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Show COH-lUMCA.LtM TIIATIIItKAMUU.OIll".'AlUJItU' In these times of trade depression there la both intelligent comment and speculative theory as to tho origin, continuance and ultimate cutooinu of this almost unlveriat lienomenon. Not but what jerlods of financial stagnation Imvu occurred before, aud aru likely to occur when (he present Is forgotten; yet, It may be believed that there la an Individuality about theso recurring periods, elietboeu engaged In tradu (particularly tho experts) would learn by experlenco hnw to avoid or overcome that which bo at fects the many Interests Involved. Tba very fact that this Is not tbu caso Is QVldoncothat there Is no universal law. Otherwise tho unlverssl panacea pan-acea would ere this have been die-covered, die-covered, and panics might have Leeu as esally prevented, averted or limited In their etlects, as Is tba disease of small pox by the Intervention of vac cluatlon. The atrangest fsature of these times of "suspended animation" Is that the oldest, most exjierlcnccd, and those aisumed to bo Hie stfeft. wither and die before the paralytic Influence al moatai readily as tho Inexperienced; nay, many of the latter may somehow aurvlvenndupon the ruins of their as sumed euperlcrs rise to tflluenca and unquestioned stability In trade! These thoughts may appear to be only applicable to the broad Held of national transactions, or of a world's complicated coramercr,for the barotne ter of business In London and IS'aw Vorklsuasonsltlve to the failure of Daring Hrotbcra or tba suspension of a prominent Auitrslailan bink as la the little one on our door Jamb to the cllmallo conditions around It. When a great bouse or firm goes down, or an Institution oolIa)ses, finance feels In Its uttermost tentacles tho shock aud crssh of failure. At the tamo time, Insolvency and bankruptcy aru not confined to strlugent times. Indayaot boom and undisputed activity men and firms go down. There are local and Individual ecullarltlus a there aru national or uulversalones, and it Is wilb the former form-er more parllcularly,where observation and sjeclal Interest exltt, that present comment may be of value, al-though al-though It should bo and la a bualneai man's duty aud pteisure to read and study bit profre-lon and things which affect It near or far. This favored Territory of Utah Isour home and Its prosperity Is our ambition. ambi-tion. Jlven personal lutere'ts are merged In tho consideration of llioso details which ailed Ita good name, Its well being, lis business stability and financial success. If years of eiperl-enco eiperl-enco nre of account, If occupying a position to survey the territorial tradu field wilt render any comment valuable, all tbat la desired will bo aohleved; and if the humblest one engaged en-gaged In trade can learn a lesson, this effort will not have been In valu. There are a large number of atorea or dealers In merchandise lu tbu towns aud villages of Utah. Yeara ago co eqeratlve stores wcru the rule, and their deal was almost exoluslvely with one house, Msny if those wbo were directors and talcimen In those stores weru absolutely unnccustomeJ to buy lng or selling, to dealing In or disposing dispos-ing of produce. Receiving or giving oredlt was not a systom In their business busi-ness program. They bought and expected ex-pected to pay; they aold and oxjected to ba paid some tlmo. Promptitude on either side was au unknown factor. Their pay for goods sold came rcalnly In produce, upon which there was wn.tnor loss, consequent on dlntant, changing or unknowu marke ts.Lack of training and exriencei ion exhibited ex-hibited Itself lu cramped co idltlous; but all ihtia stores bad an object, and even when dlsaprilutramta and disaster state t then) la thafaoe, the fact of mutual interest tided over mauyadiniculty which meant ruin under other circumstances to directors, etockholJcrs, salesmen and settlements nt large, A caso recurs to memory where In n prominent southern town tho local cooperative, co-operative, store was Indebted to one firm some $I3,(JU0; lha Roods weru gone from tbu shelves, the looplu bad bought and Uied them, payment was deemed secure at harvest, but Ibe harvest nover catuo. After friendly consultation an arrangement waa made by which this Indebtedness remained lu statu quo; an agreement was concluded con-cluded fur a certain small credit not to be exceeded, aud all other transactions weru lo Lu for cash. Now, had tli 1) ludutttdiieaslecrieluu to many firms, us to housed In Chicago, Bt. I.Jint, Bt. Josc h, Omaha, Denver or Hsu Frati cltco, loyment would doubtless have bteu eulorced, Iho stock, tenuis, faruit und houses of the stockholders would havu bueu Jcopurllud atij, may be, lost. Hut thu rlnclplu ul brotherhood prevailed, aud throe ytarsufurward,wiieii the writer visile it tbat town again, this atoro was out of debt, was buying for cash, discounting Its bills and bad a fine stock of met. chandltu ou hand. Hero Is an otcet Itaaon by which im-nlnbuslutsimay learn that Ulium nlwaya smart to tccomo resile or plcayuulth lu liallug as to trade; for It cannot la denied that there are many etorot In Ulah today that aro In an embarrassed condition, and