The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-11-04
INSURANCE CRAFT NOT
ALL THAT R0bS PEOPLE
Writer Exposes Plan Of Book
Concerns Which Get Money
From Helpless People.
Biggest Line of Graft in Book
Business Told by One Who
Has Been Victimized.

tiselnents which appear in the papers
regularly offering positions to book
agents at certain guaranteed salary
per week.
Many a man out of job has seen an
OF The want Ad." and has innocently
applied for the position to make an
assured salary. Our correspondent
was broke. In looking for work he
answered an advertisement in the
papers. He was accepted, and he gives
startling account Of the methods
Of the Book Concern as follows:
Crafts are too common these days.
They are not confined to insurance
CIRCLES either. They have permeated
our whole commercial life. The writ
er is familiar with a book agency
scheme that uniquely expresses the
possibility Of taking the public. The
compny employs a general agent who
IL furnished with adroit suggestions in
the employment Of which he closes
so-called local contracts. These guar
antee a. salary of $1.00, $500 or $3.50
per day. according to the period of en-
ployment, 80, so or 80 days. These con-
tracts are so written that it is prac-
tically impossible to fulfill the terms
of the agreement. The most popular
Of these contracts is the so day en-
gagement, in which there is. first
commission Of 40 per cent guaranteed,
then straight salary Of $500 per day
provided the 40 per cent does not
equal 5000 per day for each and
every day engaged in canvassing.
1t looks like a very promising prop
osition to the missuspecting. He sees
a guaranteed salary Of $500 per day
for go days of eight hours each. 1t
is rosy with beauty, and it is fragrant.
1t has a thorny stem however which
becomes evident by handling 1t. There
must be satisfactory daily reports, and
there must be a deposit of $500 or
$3.50 for the use of the prospectus,
and as a guarantee that the territory
assigned will be faithfully cultivated.
This is ostensibly, at least, the purpase
of these provisions of the contract. In
reality it is all the time anticipated
that this contract WILL, by its own
terms, lapse, and the poor victim will
loose the deposit money. If perchance
he is able to fulfill all the terms of
the agreement. he will find it difficult
task to secure final settlement. 1t is
in this way that large corporations
are able to announce that they have
q capital stock of from 100000 to
$250,OO0. They have money Of course.
II 1000 poor wash-women will put
up $500 per capita, it will aggregate
the handsome sum of $4,000 to the
unprincipied advantage Of a soulless
corporation.
1.-THE air is blue with the bitter de-
nunciations of the people against these
contracts They are deceptive, and
there should be legal restrictions
against these spurious business con-
Germs. 1t Is just simply clever graft
These salary propositions Astounding
in advertisement form in the city press
are in the same way misleading. They
offer $21.00 per week. straight salary,
which is only another form of the
same old fa!Sehood. They will get the
agent OF on the road selling contracts
and the very day he fails to produce
business they will cut off the supply.
They will then, tell him that the $500
Ger week salary is conditioned on get
ting that amount Of business, and that
he could not reasonably expect it on
any other terms. It is we'll enough
too, but in fairness that feature should
be explained before hand. 1t is a.
costly lesson and in equity it is unfair.
1t is a misleading contract. the spurious
feature OF which are concealed from
the second party by an ingenious
sophestry, until he is submerged in
humilitating embarrassment. These
people Of course sell Bibles, but the
query is, do they read them? 1t Is right
at Al events TO deal JUSTLY Tho =em-
edy lies In some form Of supervising
legislation that will be just and equit-
able, guaranteeing to all parties pro-
lection in their civil, commercial and
industrial rights.
book concern to sell books through
an agency, but it's contracts should
be open and in the light. A contract
implies the union of two or more con-
senting minds on every one Of it's
provisions, and if one partly knows Of
contingencies of which the other is
unaware, it is fraud to consummate
All agreement on that basis This Is
simply intended as a suggestion. In
the second edition we may be able to
give isolated Illustrations from actual
life Of these methods Of business. It is
possible also to furnish proof OF in
dividual distress resulting therefrom
It is all about us in every community.
It is the duty of the state to protect
it's innocent and unsuspecting masses
against the clever schemes of the de-
signing CRATER. The strong must not
bs allowed to oppress the weak. Any
supremacy of the intellectual few over
the .lndeveloped masses is species Of
barbarism. Ability to carry a great
=-=,eme that is oppression in it's gen.
eral effects, should be restricted and
restrained by state interference. We
should have more legislation directly
In the interests Of the people, designed
to lessen the growing power Of money
corporations. We are waking up to
this necessity. The next decade will