The Anaconda standard., 1898-12-11

furniture7 How do you know I won't
sell II and never pay you a cent7'
There are such people, he said
quietly. We presume every man to be
honest. That may surprise you. What
mean IS that when an application
Is made We follow 1t up Immediately.
II a single Misrepresentation has been
made there Is no loan and that settles
the transaction so far as we are con-
cerned. There are other ways OF
knowing. We know the floating pop
ulation fairly well. We come pretty
near knowing the man who moves fire.
quently. We have his name, at least.
We come pretty near knowing the man
who does not pay his bills. Such men
as I have mentioned may beat a land
lord or a butcher or grocer, or they
may borrow a s. or so from one whom
they claim as a friend. but they can
not fool US often. Yes. we are imposed
upon, as every business is, occasion
ally. But we find il policy TO believe
our applicants are honest. We en-
deavor to have a man feel when he is
driven in here that we save him, that
we believe he Is honest. and this sort
OF dealing begets confidence. If a man
or a woman comes to US honestly there
Is no trouble. Few such people fail
10 pay. And II by reason OF affiiction
they cannot we do not lose the loan.'
He did not say how. But he looked
as IL he knew.
Sometimes he continued. there
is such case as this: A woman came
i'm for a loan. When she came the sec
ond time 1 told her we could not ac-
commodate her because she had
MORTGAGE on her household goods.
which she had told us were unincum-
bered. She denied it and she was so
sincere in her manner that I knew
there was some mistake. And yet
there was the mortgage on the record
The truth came out. The woman had
relative, a woman. who was in a
desperate strait. She made appnca-
tion to broker for a loan and the man
sent to investigate called at the ap-
pointed time. The house was that &C.
cupied by the woman who had come
to see us. Her relative, by some
womanly device. got her out OF the
house the day the appraiser called. and
the woman who had made the ar
rangement was there and showed him
through and referred him to the peo-
pie in the neighborhood who knew the
genuine occupant Of the house. The
relative obtained the money and but
for the relatives husband. who return
ed i'm time, there would hagc been a
scandal in that family.
There are others who try to fleece
us. people who do not come for loans.
at our office. People who want to pay
prefer this, in our business. But there
are men-we have had two such cases
who go to the records. ascertain The
names and addresses of our patrons,
and then call as collectors. and some
times succeed in intimidating a wo-
man so that she will pay them. There
are more dramatic situations in this
business than were ever seen on a
stage, but, as i said at the start. we
find that a disposition on our part TO
be honest creates a like disposition i'm
the patron, or intensfies that disposi-
tion. for / take ii il a man is not hon
est before he comes in here nothing
that we can do will make him so. Our
concern is Incorporated under the state
law, and il is conducted by men who
are willing to help those who are pc
cuniarily distressed IL the latter will
deal honestly. That is all we ask -
New York Sun.