The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-01-15

THE Jail here is empty to-day for the
first time since Mr.. Read took the place
of keeper. There are several. however,
who ought to be in if exact justice was
melted out.
THE Art Exhibition of the Singer Sew
ing Machine Company, at G. b. Sibley's
store, will close Saturday evening, Jan.
10th. 1t is free to all and an attendance
will be enjoyed by our readers.
THE firm of Blanchard, Robinson &
Co. light their meat market now with
electricity. Their quarters, corner North
and Main streets, have been repainted
and otherwise fixed up, so that it will be
hard to find more attractive or clean
market.
TIE funeral of Frank Knapp was held
Sunday afternoon. The fire department,
of which he was an honOred member,
turned out in body. Mr.. Knapp was
a man greatly respected, had been for
years on the police force of Bennington
village and his sudden death is greatly
regretted. The cause was an abScess of
the stomach.
The daily Union prayer meetings have
continued through a second week. And
so profitable have they been to those at
tending that the matter of their further
continuance has been seriously consid-
cred. The time is coming, no doubt,
when one Protestant place of worship
will be permanently open for worship
pers of whatever name.
Mr. LOCKE made the astounding dis
covery that the troops .of New Hamp-
shire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and
Vermont were called Green Mountain
Boys, according tc the Troy Press. We
note also that he thinks the monument
in Boston stands on Bunker Hill. The
Bunker Hill monuments site is Breeds
Hill, rs everybody knows. If his Capt.
Williams of White Creek, and other
places in New York, is as veritable a
parsonage as his statements (abOve) are
facts, his history of "Tory Hoosick will
be quite re-Iic-able.
THE Bennington county branch of the
Merchants Retail Commercial Agency,
to which allusion has been made by us,
was organized here Tuesday evening.
There are a much larger number of
members than is required by the rules
and regulations, and already merchants
in Pownal have come in. The branch
will extend to other towns in the ounty,
and it is safe to affirm that the day of the
dead beat hereabouts is numbered.
By this we mean what the circulars of
the agency say of itself: This Agency
uses no dIshonorable means to force col
lectiOns or settlements, but the mer-
chants propose to exercise their legal
right to refuse credit to person who
gains the reputation of not treating a
member of the agency dishonOrably.
There is no law compelling merchants
to sell their goods on credit. There is
no law forbidding merchants refusing
credit to any person they see fit, and
when a merchant sells his goods on cred
it it is an accommodation to the con-
sumer, and if such consumer has no APP
probation of the favor extended and
wilfully ncglects to make reasonable
and honorable adjustment of his indebt-
edness, then he should be compelled to
pay as he buys. 1t is better for him and
much more profitable for the merchant.
Many poor worthy man has been re-
fused credit for the necessities of life
because of the merchants unpleasant ex-
perience with bad debtors, but this sys-
TEN will tend to obviate all that, because
the man who does respect his credit will
be known and have standing among
merchants, while the 'dead-beat' and
others of his kind will also be known to
the members of this Agency and be alb
sUlutely refused credit; no matter if he
moves to another town or State his Iepu-
tatiOn as poor pay will follow him and
the merchants in such new place of resi-
dence will also refuse him credit This
A n nd
Monthly Abstract of unsettled accounts.
Each member agrees to forfeit twenty
nollars to his branch as penalty in case
he extends credit to person whose I'M
settled account appears in the abstract,
and no account can appear therein until
the drbtOr has had tull and fair oppOr-
tunity to go to the merchant he owes
and in some way arrange such indebted
ness. The man who can pay and won't
pay and the man who cannot pay but
will not go to the merchant and state his
conditions and make efforts 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 mer-
chants Or to pay spot cash for goods pur
chased. Something of this kind has
been needed for long time and this sys-
TEN will work. In combination there
is strength The members have the
success or failure of this system in their
own hands. Wherever merchants have
properly combined, the system has
proven a great success. Twenty States
have been carefully covered by this
Agency, and the merchants in all small
towns are visited and solicited to join
the county branch"