The Russellville Democrat., 1877-12-20
TO OUR BUSINESS MEN.


 TO OUR BUSINESS MEN.
 Russellville has as good business men as we have ever seen in any lit tie town. They are enterprising, in dustrious, active and liberal; and yet they are in something's as reck- less to their own interests as men could we'll be. They sell goods very low, pay most liberal prices for cot ton and country produce, and trest their customers generally with all fairness and liberality, but there is one point on which they are too negligent. We refer to thelr care lessness in inviting new trade. For the past week we have had our streets full of wagons from Searcy, Newton and Boone counties,-wag- ons loaded with cotton and country produce. Sales have been made here which were highly satisfactory to the sellers and the universal verdict of all who have visited our place is that they would turn their whole trade and traffic this way Heretofore it has gone to Springfield, Mo-, if they only had better roads. And it is this one polnt-the con struction of better roads of approach to our town-to which we now want to call the attention of our business men. Good, smooth avenues of ap- proach is the very life and making of our town, and in this respect our place is defective, and our business men do not seem disposed to remedy the matter. The best and largest trade our town would have would come from Searcy, Newton and Boone counties if the roads leading to Harrison and Bellefontc were good. And when it is we'll knowL that it would require no great sum to make them good, it is astonishing that our business men do not take steps to mend them. Numbers of men from the counties north of us have talked to us about this matter, and have asked if our business men were willing to aid in making the roads good for this trade. Our aid is only asked so far as the roads lie in our own county. The people of the other counties propose to make their own roads good, and they ask that we do the same. Now will not our merchants take some action in this matter? It will not cost much, and the return from tie investment will be sure and ample. Two hun dred and fifty or three hundred dol lars will do much to relieve all the bad places in the road north to the Newton county line. A town with the number of merchants which we have ought to raise twice that sum for this purpose, without any effort at all. By the expenditure of the small sum required for this work, the trade of the place can be doubled or perhaps trebled. We assure you, business men of Russellville, that there is no question about the trade of the counties north of us coming to this point if you will make good roads. The people of Newton, Searcy and Boone counties wish tc turn their trade this way, and all you have to do is to invite them by making your roads good and passa- ble. Will you take some acton, gentlemen? We warn you and ad- wise you that you had better, for if you don't you are going to lose the opportunity. A good road opened from Atkins to Scottville will afford the trade north of us just as near ac- cess to the railroad as Russellville, and we would not be surprised at any day to see our wide awake young rival go to work and make this strong point. It will be a very slight tax on our merchants to make the road to tho Newton county line good and passable, and we suggest that during the coming week, our merchants should hold a consulta- ton and make arrangements to have some good, efficient work done.
 What say you merchants?