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<DATE>2013-02-25</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B120717.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B01292">
<STC T="W">C1179</STC>
<STC T="C">R227670</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52211973</BIBNO>
<VID>175542</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD><HI>The</HI> CASE <HI>of the</HI> Woollen-Drapers <HI>of</HI> London <HI>and</HI> We&s;tmin&s;ter.</HEAD>
<P>IN the Eighth and Ninth Year of His pre&s;ent Maje&s;ty's Reign, an Act was pa&s;&s;ed, entitled, <HI>An Act to Re&s;tore the Market of</HI> Blackwell-Hall <HI>to the</HI> Clothiers, <HI>and Re|gulating the Factors there.</HI> Which Act, the <HI>Woollen-Drapers</HI> not looking upon them|&s;elves to be concern'd in, did not <HI>then</HI> make their Application to the <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> Honourable Hou&s;e of Commons; but finding (to their great Grief) that Act to extend to the De&s;truction of the <HI>Woollen Manufacture</HI> in general (the Encouragement of which, the Hou&s;e of Commons has always intended) and to the great Damage of the <HI>Woollen-Drapers</HI> of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> in particular; have therefore humbly Petitioned to be heard again&s;t a New Bill brought in for Enforcing the &s;aid Act, and laying fre&s;h Grievances upon the <HI>Woollen-Drapers,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Rea&s;ons why the <HI>Drapers</HI> look upon them&s;elves to be Sufferers are,</HEAD>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t.</HI> By the making a New Law, obliging them to give Notes for Goods bought (otherwi&s;e than with ready Money) upon a &s;evere Penalty; whereas it has been always in the Power of every Man in Bu&s;ine&s;s, to di&s;po&s;e of his Goods as he thought fit him|&s;elf, either for ready Money (with which <HI>alone</HI> very little Trade can be carried on) Bond or Note; &s;o that there &s;eems to be no Nece&s;&s;ity for the extraordinary Interpo&s;i|tion of the Legi&s;lative Power, in making an Act for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly.</HI> The <HI>drapers</HI> cannot but think their Ca&s;e to be <HI>very</HI> &s;evere, by being <HI>very</HI> particular; for if other Traders, and the Gentlemen with whom they Deal, were obliged either to pay ready Money, or give their Notes (as the <HI>Drapers</HI> are by the late Act con&s;train'd to do) that then they would have no Rea&s;on to offer their Complaints to the Honourable Hou&s;e of Commons, but do their Duty in a chearful Submi&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly.</HI> What will be extreamly grievous to them, is the de&s;ign of the New Bill, which obliges them to pay Intere&s;t at Six <HI>per Cent.</HI> for all Sums contracted for, and not paid at the Day, whether occa&s;ioned by a Neglect in having it call'd for, or a pre&s;ent Incapacity in the Merchant or Draper in complying with it.</P>
<P><HI>Objection.</HI> The Rea&s;on why the former Act pa&s;t, was purely in Con&s;ultation to the Ea&s;e of <HI>Clothiers,</HI> that they (Living at a great Di&s;tance) might (at their coming to <HI>London</HI>) know who were their Debtors, and where to make their Demands; which Accounts, &s;ome Factors perhaps, have &s;omtimes refu&s;ed to give them.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer.</HI> There is no Trade, where every Man is Hone&s;t, and if it has ever been a <HI>Clothier</HI>'s ill Fortune to meet with a Factor that has not been &s;o, he has no more than the common Fate that all Men in Bu&s;ine&s;s are expos'd to, and has the &s;ame Right (that other People have) to the Laws of the Land (with which, thank God, we are well pro|vided) for the doing him&s;elf Ju&s;tice.</P>
<P>It is very plain that where the Retailer is di&s;couraged, that the Trade mu&s;t &s;ink, be|&s;ides, the ill Con&s;equences that mu&s;t attend Trade in general, by pa&s;&s;ing &s;uch Bills, are pretty vi&s;ible, by reducing Credit to &s;o narrow a compa&s;s, and giving occa&s;ion to many vexatious and litigious Suits of Law, by the&s;e Notes being put into Strangers Hands, who will not look upon them&s;elves to be tied up by any common Rules of Decency, but con&s;ult perhaps their own Nece&s;&s;ities, and as frequently, a Spirit of Malice and Contention.</P>
<P><HI>In Order therefore to the better E&s;tabli&s;hing the Trade between</HI> Clothiers <HI>and</HI> Drapers, <HI>it's hoped that it may not be thought incon&s;i&s;tent with the Wi&s;dom of the Honourable</HI> Hou&s;e of Commons, <HI>to permit a Bill to be brought in, Excluding all People from Retailing of Cloth, within the Liberties of the Cities of</HI> London <HI>and</HI> We&s;tmin&s;ter, <HI>who have not &s;erved an Apprenti&s;hip to the Trade of a</HI> Woollen-Draper, <HI>which En|couragement of the</HI> Draper, <HI>will ab&s;olutely redound to the Benefit of the</HI> Clothier, <HI>who&s;e Intere&s;t the</HI> Drapers <HI>are very ready to promote upon any other Terms than the being unea&s;ie in their own Imploy, to which the giving of Notes, very much contributes; for a Relief from which, they have recour&s;e to the Wi&s;dom of the Honourable</HI> Hou&s;e of Commons, <HI>who they are a&s;&s;ured, are not le&s;s Ready, than Capable to Redre&s;s them.</HI></P>
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<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="docket title">
<PB REF="2">
<P>THE CASE OF THE Woollen-Drapers.</P>
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