variety of duns illustrating |
the itnpatlence of the collector In cold typs
with an upward tendency at display. Tue |
4
ed with the announcement: ''lf not called |
for within ten DAYS return TO Sprarue's Col. |
lecting agency" the words being printed in |
small type In the uper left corner Of an or.
binary commercial envelope. The latter was 4
also used for the second dun, but the small |
type In the left corner had disappeared and 4
instead Of that was printed across the upper
rim: 1T W. sprague Il Co Debts Cullected'i
IN the second lunning letter was usually ia.
closed a specimen Of the third envelope
which was threatened to be addressed 10 Tie
tardy debtor in case be failed 10 heed ths
second demand This third ENVELOPE con-
talned the words: bad Debts'' Ia letters
iully an inch In length aud half an inch |
FIAT" so ingeniOusly arranged that the entire
notice read: 'Sprague's Collecting Agency
Bad Debts-A Speciality" The envelopes
were OF that size known as legal, and a casual
glance glance Q, tue sqperseription on the upper rim
disclosed nothing but the words: tBaI
Debts,H In big, fat type. Only a closer in
spectlOn reyealedtthe entire legend. IL even
this third and formidable dun passed uuheed.
ca postal cards containing duns in form OF
printed blanks were sent every week or even
twice week, until their appearance In the
small village where they were received be-
came tOwn.talk and caused the victim 10 paw.
whether he legally owed the tribe demanded
or not
The methods described we're INDUCED in
and are yet to greater or lesser exteut-by
nearly all collecting agencies that made
bad Debts" Id big display type speciality
70 care was taken TO ascertain whether the
claim IS legal or not, and from the very ma
ture OF the case one would feel inclined 10
think that firm resortinR TO the methods
described had no legal claims. The result
was numerous law suits we're instituted, and
and so crying had the evil of the professional !
dunning agencies become that congress pass |
ed an amendment to the postal laws which |
was approved June Is last Ii proyIdes |
among other things that 'aIl matter other |
wise malaole BY law, upon the envelope or
Of OBJ. /
card upon which indecent, leWd, lascyions.
obscene, lfbelous, scurrilOus, or tbreatenIn1 |
1ellneations, eplthets, terms, or language, or
rehectlng inJuriously upon the character or
conduct oil another may be written or printed
are hereby declared to be non-malnabie mat. {
.er.n !
The punishment provided for violations Of /
mis- amendment ranges from 500 TO $1,000. .
. imprisonment from one to ten years, or
10Th, for each otfense. Postmaster General Q
Dickinson has explained the scope OF this I
amendment as follows in special notice:
Postmasters are notified that under this act
Iuch matter Will be treated precisely as OBJ
Gene matter Is treated under the provisions
u section $50, postal laws and regulations. )
ANY postal-card or any other matter upon the
outside cover OF which appears anything
which reflects injurIousy upon the person adj v
lressed, or any one else, or upon his eharant- | q
II or conduct, or Is plainly calculated and in :
ended to in1ure his feelings or reputation. !,
" bring him into discredit or threatens him =
Viii be excluded. Anything In the nature Of | =
m offensive or threatening dun upon an en-. q
'elope, outside cover, or postal-card or con. n
'eying the suggestion that such dun ia in
losed, will be excluded as non.mallable I'M
Ter this act. q
That this law, strictly enforced, will effect e.
yely prevent the bad-debt agencies from 10. Il
ng business can not be doubted. sprague =
Or instance, frankly admits that the humber
1 his clerks has been reduced from eighteen p
0 three since the law went into effect Ac. x
ordlng to Col. Rae, the assistant postmaster. n
he various agencies have resorted 10 ali b
inds OF shifts IN order to eyade the law. q
While the phrase bad debt agencyn has II
disappeared from the dunning enyelopes d
UGH remarks as "cUlectng agency,U or t'Iaw | 81
ollecting agencp' have been used. s'such | N
natter was all ruled out" said Col Rae. sIn | 81
~ opinion, however, the law does not exclude | O.
offices sent by banks or insurance companies n
oncerning the expiration OF notes or policIes, n
hough the experience Is that such notices Ii
re almost invariably sent In envelopes which v
re perfectly unobjectionableu m
To many engaged In even what NAV he | AZ
srmed the legitimate trade the abolition Of Il,
be p0stal-card dun s great blow. a. wouId IN
ppear by the following poetlcal wall sent mn bi
trade paper devoted to the grocery bust. 40
ess: N'i =,
How tender the feelings a dead. beat posseasea ~
=, 10 narrow them up has become QUITE crime ~