The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-09
A FEW THOUGHTS ON TRADE.

We are now in the midst of what is emphati
cally called the business season for ALTHOUGH
there are here, as at every business centr,
throughout the civilized world, two periods ir
the year, the Spring and the Fall, when mer
chants congregate and make their purchases
the principal trade in this part of the countr,
ia undoubtedly lone during the autumna1
months-frst, because the supplies needed 70,
the winter arc generally Of a more costly
character and secondly because it is with ia,
the greater number Of retail purchasers a,
least, the only time in the year when thew
have q omman of money and many, there.
fore, lay in at that time their supplies for the
whole year, as fer as that is practicable. The
chances, therefore, for cash sales, it is obvious,
must be best in the Fall and Winter months,
when the produce is brought to market, and
the planter and farmer realize the result al
the years labors.
From the indications around rs. we are c,a,d
to perceive that our importers and iobbers are
busy. During the past few weeks many coun-
try MERCHANTS lave S0sa IN Charleston, and
the sidewalks in Meeting, Hayne and East Bay
streets, have been covered with packages
marked for their points Of destination in North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
and Alabama. Our numerous lines of steam
ships, our river and coasting craft, and our
railroads and express lines, ell have their
hands full. This is as it should be, and we are
glad to be able to say that so perfect are all
the arrangement for receiving and forwarding
merchandise that all the depots are cleared
every twenty-four hours, so that If any delay
occurs in the transmission Of goods the fault
must lie elsewhere.
But while all this is so-while the mart re-
sounds with the busy hum Of trade, while cot
ton and rice are coming in daily by all our
avenues of transportation-while dravmen.
merchants, drummers, packers, bankers and
brokers, all have experienced the evidences of
IN accession OF trade, we cannot shut our eyes
to the fact that We $Ss not doing :has business
we did in other days, nor the business we
ought to do now, even after taking into con-
aideration oil the circumstances that haas
effected great and radical changes in our COM
mercial, no less than in our political relations
during the past seven years. .
Our losses have been great, far beyond all
calculation; still, had the close Of tho war not
brought with it also the entire annihilation Of
our industrial system, and had the failure Of
the crops through untoward seasons not tend
ed yet further to paralyze the efforts Of the
husbandman, already much discouraged. we
might ere this have been near the end Of our
disabilities. 1t was, however, not TO be thus.
AN inscrutable Providence decrsed otherwise
and altar three years Of hard, patient, hope
full toll, q great many of our farmers find
themselves mo better of to-day than they were
at the close Of the war in April, 1886.
80 much Of this distress is unmerited. ma
far 40 Unite perception can discern, and there
fore unavoidable, thst we ~scaroely have the
heart to find fault. Yet, as the surOaon muo,
hrst probe tho wound before he can intelligent
~ apply his remedial agents, 90 IL becomes our
duty to- examine Into some OF the oausea tha,
have produced the present staenation os m.
siness. In saying this we know we seem -
contradict ourselves; but such IL not the oaaa.
for however brisk trade lie at present, 90 corut..
pared with last Spring, or the long and drearv
summer just passed, as we have said before, III
Is not what we have Q right to expect. One
reason OF this, We believe, is that our NOR
chants have not made the same efforts to ex-
tend their business, In sending out agents
Through the country, and in advertising large
ly and constantly in che metropolitan and ccun-
try preas, 40 they were wont to do before the
war. Some, we know, are, NOT open to this
and, upon examination, We doubt !
not, 1t will DO. found hat they are reapine the