The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-06-29
WHAT RUM DID.

Opened-The Principal Cause of Bad
Debts.
In the southern part of Jefferson
County, n. T., in the village of M,
among the business men is manu-
facturer of stoves, a cool, level-headed
man. He, like many other business
men, thought one or two licensed hotels
was necessary to the good of the viii
lage.
About three years ago an incident
occurred that opened his eyes. One
year before this revelation came he
had sold a stove for eighteen dollars to
drinking man; the drinker was not
worth any thing, but agreed to pay for
the stove in installments, one dollar
per month. At the end of the year the
merchant had not received even one
payment.
He knew his debtor had been earn
ing good wages the whole year. He
had noticed the money had not been
expended for clothes, for the family of
his drinking customer were poorly
clad, and the man himself had only
one suit, and that almost in rags
Two weeks before the time in ques-
ton the drinking man had gone five
miles out of town to do a job of work
at three dollars day. The manufact-
urer knew this, and was waiting for
his return, thinking he might get a
payment On the stove sold year be-
fore, if not the whole amount.
just before dark he made his APP
pearance. The manufacturer knew
the man who had employed his debtor;
he knew he was a man of means, and
it was his custom to pay down for all
work done for him.
The manufacturer said: "Hold on,
j, want to speak to you. You
remember the stove? You were to
pay one dollar each month; over a
year has gone by and you have not
made the first payment yet; you have
been at work for W, can't you pay
me half? five dollars anyway"
"I'm sorry [ can't; but 1 have not
got any pay out of W; when I get
it / will call and pay ALL"
The manufacturer was not satisfied.
He looked up from his meditation just
in time to see his customer go into the
hotel Zone of the necessary (P) places
for the prosperity of the village).
His going into the hotel aroused the
curiosity of the manufacturer. He
thought: Il will just walk over to
the hotel and see what is going on. :"
He entered the hall where he could get
a good view of the bar, and was wit
ness to the following: The drinker
said: "Well, landlord, what is my
billP | can pay you now" your
bill may be larger than you think; you
have not paid up for some lime. All!
it is more than l thought $21.50."
''As much as that? 1t can't be.
do not know what my wife will say l
had promised to buy new bonnet for
her and the girl. Twenty-one fifty!
Well, well, l suppose you have kept it
right. You wouldn't wrong a poor
man who works hard for his money!"
cit is correct. Your wife and
daughter must not expect to dress as
well as those who have a larger in
come. / think your wife is most
too dressy, anyway. Have drink,
J--p"
The manufacturer saw 1.-THE man
who had not got his pay take out of
his pocket the money he had earned,
count out $21.50, and hand it to the
landlord. He went out of the hotel a
wiser man than when he entered. The
manufacturer went to his desk, took
down a bundle of unpaid accounts and
commenced to figure up the worthless
accounts that had accumulated in the
ten years of his business life. He
found the sum total to be $1,324.78. OF
this sum he found that all but $113.19
was against men who had been ruined
by drink ester71 PloUman.