Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-04-10
Business Nsn,s Organization.


Business Mems Organization.
On Tuesday evening the merchants
of Great Bend met in the Office of j. w.
Brown and listened u pe explanation
of Mr.. G. S. Dufford of the advantage
offered by organizing under the pro-
tective system represented by the Mer-
chants Mercantile Agency, of Chicago,
Illinois.
The organization of the Great Bend
Branch was perfected by the election of
officers and adopting constitution.
All present signed the constitution
and bylaws, pledging themselves to
abide by the same for one year. A fine
is provided as a penalty for violation of
the clause iq such constitution, which
provides that no member of the Great
Bend Branch of The Merchants Mer-
camille Agency shall give credit to
person who does not, in some honor
able manner, adjust his indebtedness
with another subscriber to The Mer-
chants Mercantile Agency. No per-
son shall be referred to the members of
this or any other branch as owing a
member of The Merchants Mercantile
Agency until such person has been
given full and fair opportunity to 90
to the merchant he owes and in some
way adjust his Indebtedness. This sys-
tenn works no hardship on any person
who is disposed to do right toward those
who have extended credit to him. If he
be unable to pay he has only to show
his good faith; but that class of persons
who do not care for their promises to
pay; who 60 from one store to another,
from one town to another, contracting
q debt wherever they get chance to
open an account; who go it blind, never
stopping to consider how they can pay;
never trying to pay paying their honest
debts being the last thing they ever
think Oft is to such persons that this
system pays attention. /, 1t is no hard
ship to ask men to be honest In their
deals with merchant who trusts them.
Every farmer, every mechanic, every
person in the community in which we
reside, who pays his honest debts, is in
terested in the success of system
which seeks to make those who can pay
and won't pay, pay their honest debts,
because it is those who pay cash, or pay
their debts promptly who furnish the
money which enables the merchant to
successfully conduct his business and
carry on his books that class of people
styled. slow payers and dead beats.''
Every dollar lost by the merchant by
reason of bad debts is indirectly loaded
onto the shoulders of those who do pay,
and any system that forces payment by
slow payers and dead BEATS compels
them to pay spot cash or secure for
everything they purchase, unloads the
percentage from off the shoulders of
the honest-paying classes. The mer-
chants have no law for their protection;
they must be 2 law unto themselves by
organizing to protect each other. They
owe it not only to themselves but to
their cash-paying customers, to organ
ize, and drive to- settlement or cash
that class Of pefsons who infest every
community, who do nothing, live well
and contribute nothing. This system
is being adopted by all leading mer-
chants. It deals honoTably with both
debtor and creditor, and SHOULD have
the support not only of merchants but
honest customers.
We do not wish to be understood as
being organized for the purpose of op-
pressing any person, whatever his con-
dition in life, but to the end that all
men shall be compelled to honesty when
their own honor fails to be sufficient
incentive.