Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-12-18
WHERE MEN GET SIZED UP.
A Glance Into the Local Ofiee of Dun's
Mercantile Agency.

A somewhat novel, perhaps mySteri
Gus, but always beneficial institution in
this city Is the Wheeling branch of R.
Dun & Co.'S Mercantile Agency. A rep
reSentative of the REGISTER visited the
Office in the Peoples Bank building yes
terday afternoon and enjoyed pleas
ant chat with Mr.. ". a. Wilson, the
enterpriSing and capable manager.
A popular impression prevails among
certain classes that mercantile agency
is a place associated with dark forebOd-
ings, with all sorts OF taleSmanic signs
and symbols, a sort of mechanical, self
acting, commercial octopus that draws
the unsuSpecting victim into a financial
maelStrOm while he waits. This i'm
preston. however, is soon disSipated by
a study Of the modus operandi by which
the agency is governed. There is per-
hapS no other single factor that does
more to upbuild community and pro-
mote its interests than this institution.
The Wheeling Office of the Agency
was started in May of 1856, embracing
in its work NJ that time only Ohio and
Belmont counties Such rs has been
the growth of the business, and the rec
Ognized importance of the territory,
that the Wheeling branch of the agency
now cOmprehendS all the territory in
West Virginia west OF the mountains,
and north OF the Kanawha river.
Through all the cities, towns and ham
lets in this scope the Wheeling Office
tranSactS business. Although there are
regular correspondents in all OF these
place, yet, in order TO get information
that IS wholly unbiased, it is often neces-
Sary 10 send man from the main Office
10 all these points. The travelling agent
for the Wheeling Office is Mr.. &. b. Her
vey, and 10 show somewhat the scope OF
the territory. he travelled on one of his
recent trips of several months over l, 100
miles by carriage and 500 miles by
rail.
While the Agency acts as sort OF a
bureau of information, its main pur-
pose being To obtain the commercial
rating OF business men, it also acts as
collecting agency, business in this line
being conducted by the Office
through its constantly retained
attorneys. Regular subscribers TO
the Agency have the advantages OF
both of these features. The SubScrip-
ton rate varies with the amount of Ter
ritOry over which the subscriber desires
10 do business. II a business man wishes
to embrace the whole country the price
Is 500 year, and proportional amounts
for single States or groups of States.
To show the rapidity with which bus
mess is transacted, Mr.. Wilson can
write or telegraph to the headquarters
in New York and receive by return mail
the correct standing of merchant in
Australia. There is an agency in Aus
tralia. aud the information had long
since been sent to the head office. \
Wheeling merchant or manufacturer
can thus guard against any undue risks.
The Agency Is important TO business
men in another way. A regular sub
scriber desiring 10 take business trip
TO Chicago or Boston, or London or else
where, can obtain letter of introduce
tion from the local Office to the Office in
any of the cities TO which he may be
going. and thus transact business in
that city as a regular subscriber the
same Is he would here. While
the REGISTER reporter was at
the Office yesterday there was tele-
phone call from Il Wheeling merchant
who was going to Chicago. and desired
a letter. Only the other day gentle
man arrived in Wheeling from England
bearing a lctterof introduction from Dun
n Cos Office in Glasgow, and he was
Immediately giycnall the advantages of
the home Office.
The Wheeling office carries reports on
100. 600 business men throughout the
country, the entire system representing
information of l,lS3,5 9S business men
in all parts of the United States and
Canada. The two places in West Nir-
gjnia that do the largest business out
side of Wheeling are ParkerSburg and
Huntington. IL is about tOSS-up be-
tween the two. The Mercantile Agency
is great advantage to Wheeling, Is IL
is % any live business community, as it
places the business men on the same
footing and gives them the same advan-
tageS aS those of larger cities.
Mr. WilS0I. ramarlSad incidentally
that Wheeling financially was strong,
that there was not more solvent town
in the United States Of its size, and that
in the year 1889 not a single assignment
went on record of a merchant in Ohio
county. sThiS certainly speaks well for
the commercial standing of our city,
and one of which we may well be
proud. Such is the perfection of the
system at the head Office that
one can walk in and find out in two or
three minutes how merchants stand,
5000 miles from the Office. The same
complete system prevails at the Wheel
ing branch, and all the papers, and re-
ports. and enquiries are kept carefully
tabulated and perfectly syStemized.
Morgan NJ. Berger is clerk. and he is
kept on the alert through Office hours.
Altogether II is great institution, and
one that does much for the advance
ment of this section.
Patrons 0f Toll.