Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-08-15
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We are told BY well-informed tray
cling men, that no town in Iowa suf-
fers less with the hard times than OF
tumwa. No failures of any serious
have occurred here and
no more are likely to. They tell ne,
and this information concurs with
our observation while travelling in
various directions, that no town in
tho State is building more or better
business houses and residences than
we are., In fact, many important
western cities which this writer has
recently visited, much more preten-
tious than Ottumwa, were not able
to exhibit new single.
We don't believe that there is an
other county and city in the United
States which could have stood three
years of Noah's Flood, revised and
improved, without total bankruptcy
and consequent support from foreign
aid societies. Yet we have done it,
and are not out of either money,
business or pluck.
I It IL true that the patches begin to
duplicate themselves on the farmers
breeches, and the city clerk smokes .
five cent cabbage plant where he used
to luxuriate on . fifteen cent regalia,
but oil this leads to ultimate prosper
ity. i
BY virtue Of our railroad connec-
tions and the sharp competition
which must always exist between st.
Louis and Chicago at this point, we
have such low transportation rates
that our Sserohants ought to and mast
,seN their goods so loo that they 4ciN
thus attract the trade from the comn-.
ties adjoining US.
At the same time our grain and pro-
dMce men haze the facilities and they
can afford to pay such prices that the
.fdrmers Of Davis, Monroe, Mahaska,
:Keoksk and Jsfsrson sciu find ii to
be to their interest to haul a large por-
ton of their produce to Mas market.
To illustrate, Ksokukl county has one
railroad, . branch Of the Chicago
and Rock Island, 30, that II can and
does dictate It's own freight rates.
Now, then, the sharp competition
between st. Louis and Chicago will
enable Nick Baker, for instance, to
pay every day in tho year enough
more money on a load Of wheat than
: Sigourney merchant can, to enable
. Keokuk county farmer living be-
yond Sigourney To make good wages
by hauling his wheat through Sigour-
ney to Ottumwa.
Z Then that farmer ought to make
good wages on his return trip by vir-
the Of the reduction he here finds in
the salt, stoves, dry goods and other
staples which his family require.
In q word, our business men and
manufacturers, and especially our
retailers and produce dealers must
greatly increase their trade in the adj
joining counties to make up for what
falling Off there may be in the corn
crop. Our wholesale merchants need
no advice upon this subject. Their
salesmen scour the State in every di-
rection, on all the railroads, and they
arc not affected by local short crop.
In the area of country which patron
ICES the Ottumwa Wholesale market,
there is, on an average, the best crop
that ever grew out of the ground.
Ottumwa jobbers justly anticipate an
unusually prosperous business season.
Finally, We may be permitted to
add that the Ottumwa WEEKLY CoUR-
TER is q very large paper, an uncom-
monty large paper, in fact, the larg-
est paper printed in Iowa, and that it
has the largest circulation of any pa
per published in this part of the
State, which it has been carefully
picking up and sitting out for about
thirty years, and that 1t circnlates
quite extensively in all the adjoining
counties, as well as in Wapello, and
that it goes into the hands of tine very
best class of people who, to man,
come here to trade.
Its columns are open, at uncommon
ly favorable rates, to help our bust
ness men extend their skirmish line.