The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-04

Mr.. EDIToR:-A great majority Of our
merchants both large and small are geuer
Gus and kindhearted, ever ready to help
their neighbors by loan or give credit for
goods, especially to men vino receive their
pay monthly The grocers as rule are
the most liberal, many Of them trust and
trust, till their small capital is charged on
customers. Tenants Of small houses live
by cheating the owners by making prom.
ises to pay, the excuse now Is, out Of work.
Yet tho wives Of these people attend tho
afternoon matinecs at the Opera House,
arrayed in flnsry, often times not paid for
like their rent. The men out Of work
manage to keep up q life insurance policy
which costs from three to six dollars per
m"nth, but no money for ront A cass In
p int, a good mechanic rented a house from
me in February, 1896 He was then re-
ceiving fourteen dollars per week and
steady work. he wa out of work during
the winter of 1897. lallowed him to re-
main.
When Spring came he paid for several
months, but no back rent was paid, Rs he
only made about nine dollars per week
and then laid off often. The winter of 1893,
QUO of work again. This sprin. he paid
for several months. the last money he gave
me was five dollars in August, last S.rur-
day night he skipped. Sent me postal say
ing he b I'd gone 10 Jersey City to look for
work. wife and children went home to her
people, and he would pay me when he got
the money, lie owes me one hundred an d
eight dollars. This man was sober and
honest bslleve but he could not get work
and when he did it was at starvation wa.
ges. Another tenant skipped last winter
owing me SO. Nov such people get credit
for what they and their families eat and
in N ,nin ri nfS urh tim c
ling 9 ocel never receives a dollar for his
kindness.
Our physicians are served the same way
by II class of people who are known rs dead
beats, and some of those dead beats can
pay, but delight in robbing whosoevcr will
give them credit. We have amongst US
many poor people who pay their d .bts, al.
though their earnings ara small, they pay
their bills by paying dollar at . TING.
Now what / want to get ut is this. We
have among us persons who come here
from Lord knows where aud they rent an
Office and start collecting agency, they
tell you hey collect all bad and doubtful
bills. they exhibit n list OF bills from Ger
tain merchant well known, Ill collected,
(yes this list is n myth). These peo-
pie go from store to store. beseeching store
keepers to join their association, which
costs $40, but often SIS, TO become a..nein-
list, and your bills will have due attention
yes, and that is about all, your Gus toners
will appear on the black lis and you are
out S. 10
These humbug agencies can't get blood
out of a stone. nor can they collect \ kill
from any OF these dead beats In our city.
Now suppose tless collecting agencies,
induce two hundred storekeepers to join
their agency at u cost of fifteen dollars
oh Ia l wi nf n pnA hnt n
dollars. 81 90, which they put in their
pockets, say in six months. This alone is
IL large business and like other such hum.
bugs they leave for parts unknown. They
have three thousand dollars which two
hundred storekeepers have thrown away,
and your bills uncolected. Certainly thoy
collect a few bills which you could have
collected yourselves or through the me
dium of a Justice Of the Peace Or real es-
tate agent and saved the fifteen dollars
you were hum buged out Of
Now have had an experience Of thirty
seven years, in this city rs u merchant
Justice of the Peace, anda Real Estate
agent. and my advice to stofekeepcrs is
that when you have bills yIu cannot col
lrct yourselves lake them to n Justice Of
the Peace and obtain Judgment then
take IL transcript and enter it in the
Superior Court, then you have something.
The cost will noS exceed three or four
dollars and in time you may get your
money with Interest. these agencies, arc
men who are Adventures. They go from
town to town and by deceit anu false rep
re,entHtions induce u large number of |
storekeeper, to give them fifteen dollars
to become member Of their agencies, and |
after they have made II good round sum
they are gone. say trust our own col
lectOrs who know our people, and let these |
Ill IuhIluS Alnpa What thnv is The |