The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
CLUES" TO SELL CLOTHING.
The Newest Form OF Lottery Craze which Is
Raging In the West.

"Suit clubs. sometimes called clothing clubs,
lottery schemes for the sale Of oustom-made
clothing, are becoming popular In some parts
OF the West. Determined attacks are being
made against these clubs by retail and whole
sale tailors. 1t Is asserted that the clubs have
become a menace tn the tailoring business,
Fears are entertained by talors that the craze
will finally rem n this town, Unless checked at
once there is danger. they say. OF the market
being overlooked with an inferior line OF goods.
g. the exclusion OF the better quality of clothing
made by tailurs whose business has been sum-
GENTLY prosperous without resource to lottery
schemes.
A representative Of a large merchant tailoring
establishment in Fifth avenue, when asked the
other day TO cNpllin the organization and OPP
Grafton OF these so-called suit clubs. said:
The suit club game ia as old as the sawdust
game. II is the Unsuitable desire Of the mem
bers Of these clubs to wear hot rags at the eK-
pense Of some one else.
The game IL managed somewhat as follows:
Thirty-1ve or nrty tickets are issued to as many
members. the number In the club depending
upon the valu qtion Of the suits TO be drawn. II
the cloth used in making the suits is Of a medium
grade the membership Of the club will be COM
paratively small; II OF an exceptionally fine pat
tern the CLUB has a large enrolment Of members.
M - NV " ~ - w N - VIC 'i 'hNll
ticket for a period ranging from one to thirty-fve
or fifty week.. according to the total MEMBER
ship OF the club. At the end Of the first week a
drawing is held. when the lucky ticket holder
draws a suit He is then released from further
payments. The process Is repeated from week
to week. The first man VINO draws the win
ming number gets a suit OF clothes for 81 and
the others for prices ranging from 81 to SIS or
$50. A club OF thirty-ave members. providing
the scheme works perfectly. brings the tailor
$685. This sum divided by thirty-fve makes
each suit average tls. which. OF course. includes
a fair rate OF profit. II Is fair to suppose that
the suit, are worth SIS and no more. The first
seventeen get their suits for less than their
value. the eighteenth man neither gains nor
loses. while the remaining seventeen pay Tor
the same suit nearly twice what II IL worth.
The promoters Of hese suit clubs represent
or villages WHO md { hard TO make both ends
meet adopt the lottery SC enc as a good
method for increasing their business The
country arts 5 Intentions are usually honest
AID he resorts to no tricks OF dec ption.
Members OF The clubs which he orgauiz :
understand that some are sure 10 win and
OF ers to los. 1t is simply a game OF chance.
With a club Of thirty-f'e members. by figuring
may forfeit asscssments already paid by drop
ping ou' Of the club and another SINAI margin
secured by placing larg + orders With The
sl!l make money out Of the deal.
The second class which works this sort Of a
II + this class which prrdominates and com
prlses travelling agents, who, saying that they
repreS n some large tailorin nc establishment,
travel about the @ untry from toNn 10 town
with a line OF SAMPLES. Clubs are enrolled la
seve'a al towns by the same agent, and once a
week he makes his round. collecting the assess
men's aud measure < the lucky drawer for bis
suit OF c.othes. The first two or three suits do
livere1 are usually OF good mataii i, wei fitting
and neat In appearance. the good Workmanship
OF which serves "a an. advertisement for the
Organization Of new clubs, Sometime the suite
are represented as worth i35. but the host OF
them ofte times would be dear at 50 90, with a
"Crotonbury" watch thrown in. Frequently
these travelling promoters, after organizing the
club and collecting he first assessment, d'sap-
pear and are never seen again in the commu-
nifty. This + simply a swindlinG game,
"Out West. where these club hsv, hourished.
there were no less than 5000 subscriber in one
Der OF a club. the last man to be released. i
brought suit. 10 recover the d~ifereno' between
The case wss found IN have no cause for ac-
ton. the decision beiug given on the ground
mat the plaintiff voluntarily agreed. 10 the pro;
visions. OF the club and that the defendanthad
not mis- represented the scheme 10 him. In
Minneapolis a dissatisfied member had the pro-
moter Of the cub arrested under a section OF
the penal code relating 10 lotteries. The court
found tho tailor guilty Of violating. the lottery
law and imposed a fine and ordered him TO dis
lowe court WIS sustained b. the supreme
Court ~ the State"
~iSgtmatr ~ tom tailo-s assert that tho suit
moss, M SIT pnrlors," which draw consider
able trade away rom the talors, are &c ng
2 tabi-hed all over the country, II is said that
these misft psrlor- never carry In stock n bona
fde misft or leftover suit which has boon oh
tanned a. a bargain from come fashionable
the public a chcar grade OF retdy-made clothing,
cut from up-to-date patterns. These good arc
repres'n'ed a genuine insists. but in reality
are cheap limitations and dear At any price