Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-05-22
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In giving the above quotations / only pre-
sent the heavy articles that are daily bought
by our merchants through the country. l
would call the attention of the reader to the
quotation of teas, and remark that there is
not a merchant in Indianapolis that could be
induced to buy tea at 25 cents per pound, ex-
cept he wished it to remain in store during
his commercial life. Hence l have made no
quotation of tea, so low in the Indianapolis
market.
With the above staring him in the face,
how can any Indiana merchant pass by his
own cities and go to buy his stock elsewhere
particularly when he is going among stran-
gers, who may be honest and clever men, but
which he may not know; while here at home
he knows all, and can choose the good and
honorable from the bad and doubtful. Be-
sides, it is the interest of every Indianian to
build up his own cities, as he has an interest
in their welfare, in one point OF view, equal
to that of the merchants themselves living
there.
There Is not a man that will read the above
list of prices, but will say-"Well, / cannot
go to Cleveland to buy my groceries, as l do
not care about paying more for them there
than / car buy them for in Indianapolis."-
Now, let the country merchants take the
Louisville or Cincinnati quotations and com
pare them with the indianapolis prices, adding
the freight to the Cincinnati or Louisville
prices, and see what the difference will be
between the three places. In doing this he
must not forget the expense and time in go
ing to Cincinnati or Louisville, which he will
consider part of the freight on his goods, and
/ venture to state the difference is in favor of
Indianapolis. There is one more thing to be
mentioned, and | am done. The merchants
of Cincinnati or Louisville will sell one Of
our retail country merchants one sack of cof-
fee and one hogshead of sugar as low as they
will sell the large, wholesale dealer one hun
dred of each, and sometimes one quarter cent
lower than they will sell to the large dealer.
Why? Because a quarter of q cent on a
sack of coffee and a quarter of a cent on a
hogshead of sugar is a small item, but when
they come to candles, indigo, nutmeg, spices,
and the different little articles that are needed
in a retail grocery, they add the above quar-
ter, or half, four fold, thereby making up
three or four times the amount they may fall
on the coffee and sugar. In this matter /
know what l write TO be true, as it is a COM
mon occurrence with large HOUSES in these
cities. | would call the attention Of the
press of Indiana, particularly those near and
around Indianapolis, to so much Of this COM
munication as they may think worth publish
ing; at least the Cleveland and Indianapolis
prices are worth republishing in any part of
the State. AS l have not a doubt but that a
comparison of the wholesale prices Of any Of
. our cities with those of Cleveland or any of
the cities adjoining Indiana (whcn freight
and all other expenses are counted,) will
prove that it is to the advantage of the retail
merchants in Indiana to buy at home.
AN INDIANAPOLIS MERCHANT.