the managers thereof do not know how lo extricate themselves without die-honor. die-honor. They have beoome Indebted In too many directions. Tertlstent "drummers," tsngulno that Utah's people will pay their debts, faavo by methods known to trado crowded upon the unsophisticated and Inexperienced buyer or dealer goods In exceea of necessity, and many such pur chases have had to be paid for With money which really belonged to the home house or firm, which has given accommodation and credit for months and jeara before. Thirty or sixty days outside, In bual ness, means thirty or sixty dey only, whereas It has been assumed to be threoorsfx months at home, or longer If this was Inconvenient, Further, trading abroad ban teen Indiscriminate or with many flrmi, as though the moral courage lo say "Nol" was not within the range of a buyer's vocabulary. vocabu-lary. That this feature lias exhibited Itself In several latuaaslgumenleia probably not to be wondered at, for aveu large, shrewd and eijierlenced men of bual. ness may fall Into the same compromising compro-mising error. A prominent case of this kind occurred In this city but a little while ao. Friends and rivals weru equally astounded wueu the balance-sheet was published that so large an Indebtedness waa made up cf ao unuiually numerous small ones, but one or two accounts of magnitude appearing In tha eohed ulu with a total of nearly JIl'O.OOUOO. Another local collapse mado an exhibit of Indebtedness amounting to $14,000.00, with a list of seventy creditors; while still a later one had a Met of fllty-flvei creditors for art ludeblolutss of $7000. It la easy to riallse that this Is all wrong, although lu tho latter cases they were mixed atom; and the same condition wherever wher-ever It may cxiit must bu looked upon as evidence of weakness, of Ignorance, In fact of danger, and It might almost bu call of failure; for whou money Is scarce Ibe small accumulations of dally buslueea cut no figure In lay tueut If divided, and If given to but one or two dl.atlefacllon ensues; some more rcsjiutu or needy creditor than the others, la sell-defense crowds for payment, aud lha unsubstantial fabrlo falls to tho ground, assignment comes as a consequence, forced sale of goods affects an already trembling trade, legal expenses eat Into the proceeds pro-ceeds aud every one concerned Is lha loier, Now, had any of tbesu firms rolcd been satisfied to deal with but ono or two wbolesalo dealers a payment of a few hundreds or thousands In the larger case would have couuled some what, and there might have been patient advisory sympathy or aid, and to financial salvation. Ho long aa credit prevails, such a trade, concentrated concen-trated and confined, would have been worth looting alter aud preserving; but a series of accounts (In a failure for $i:o,000) which ruu from a couple to llvo hundred dollars Is not worth having, certainly not worth much cultivation. cul-tivation. It would pay many of the stores In this Territory to set a limit to their buying, to learn to say no" to a prtaslug "drummor," to fully seme that goods bought on thirty and sixty days should be mat us promptly with a local as a distant Arm; to seu tbat goods bought from a distance (If short time goods, like groceries, etc.,) are due Iwfore they reach the shelves of tba buyer; that often quantities quan-tities have to be bought which are br yond need In order loecureaglven price; and that this Is fww economy, Lecsueo common Intereit will amount to more than lha rrjn" on m,n-' staple articles of trade. Tlio question may hje asked, what has a newapajeror III) puhllo to do with these fealiirra of trade, or of what Interest Is It to the users of goods to know tlio buelneis of Iho Utile store where he gets his Vrr'l"-' llllob every way, Is the reply. The newt paper Is ibe guardian ol the public inlereata; It has a volte; It poetesses lower; II csn correct an evil or an abuse; it cau create and foster public sontlmenljand Itself Isdcpendent upon buslnuis liouiei, luilness habits and rromptltude of psymeut everywhere even for Ita own success. The gtcnt I ubllo have au Interest In honest and Intelligent deal; they goto their elore to barter or to buy; wllh It they per chance oasets a little ere lit If only for an emergency; eorao of them are ahareholJers of owners (If Individ uallttd), but they aru Interested In (uccen; they do not want to fall; their personal credit, tho credit of tbtlr company, of their town, Is at stake; there Is muoh risk In stringent times, and asa good seaman Is always prepared for a iquall or storm, ao the stood merchant, thu honest, conscientious conscien-tious Luslneas man kecpo out of deep water; be does not tempt calamity; lie seeks to bo taff, and to bring no dli-aster dli-aster upon others. Hence It may be asserted that cooservatltm Is needud now, that flnanclil salvation la needed now, and that tho wisest of men In buslnets have now to furl sailor run near tho shore II they want to enjoy the harbor of content and peace; and lu avoid debt, att!cularly of a widely dlatrlbutcd character, la thu lilgh.et wisdom, while lo extcud (hat In ordlnatoly nukes ono llablo to tho Imputation if Ignorance or open to tbu suspicion of fraud. |
