Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-12-10
TRADE OF NASHVILLE.
Happy Diffusion of Business.

The year that is Just closing has been
highly prosperous one to Nashville, in
many other regards than the gigantic
strides she has made, in the way of pub
lie and private improvements, and the
opening and grading of streets. Business
in every department has hourished. In
the shape of manufactures and manufac-
turing, the business has been enormous,
far surprising that Of any previous year in
her history. This of itself is an encour-
aging and hopeful sign for the future, into
which it requires no supernatural ssgaciiy,
or prophetic ken to penetrate and see the
time, when every article needed by the
husbandman and the artisan in our own
State, and the vast back country tributary
to us as Southern metropolis, and focal
point of railroads, will be manufactured
and supplied at home. In this regard our
skies are emphatically FRIGHTENING.
But it is more especially to our trade In
commercial and mercantile transactions, as
exhibited during the year, to which we de-
signed to call attention. The aggregate
trade of Nashville has been unprecedent-
eddy heavy. Larger stocks, and, perhaps,
more varied and better selected stocks of
goods were brought to the city by our mer-
chants last spring, aud the earlier part of
the fall, than had ever been before. The
excellencies of the articles and their cheap
ness have impressed country purchasers,
who do business on moderate capital, to a
greater extent than ever before, of the i'm
portant fact that they can buy their stock
as cheap in this market, taking the cost OF
transportation, etc, into the account, as
they can anywhere north of US, and that
they can receive them much more expedi-
tiously. In the mean time our wholesale
merchants have been remuLerated for the
heavy outlays in purchasing extensive
stocks, to say nothing of the enhanced
reputation given to their business and
to the city, ss an improved basis fer future
operations. The sales during the year have
been very large as q cursory glance at the
Revenue Collectors books will indisputa-
bly, show. They have had liberal custom
ers throughout the State, and their ex-
banding lines of trade gone down through
Alabama, diverged to the Southwest and
the Southeast, aud penetrated to the sun
kissed shores of the Gulf. The railroads,
our great and active commercial nerves,
leading from this point into those regions,
have daily been burdened with the wares,
the merchandise and products Of our city
and our dealers. Groceries and grains and
implements and farm utensils have been
forwarded from here in vast quantities.
Generally business men are satisfied thus
far with the years business. Probably IN
some instances, the sales of firms may not
have attained the magnitude they had rea-
son to anticipate; yet in most cases trade
hes been good and remunerative.
There is one fact in this con-
nection that We regard as one Of
the most hopeful signs Of the times.
1t cannot have failed TO have impressed
the must casual observer. That is, that
whatever may be the transactions Of old
established firms, increase as they may
and as they should, there is now more
business and q greater diversity of bust
ness carried on in Nashville than ever be-
fore. In other words, there is a greater
diffusion of business observable than at
any previous time since we were city,
and We confidently assert that there are
more men doing business on their own
hook, and with their own means, than
there are in any other city of the same
population in the land. Herein lies the
-substratum of our future commercial
prominence, and we note the fact as one
of the most healthful business indications
of the year 1870.