The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-11-17

migration Agt of the Houston n Texas Cent.
r. r., of st. Louis, and A. Alice, Esq, northern
passenger agent, NJ X. & T. X. r., of Chicago,
made official visits to DR.. j. o. Harris, yestcr.
day. Both are very agreeable gentlemen.
4. j. Mitchell, of Chicago, is in the city That
gold watch quite breaks the hearts of the boys.
Trade at Home.
We all know the tendency Of great city TO alb.
sorb everything around it. "Thcy are" rs Vie
tor Hugo says, sort Of tunnels which receive all
the drains geographical, political, moral and in.
telectual, Of a country-all the natural tcnden.
cies of people-wells of civilization as il were
and also snks-wherc commence manufactures
intelligence populatiOn-all the vital juices of
state-fter and collect necessarily, drop by drop,
century after century" There is hardly subur-
ban city, town or village, but feels this influence
dragging its people away, suckin" away its mon
ey, its trade its industries. 1t is natural. 1t is
universal A great city presents a host of at
| fractions, innocent and also vicious, elcyating
and also degrading, and business opportunities
unknown to the country, and quite irresistible to
the countrybred man, who gets above the mere
drudgcry of life.
|
fatal to country" towns, is the drawing away of
their capital to increase the wealth Of the city
1t is apt illustration of the scriptural SAYING ITO
him thatIhah shalt be given, but to him that hath
not shall be taken away even that which he
hath" OF the scores Of men who have amassed
fortunes {. a., in this city, how many remain
here to invest them in improvements or to spend
them here? Barely Il handful. We should the
more appreciate those who have remained and
are improving the city.
Another phase of this attraction to the mctrop
oils is the custom of many people 10 rush off to
the city to purchase, say, dry goods, whenever
they want anything finer than yard of calico
forgetting or ignoring the fact that it is only by
rcciprocyit that a town can live. We know that
in many towns, especially those near the city,
this is an actual necessity, the finer line of goods
not being handled at all But to come home to
ourselves, for Ottawa people to rush off to Cnica-
do to make purchases is the sheerest nonsense
we know Of We believe that there is not dry
goods house in Ottawa but has as fine and as
fashionable line Of goods as any retail house in
Chicago The quantity may not be as grcat-pat-
terms Of silk or velvet probably may not be kept
800 or 400 yard lots but the variety is certainly
as good. The other day, in n conversation on
this subject, a merchant said, In the old times,
dry goods men who used TO carry stock worth
from $4,000 to 10000 considered II Il oiy ono, and
imadc money with It; now we are carrying stocks
worth from S2O, 600 to $4,000. We are compcll-
ed by its competition to carry all city lines of
goods, or our trade runs away And our dry
goods merchants carry such goods. Look at
their stores--cvcry one double room. 1t is the
same way with every other line of goods handled
in the city, clothing groceries even, millinery,
hardware, jcwclry, peanut stands. We hear
occasionally people complaining that Ottawa
goods are not up to the styles In some few
things can believe that Is so, yet il Is entirely
the fault Of the people Themselves. Somebody
rushcs into ChicagO, secs new boot or a new
hat ar a fancy cahe and buys; then lac rushcs
home and makes his complaints, forgetting that
Others are led by his example TO 20 10 the city to
buy, making no demand on home merchants for
those goods. The Ottawa merchants as anxious
as any one TO bring out new styles, and most u
them do, a. soon as there is a demand, and In
some cases before the demand comes, aud oCen
are sufferers in the latter case, In the wr'cr's
when osmAn & 1iuwman had styles 'twall pa.
lpcr hapgngs and decorations thoC f"t year had
| been the fashionable goods in the cities which
could nor De sold here at my pyice--thay wcr,
too 'pashy.' In time, when the public had beer
educated by fashion 10 the right point sales o
this class Of goods began and many other mer
chants in th city delilc>su tell the same cxpe
ricnccin their business But our merchants having
suffered this officially are more than ever actiy,
in forcing stylish goods and IL is rare not to fnc
any line of gooGs in Ottawa that is Fashionable
and as ,u0r.Js they appear in the cities.
| There i stiil another reason why ottawa i, IT,
best Ir,,ti at which to trade in this congressional
district aside from the fact that It's houses ar
metropolitan in their characteristics, and that j
their general chcapncss in price. Nine. tenth
q our larger houses huy in New York directly
purchase imported y"od- of the importers, an,
many lines Of domestic Jf the manufacturer
themselves, which i not generally The ,a-. il
the country" The advantage OF This -y,t"rn &
Obvious and cannot bc denied. and - weigh
has been felt all through the wears o. her trade
: b. the cause. however, what il may, an one wh
, has tried It knows that there j. not au articl
tlrt does not cot from 10 To- ~ per cent
more ~ Tie leading Iuu,.- iu Chicago
than they do IN OTTAWA s shoe that IN O;iaw
brings - costs ~, so and even Sl2 10 Ckf.a@o
q ward Of silk which costs $50 in OTTAWA cost
p, -, 81 ~ or 30 IN Chicago, and 80 ou. And ID
! finer or tie more fashionable the -svi- III
T. greater the difference. IL &, VIGOROUSLY go.
| Aud therefore W ,ci-y. that O,,aws j. III
, best place to trade iu ihi, district. ~. offer
p greater inducements IN every way-iu 10. yariet
, Of her business houses and .lnir contents. fl
which no town within - miles cA-- can com
pare,-anl in liz. perUu'.ry inducements. au
We believe that any person Who lives v,Liu ,