Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-08
Latter from Baltimore.

those OF your readers VINO 90 not see tne
Baltimore American, one of the leading COM
mercial papers of this city, / ask the favor
of you to publish the following from the COM
mercial article of said paper, dated the 9th
instant-As it refers particularly to the pre-
sent state of the trade of this city, and flu
ture prospects, and the means to be employ
cd to keep what she has and to get what she
needs, it will be found conirmatory of the
views i have heretofore presented, as to the
course to be pursued by your citizens, and
especially so when such large city as this,
and more particularly the overgrown city
of New York, finds it necessary to adopt the
spirit of the motto that 1.-The price Of liberty
is eternal vigilance The dull summer
months may be well employed by many Of
your merchants and others, by going through
the country and taking time to explain why
Alexandrians can hold out inducements TO
them that no other place can. Much will
be gained by familiar home visit to the
countrymen, and thus bring closer the ties
that now bind you. But here is the article
to which have referred:
Trade up town is also Of u limited charac-
ter. Some of the jobbers are doing a fair
business, but the business cannot be said to
be well distributed among the trade. Upon
inquiry into the cause of this apparent favor
itism, we find that some houses have been IN
dustriously engaged during the season when
there was not much doing, in travelling
through the country stating to the country
merchants facts rs they related to Baltimore
as market for the different articles necessa-
~ to good assortment Of goods for the
country, while others have quietly remained
at home and taken their eese. The conse-
quence is the formec have made not only
themselves friends and business, but have
made them also for the city. They are now
busy and have been so, hilemany others are
doing but little. This is an important mat
ter, and should be considered by those whose
desire it is to develop the business of the city
and advance their own interests.
with the many advantages Of which New
York boasts as a large market &C., her bus
mess men are fully alive to the Importance
of this system, among the many others, of
advertising, and there is scarcely village of
the slightest Importance in the South or
West that is not visited by some two or three
men, land those of good standing and char
acter, for among them We find many of our
best men who have been taken from Us, J
hunting up business. If there is necessity
for New York doing this, how much more 30
is it for us? How has New York established
and built up her numerous lines of vessels to
the different ports of the country? In no other
way but by bringing the trade there to car
ry: and the same thing could be done here,
if not to such large extent, certainly to a
very important one. We are assured by
men of known integrity and character in the
dry goods trade, that they could very easily
increase their business, which is already
large, to three or four times the amount, and
that they are anxious to have additional
houses to do the trade. We ARE also assured
by the houses here which are busy, while
others are doing nothing, that two-thirds of
their business is the result of travelling
through the country by their young men, and
mostly on orders from such persons as sell
dom, if ever, come to Baltimore.
I'VE have been shown letters from the
South, where there is certainly very de-
sirable trade, which we shall lose unless an
effort is made to retain it, complaining of our
want of facilities FOR shipping goods. To do
this we need connections by rail at Alexan-
dria, besides the establishing of lines to run
regularly and at short intervals to all the
prominent points South. The only thing
necessary to do this, is for the merchants to
send the best business men to be had to those
points, and to let the people know of the
advantages to be gained by trading with
Baltimore. They will thus get large por-
ton of the trade, and this, once obtained such
connections as are necessary will be sure to
follow. Unless something of this sort is done
we NAV talk as much as we please, but the
trade will pass by US. Go to work and do
something to bring business here, and the IA
cilties will soon be afforded to transport it to
its destination"
Let it be borne in mind that very large
proportion of all the goods jobbed in this city
are bought in New York, and then re-sold
here, and frequently sales are made by the
travelling agents of houses here, and then
the goods bought in and shipped from New
York, and at the same time the country pur-
chaser doing as well or better than if he
bought in New York. Why should it not
be 50! The Baltimore or Alexandria jobber
will buy from the importer or first hands rs
well as the New York jobber. They can
and do attend their auction sales, and often
buy for cash great bargains; and again it is
not unfrequently the case that when it is
known that the goods sold are to be taken
out of the city and the market become re-
leved of that amount, lower rates will &c
tually be accepted to accomplish this OBJ
iect; and thus it is that either your city or
this may be and doubtless often is better
market for the country merchant than New
York.
Again, it is we'll established fact that
persons will frequently 60 through small
place. and in to larger one, and pay more
for the same thing than it could have been
bought for in the former, taking it for gran
ted that the larger the place the cheaper the
goods. Some persons who consider them
selves very shrewd, are often laughed at
for such folly by even those who sell them
the goods, after their backs are turned--but
| will not dwell on this as hav before re-
ferred to it, and would not have troubled
you to-day but for the desire to bring before
your readers, the article from the "Ameri-
can" The city is destitute of news.
A SOJOURNER.
Maj Henry W. Thomas.
The gallant bearing of this gentleman in
discussion at the Court House, on Monday,