The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-05-30
Merchants Organization.

A meeting of the retail merchants
of Logan, met in the Prohibition
Hall, Thursday evening, May 2Sth
and listened to an address by l.. e.
LeMonte, representative of The
Merchants Retail Commercial
Agency, SO Dearborn st. Chicago,
Ills. The system in use by this
Agency has for its purpose the pro-
lection of retail merchants. The
legality, practicability and results
of the system were fully explained.
After consideration, a motion was
made that those present proceed to
organize the Logan branch of such
agency. The motion prevailed by
unanimous vote. The following
were chosen as officers:
Frank Blasius sr., President; A.
G. Upton, Vice-President; G. b.
Gould, Secretary; VIM. Guthrie,
Treasurer; John Frash, Jas. A. Oil
yer, Rudolph Brown. Jas. Kimber-
ling, N, Wolinsky, Ex. Board.
This agency uses no dishonorable
means to force collections or settle
ments, but the merchants propose
to exercise their legal right to re-
fuse credit to person who gains
the reputation of not treating II
member of the Agency honorably.
There is no law compelling mer-
chants to sell their goods on credit.
There is no law forbidding mer-
chants refusing credit to any per-
son they see fit, and when a mer-
chant sells his goods on credit it is
as an accommodation to the cOnsum-
er, and if such consumer has no
appreciation of the favor extended
and aCifuIIy neglects to make a
reasonable and honorable adjust
ment of his Indebtedness, then he
should be compelled to pay as he
buys. 1t is better for him and much
more profitable for the merchant.
Many II poor worthy man has been
refused credit for the necessities of
life because of the merchants un-
pleasant experience with bad debt
ors, but this system will tend to OBJ
viate all that, because the man
who does respect his credit will be
known and have standing among
merchants, while the "dead Jedr'
and others of his kind will also be
known to the members of this
Agency and be absolutely refused
credit; no matter if he moves to
another town or state his reputa-
tion as poor pay will follow him and
the merchants in such new place OF
residence will also refuse him cred
it. This Agency issues a regular
and legal Abstract of unsettled ac'
counts. Each member agrees tC
forfeit t,Oenty dollars to his branch
as penalty in case he extends
credit to person whose unsettled
account appears in the abstract
and no account can appear there
in until the debtor has had 6
full and fair opportunity to go to
the merchant he owes and in some
way arrange such Indebtedness
The man ,0hO can pay and a0o,1't paJ
and the man who cannot pay, but
,OiW not go to the merchant anC
state his condition and make'effort
to arrange, IS the person this Agen
cy is after.
This Agency does not interfere
with the credit of men who dea
honorably, no matter if they arr
slow; neither does it in any wa.
regulate prices. Its sole object il
to compel men to be honest will
merchants or to pay spot cash TO
goods purchased. Something o
this kind has been needed for
long time and this system will
work. "In combination there i
strength" The members have tn
success or failure of this system il
their own hands. Wherever mer
. chants have properly combined
the system has proven great sue
cess. The west is being CAREFUL.
covered by this Agency, and tn
!; merchants in all small towns ar
; visited and solicited to join tn
: county branch.
G. B. GOULD,
Sec'y of Logan Branc
,