The morning call., 1894-10-18
1T is A LOTTERY.
Club System of Selling
Clothes.
THREE TAILORS ARRESTED.
Charged With Violating the
Postal Laws.
THE WORK OF INSPECTOR ERWIN
Business Rivals Will Rejoice-The
System Condemned as an In
centive to Gambling.

What is known as the club system has
long been thorn in The side of clothing
makers and dealers who do not care to
sell their garments that way.
They frowned upon it and orenly de-
nounced it. yet it fiourished in spite of
their opposition, and they had almost
abandoned all hope of annihilating the
monster when the postal authorities came
to their rescue. Four of the club dealers
have been advertising the system by mail
ing circulars to present or prospective
customers, and in doing so became liable
to punishment for violating The law
against sending lottery advertisements
through the Postoffice.
Postoffice Inspector Erwin obtained sew
eral of the circulars and other evidence
against the club tailoIs, and caused the
arrest yesterday of Joseph Field. Chris H.
Newhaus and Gardner Landon, each Of
whom is charged with violating the law
against sending lottery advertisements
through the mails. Another offending
tailor will be arrested to-day.
One of the circulars seized by the in
spector gives the following explanation of
the system:
Thirty eight persons join in club TO CO.
operate together for The purpose of purchasing
suits or oyercOats. Each person in the contract
which The thrty-eight persons have signed
agre 10 pay 81 dues week for tnirty-eight
weeks, unless he Is released from payment of
part OF il by having sait or oyercoat delivered
him.
When The thirty eight persons have signed
said contracts, and each pay their first week )
dues of 81, then the thirty-eight members have
a meeting. At said meeting the thirty-eight
contracts are placed together and one of the
members present at the meeting draws one con-
tract from the thirty light contracts aDd-ihe
name that Is gu the contract receives members
choice for the suit or overcoai. III he Is not
present al the me- ting he Is notified by m Ill 10
call and make his selection from the largest as
sortment of all the latest patterns. Every men,
Der not present receives notification of the
members name and address Who receives suit
or overcoat each week.
The workmanship, trimmings and fit is guar
anieed In all cases TO be first class. One suit
or overcoat is delivered 10 one of the thirty
eight members each week for thirty eight
weeks. hut If member should pay S3S we VIII
deliver 10 nm suit or overcOat Sucn "a he may
select. Every member in the CLUB must geg a
suit oVei coat at the end OF thiTtyeignt weeks
II lie did not get one before.
When member receives 4 suit he is no
longer In the club or combination. We then
place new contract in the same club, always
making thirty-ei9ht members.
The club tailors declare that they are
innocent of any intent to violate the pos
tai or any other Jaw. The men who were
arrested gave bail in the sum of $500 each
and were released from custody bv United
club men were delighted when they heard
of the inspectors work.
There can be no question in the minds
of all right-thinking citizens" said one,
las to the Objectionable nature of the
clothing club lottery system. 1t is not
question of securing customers by Offering
goods at low rates. The system depends
for any success it NAV have upon the hope
il exclteS in the minds of its supporters of
obtaining goods for nothing r next to
nothing, and thus panders TO one of the
most dangerous vices in a communicative
gambling instinct.
THE promoters cannot even offer the
poor excuse that their business il profita-
bic. Ii they carried out the promises made
in their prOspectuses there could be no
Legitimate profit In the business. If those
promises are not carried out the money of
the patrons is obtained by false pretenses
Apart from this the consensus of Opin-
ion of the community is against the sys-
tenn. and it is a well-known and perfectly
sale rule 10 go by, that what ali are united
against is immoral and ineXpedient"