Arizona republican., 1898-01-20

01SQ TOT ny purse Just uOW, GUILT mented, and the grocer replied: q expected so. I will have to sell it to customers who run accounts. If everybody paid cash we would sell but few luxuries'' This incident il- illustrates the difference between cash and trust. The cash buyer carefully weighs mentally each item, and buys just what he can pay for, and does without the rest while the trust pur- chaser buys what takes his fancy and trusts to luck to pay. I sell a good deal of produce to consumers, most of whom pay cash, and I find it much easier to sell the first high priced gatherings to those who wait until pay day. The cash customers buy very sparingly of cabbages at F CT 15 cents per head, and sweet corn at 20 cents per dozen. I had my eyes open ed in reference to running an account number of years ago. I settled once in three months regularly. If I did not have the cash I gave a note for ninety days, and the grocer got it discounted.
 In this way I was just ninety days behind The matter was not large enough to annoy me greatly, but one New Years day I got to thinking Of the matter, having my attention ar rested by the size of the last quar- ter's account. We had had a hired man until November 1, and a girl or woman three days in a week, both boarding in the family. The bills were footed monthly, and so p esented in the quarterly statement. The bill for October was little over SIS; that for November, with one and a half less members to the family, a few cents less, and that for December only $1 less. My wife and I went over the items, but could not make out any discrepancy or crookedness, only that we used just as much sugar and coffee with four in the family as we did with five and one-half.
 On comparing our bills wi h two years before. it appeared that wel were using from s5 to s7 more of ne cessaries than formerly, win no more in the family except that our two boys were two years older. I resolv- ed to call halt, and from that time I have paid cash down. On rare oc- casions the cash did not materialize as fast as expected for a few days, and then I would borrow a couple of dollars from a neighbor for a week and cash up for groceries. This meth- cd has proved not only satisfactory from peace of mind standpoint but has been material saving. I do without what cannot be conveniently irdulged in.
 Recently the Retail Grocers' asSo- citation of Ohio met in Cleveland and voted to petition the legislature to pass a law that certain percentage of a working mans wages should be held back and applied upon his living expenses at his grocer's. I doubt the constitutionality of such a measure, and do not believe the legislature will attempt to paternalize in favor of family supply dealers. These grocers have a strong organization, nearly all in the state belonging to it, and it seems to me it would be much more sensible to simply unite in refusing credit. 1t would work a little hard ship to consumers who run bills, but they would soon get into the new or der of things, and instead of taking two weeks pay to pay bills would be- gin with a clear record and pay it out as needed until the next semi month y pay. There are thousands doing it
 
 Now, the grocers all over the west belong to a protective association, with headquarters at Chicago. pay ing S2O entrance fee and s1O per year dues. This association makes week ly reports and blacklists customers upon the statements of dealers. II prevents the very worst class of dead beats getting trusted. but proves far in pi lsctions or in preventing bad debts. changes grocers, paying cash regu- larly for few months. His grocer wishes to keep him, and. gradually lets him run in debt until finally he gets blacklisted again. The grocer s changed again for 3 nsw one, perhaps just starting in business, and the scheme is worked again I know families who, a hough hlscklisted. have managed to buy in three years time more than $150 worth. which is still unpaid, and they quietly boast of it to their intimate friends. These delinquencies hare to be made up out of sales to cash buyers, hence the dead beats. The rottenness of selling upon time and giving credit is per vading all kinds of business, and, i1 spite of the lessons of the past few years, the first gleam of prosp rity found thousands ready to jump into the frying pan at once. In northern Ohio the sudden rise of wheat and the starting of manufacturing put a host of implement agents at work and nearly every farmer bought machin- cry, paying a little down and giving a note for the rest. One Imam know bought during the summer moe than $500 worth, paying less than 20 per cent cash down. He bought a new binder, and sold one for a song. A young farmer just beginning paid few dollars for repairs on the old one he bought and cut thirty-six acres of grain with it, while the new one was only used for thirty acres. The old one will do for several years vet if carefully used
 Had the farmer buying the new