Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-08-09
A FEW WORDS or soseRNEss.


Ottumwa is essentially CONNER
mercial city, although within quite
recent period its manufacturing in
terests. have developed rapidly, and
its great natural facilities for manu-
featuring promise to make 1t erelong
the principal manufacturing city in
Iowa. Its water-power, coal, stone.
timber. cheap freights and unbounded
agricultural resources tributary to
it, render this result inevitable.
Being equidistant from st. Louis
and Chicago, and having fine railroad
connection with these cities, makes
Ottumwa the battle ground for cheap
transportation.
We do not hesitate to say that the
Ottumwa merchant gets his goods
laid down here cheaper than at any
other city in Iowa,and this fact makes
an important item in the price ofsalt,
iron, lumber, nails, and all heavy and
indispensable staples. The same adj
vantagcous circumstances enable our
produce dealers to pay more for the
farm product than is paid at any other
point in Iowa. without single ex-
ception.
Take Iowa City for instance. 1t is
a thriving, prosperous city, having
within say two thousand of as many
people as Ottumwa, situated in John
son county, one of the best and Oldest
settled in Iowa, containing some five
thousand more people than Wapello
county, but it has only one railroad,
to-wit: the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa
cific road, and has, therefore, no sharp
competition in freights, and conse-
quently corn and potatoes are selling
there to-day for from fifteen to twen-
ty cents per bushel less than they
will command in Ottumwa, and near
ly everything else in the produce line
is proportionally lower there than
here, while it is safe to estimate that
our merchants are selling their sta
pies at least ten per cent. cheaper than
they can afford to do in that city on
its one line of railway. In fact, from
the basis of prices furnished by the
Iowa City Press before us, compared
with the ruling rates of Ottumwa, a
johnson county farmer could make
better wages hauling his produce six
ty miles to Ottumwa, and here spur-
chasing his heavy staples, than by
doing anything else. And this COM
parison applies with greater force to
the people Of the counties more i'm
mediately contiguous to Ottumwa,
but who are not favored with the
cheap transportation which we enjoy.
And this accounts for the fact that
men are daily seen in our streets who
have hauled their corn and produce
from the neighborhood, and even
from beyond the county seats Of our
adjoining counties, and who are re-
turning with their wagons loaded
with our cheap commodities.
This is an irreversible advantage OF
our position, and of our unparalleled
railroad facilities, and one that will
constantly add to our trade and man.
ufactures.
The important thing left for our PEG.
pie to do is,to let thepeople in the coun.
ties adjoining ours, andthe trade that is
naturally tributary to Ottumwa know
more fully the advantages they will
have by coming here to sell their pro.
duce and buy their goods. This il
especially important this coming
Fall, as some of our crops win be
light, and to even keep up the usual
trade, it will be necessary to increase
the area of country coming here to
trade.
There is but one good and certain
way to let the people in all directions
know the advantages you enjoy, and
that is to advertise them properly.
Our paper is the largest, Oldest and
most extensively circulated one inthe
Des Moines valley, having a good
circulation, not only in this, but in al
the adjoining counties. You may say
that this is selfish conclusion to thi.
article, but your interests are identi
fed with our interests in the prem.
Uses. If you aid us to make better
paper and to increase the circulation
and usefulness of it, we aid you in
bringing to the notice of the people
your wares and your advantages, land
thus we are mutually benefited.
| We are rapidly increasing orr cir
culation among the people who sho'd
be cultivated and induced to- make
Ottumwa their trading point, and
when once they come they will come
to stay.
These are considerations worthy o1
the attention of all intelligent bust.
ness men. aa.iS.