Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-02-19
Merchants Organization.

Thirty-One of the retail merchants of
WATERFOWL met at the Concordia
opera house Wednesday evening and
listened to an address by M. L. Jordan,
of the Merchants Retail Commercial
Agency, SO Dearborn St., Chicago, Ills.
The system in use by this agency has
for it's purpose the protection of retail
merchants. The legality, practicable
ity and results Of the system were fully
explained. After consideration mo-
ton was made that those present pro-
ceed to organize the Watertown branch
of such agency. The motion prevailed
by unanimous vote, and officers were
duly elected. This agency uses no
dishonorable means to force collections
OF settlements, but the merchants pro-
pose to use their legal right to refuse
credit to person who gains the repu-
tation of not treating member of the
agency honorably. There is no law
compelling merchants to sell their
goods on credit. There is no law for
bidding merchants refusing credit to
any person they see fit, and when a
lueICIldl1U OcllO IllS SOOuS Oll ClCuIU III 10
as an accommodation to the consumer,
and if such consumer, has no apprecia-
ton of the favor extended and Wilfully
neglectS to make a reasonable and
honorable adjustment of his indebted
ness, then he should be compelled to
pay as he buys. 1t is better for him
and much more profitable for the mer-
chant. Many poor worthy man has
been refused credit for the necessities
of life because of the merchants un-
pleasant experience with bad debtors,
but this system will tend to Obviate all
that, because the man who does re-
spect his credit will be known and
have a. standing among merchants,
while the "dead beat and others of
his kind will also be known to the
members of this agency and be abSo-
lutely refused credit; no matter if he
moves to another town OF state his
reputation as poor pay will follow him
and the merchants in such new place
of residence will also refuse him credit.
This agency issues a regular and legal
bi-monthly abstract of unsettled ac-
counts. Each member agrees to for
felt twenty dollars to his branch as a
penalty, in case he extends credit to a
pcISOH- NIloS0 uuSCUOlCNl cbCCOuhU Clp-
pears in the abstract and no account
can appear therein until the debtor
has had full and fair opportunity to
go to the merchant he owes and in
some way arrangeE such Indebtedness.
The man who can pay and won't pay
and the man who cannot pay, but Will
not 90 to the merchant and state his
condition and make effort to arrange,
is the person this agency is after. This
agency does not interfere with the
credit of men who deal honorably, no
matter if they are slow; neither does
it in any way regulate prices. Its sole
object is to compel men to be honest
with merchants or to pay spot cash for
goods purchased. Something OF this
kind has been needed for long time
and this system will work. 'In COM
bination there is strength" The mem
bers have the success OF failure Of this
system in their own hands. Where
ever merchants have properly combin-
ed, the system has proven great sue
cess. The west is being carefully COW
cred by this agency, and the mer-
chants in all small towns are visited
and solicited to join the county branch.
The next meeting of this society will
be held at the same place Wednesday
evening at O'Clock, Feb. Goth