The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-09-20
JOURNAL
New York Fail Trade.
From the Evening Post, 6Lh.1

fall and winter trade this year IS, tina
the Southern buyers have not only
came hither in strong force TO buy
goods, hut they have become the
most desirable customers, for whose
business the mer chants are eager
The West, on the other hand, is no
q favorite just now IN our markets
Western merchants complain Of The
stringency of money and bad collect
ions of their outstanding debts, which
necessarily comes home to the New
York wholesale merchants. Indeed
the West is living beyond its means
and that its people run into debt.
The cause of this unsatisfactory
state of things lies deeper than this,
however, and the VESTS not to blame
for its mislortunes.
The produce of the farmer no long
err possesses the purchasing power it
had ten, or even five. years ago. 1t
Is hard TO convince a Well-to-do far
mer, who ten years ago raised only
tWo-thirds the amount of wheat, corn
and other produce he grows now, and
who then found the means readily at
hand TO clothe his family we'll and lay
In his supplies, that now, when he
raises one-third more, or even, in
some instances, double the amount
of produce, he should not be able TO
live ia che style he and his family are
accustomed to. Indeed, he cannot
understand ii, and his going into debt,
though no doubt deplorable, is newt
able. The lessened purchasing pow
er Of Western produce when exchang-
ed for manufactured articles, for gro
ceries, wines, spices, medicines, farm
ing tools, iron, steel, saddlery, ia fact,
for every article he uses, slowly, but
surely, works q mischief which we
hardly venture to depict, especially
10 a market report. il is enough to
say that the prospect for the West is
not reassuring; az long as the pur-
chasing power of one hundred bushels
Of wheat or one hundred bushels of
corn is diminished by half because
the price of manufactured articles is
enhanced beyond their real value By
special legislation, the evil cannot be
cured.
Far different is .he case with the
South. While one hundred bushels
of wheat Of the West will buy now
only half the iron, FIR instance, that
it did ten yeras ago, the bale Of cotton
will actually purchase double the
amount of iron it did ten years ago.
The purchasing power Of the South
ern staples, cotton and sugar, has
doubled.
Again, the West but lately enjoyed
a good credit IN our markets, and now
when times are hard with them, the
Western merchants come into our
markets as debtors and borrowers. /
The South, on the other hand, wiped /
off all its old euoumberanees long /
since. No credit was given il for the I
last three years; and Southern mer- |
chants come into our market free of /
encumberanees, in many instances
with ready money, and with the best
prospects.
In dry goods, houses doing business
with the South are selling freely.
But it is noticed that the Southern
merchants who have come here to
purchase are now very close buyers.
The free and easy way Of Southern
buyers which was formerly proven
bial is 10 longer a feature. Indeed,
the Natehez merchant who now buys
goods in our market, buys closely /
and judici0usly as dos the merchant
who lives In Portland or Bangor.
This new feature seems to give COM
fort and assurance to those of our
great houses who 90 business with
The South.
The West buys cautiously; that is
to say the good Western houses are
timid, while the doubtful find our
own merchants timid; this naturally
does not end 10 much business.
The kind of goods, too, that is Sc
leoted By these Southern buyers, has
undergone a great change The fri
volOus, costly and ornamental are SO
.eeted, aud a considerable business is
done.
Clothing sells freely for the South,
but very poor sales are made for the
West. The late strike has had the
tendency to accumulate stocks, as
it was natural for the great clothing
to hold back their
goods for better prices, even where
they had a chance to sell. The tail
lr5 strike made it difficult to replace
the goods. This circumstance COM
ng, as it does, at a time when the
West buys SO sparingly, tends to de-
press the general clothing trade.
The woOllen goods market Is de-
sidedly dull. Very heavy stocks are
On hand, and chief customers, the
w estern men, are crippled, and can
not relieve the market.
Foreign dry goods arc now pressed
on the market The business ofthe
custom house shows that heavy con-
have been received, which
are sent into the market as quickly as
possible. The great depression In
trade in Europe has no doubt caused
heavier consignments hither than
usual.
Domestic cotton goods are, as
usual, steady, and no sacrifices are
made. Yet this is the most unsatis-
actory business for our city mer-
chants that eau be imagined. Millions
1f dollars Of domestic goods are sold
by our frst house without the least ..
profit. Indeed, if a. 4. Stewart, or
5. Ii. Chittenden, or CIahen, sells
two millions dollars year of the
known brands Of domestics or prints.
hey not only sell them at cost. but
ose the quota of expenses that ought
o fall to the share of these goods.
ct this is a prevailing custom. The
neither allows mar
i'm to the great houses, nor takes the
isk Of loss. He tells the wholesale
merchants that, inasmuch as domes-
lie goods are the leading article, they
,ught to be sold not only free Of :
commission, but as low IN New York :
IS III Lowell or Providence. In short, y
o use common phrase, they are
considered the nest-egg of the dry
GODS trade Whether such a state of !
hings is enefcial to the consumers
n the long ran is very doubtful, as
he loss on the sales on domestic {
FOODS has to be made up on other
,~fsoIa-