, 1841-12-18
The True Secret.

The question which we put last week to those
interested in the Town of Louisiana, is in part
answered by the following article from that inter-
esting and s~prightly paper, the "Hannibal Jour-
nal" We hope that they will read it attentively,
and ponder over its contents; and they need not
devote their money, their time, or their energies,
to remove the County Seat from this place, in
order to make their town a place of considerable
importance.
"Until the fall of 1910, the business of this
place was pretty much the same as that of the
surrounding towns. The stocks of goods were
laid in once or twice a year, and sold out to the
few regular customers living in the vicinity, and
of course, at what are usually esteemed 'fair
living profits" by all retailers. All parties,
the merchants and the consumers, were satisfied,
and the trade was gradually but slowly increas-
ing.-About that time some of our merchants
made a bold effort to attract the trade from a
greater distance-and to effect this, they COM
menced selling their goods at very low prices
for cash, lower even than those of st. Louis. This
they could well afford to do, as their expenses
generally were far below those of that city.
They also determined to buy the produce of the
country, of every description, and to paw the
highest market prices for it.
An improvement was Immediately apparent in
the trade. The news OF the "great bargains in
Hannibal" spread like wildfre, far and wide
every day, buyers, who had never been here be-
fore, made their appearance in the market, and
these, on'their return home, showed their pur-
chases and induced their neighbors to come. In
this way our town has acquired a celebrity in a
few months, which it can never be deprived of,
and which we think has laid the foundation of its
commercial prosperity"
Here is the true secret of the growth and pros
perity of Hannibal. Its local advantages are but
little if any superior to those of Louisiana. The
latter place is a much handsomer and better site
for a Town, and ought to attract the trade of a
large portion of this County, portion Of Lin
colin, Montgomery, Galloway, Audrain & Rails
a SECTION of-country, filled mp with industrious
producing annually a large surplus of
hemp, tobacco, pork, beef, and grain of all sorts.
Hannibal too, has had to contend with Palmyra
where there is now, and for many years has been,
strong competition, in all departments of business.
And without any desire to have the County Seat
of Marion removed, she has been steadily and
rapidly improving for the last two or three years.
1t can only be accounted for upon the ground
which is stated in the above extract. Large sales
for cash and small profits, and a determination to
euery thing the ttrm9 has to sell, at fair prices,
has done for Hannibal, what the same mode of
aoing business, viii do for Louisiana, or any
other point having similar advantages. Let ev-
ery merchaut in Louisiana adopt this course, and
il be kno,cn, and they need not trouble them
selves about removing the County Seat to Louis
lana. We saw last fall two or three farmers,
from the upper part of this County, wagoning
heir wheat to Hannibal. : Why was this? Two
reasons may be assigned for it-one, that wheat
was worth a few cents, more in Hannibal than at
louisiana /; but a, stronger one was, that they
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49,. A., %. e.. .yr