Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-25
sLANpERING THE SOUTH.

In reply to a letter written by the man. ager of Dixie, published in Atlanta, ask ing for ar,, advertisement, a northern firm thuSly writes:
 The ''Dixie" Co.,, Atlanta, Ga.:
 . Gerstlem en:-We have yours of the 16eh inst, ma king us a price for running an ',ad" in your publication for one year. We should like very much to increase our trade in iile south. and from what we know of your publica tion we think it good medium Ito advertise in and if you could suggest Ito us some way WhereDy we could get satisfactory evidence re- garding southern customers, we should be inclined to give your proposition Ia vora ble consideration
 Our experience with the south in the past however,, has been so unsatisfactory that we believe we will make more money by keeping away from it than endeavor- ing to es1ta blish business there.
 For instance, we recently sold blH or goods amounting to $750 to a concern in one of your s-uthern cities. They sent us good references, including national bank We wrote Ito them and got satfs- factory replies.
 We have just placed this account in the hands of our attorney for collection, and he informs us that there is about as much chance of eur get ing our money as there is that ht will snow in summer.
 We appreciate the fact that we are lia Dfe TO sell 10 pSGpE- III alfy pfdCe WfO VIII deceive us. but we have found that in hIhe north we can generally place some reliance on testimony from banks and reput able concerns, and if, for any req son, our customer does not pay we have a reasona ble P;lotecticm under the law to collect same Tn the south. as far as we can detel'mine, there is no protection for the. creditors, especially if they are lo- catsd some distance away.
 Regarding that we cannot give you 8 more favorable answer, we are yours very truly, --. " - -.
 The Dixie pleads guilty to the charge wherein it affects the south, and at tempts an apol-gy, which leads the Flor ida Times Union to suggest the following answer to the charges. which the Dixie should and ought to have made:
 You Old Reproductive don't want your advertisement-first because we don't believe you would pay us for print ing 1t, and second., because we don't wish to be instrumental in inducing southern people to trade with a fellow like you. We, cannot say whether you are too stupid to know the truth or too mendacious to tell it, but we don't care to have anything to do With you or anybody like you" ~ .,-.. ao
 In proportion to popula ton. in pro- portion to wealth, in proportion to busi- ness, the failures in the south are not more numerous or. greater in amount than those, which occur in northern states There is a great deal of talk about laws in the south that enable the debtor to escape the payment of his debts. It is all rubbish. Homestead and exemption laws do not shelter prop erty in the south more than in the north.
 It Is well enough for the southern states to do what they can to increase the facilities for the collection of debts not because, facilities for collection are not as good south as north, but because they can be improved south and north The southern paper, however, that publishes without rebuke the state- menti that the southern people do not pay their,debts as well as- any people in the union, is doing the south a great lnjus- tice and a great harm, and Is helping to circulate a stupendous falsehood. ?