The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-09-11
TWO SIDES TO TRADE QUESTION

TWO SIDES TO ATRADE QUESTION.
A Pointed Reply by a Charleston nIer-
chant 70 the Animadversions Of the ABB
beyiI!e Medium.
CHARLESTON, August 20, 1879.
I5 the Editor of the Ne,Us and Courier !:
Your paper of to-day contains an article
copied from the Abbeville Medium, which
contains many truths as regards the
Charleston trade. 1t is true that We for
years after the war pursued the old-fash-
ioned ways of our fathers in the way of
conducting our business. Our young
men were led to believe thst the sun rose
and set no where in South Carolina so
bright and rosy as in Charleston. We
we're taught to believe that Charleston
contained all the wealth, intelligence
and business capacity of the State. But
the last FIVE or six years have exploded
that idea. Our young men who have
travelled in the country have found out
that there are other places besides
Charleston. They hare learned that our
country cousins, uncles and aunts are as
wide awake and more so than we are.
They. have also learned that they cannot
sit down in Charleston and whistle for
the trade to come to them. They must
90 for it. They must, to use a slang ex-
preston, "get up and git" They have
met men travelling for business from all
parts of the North, East and West that
knew something. They have learned
experience. The progressive young party
now rising in Charleston intend to rule.
They do not intend to sit down calmly
and allow our competitors to walk over
the course rough shod., We intend to
have the trade if our country uncles,
cousins and sunts will help US. Let me
ASK THE MEDIUM SOME QUESTIONS,
which will apply as we'll to the other
papers in the State. When you build or
repair church, do you go to the North
to ask subscriptionsf No, you come to
Charleston. One instance, among many,
let me state: A merchant from the In
terror called on the subscriber to aid in
building church which had been de-
stroyed by fire. gave him my mite for
which he thanked me. AS he was going
out of the Office, 1 asked him where he
bought his goods7 Oh, said he, New
York. Well, said I, why not go to New
York and ask them to help you? Well
really, he says, I did not like to ask the
Yankees to help us. He could come like
Others, and ask us to help him build his
church, but when he wanted TO buy his
goods he went to New York.
OUR RAILROADS, TOO.
Did Baltimore or New York ever help
to build the railroads in this State 2
Where do they come when they want
help? To Charleston! Where do most
of them 20 when they want to buy goods :?
To New York or Baltimore The
writer remembers, some years ago, when
two roads in the up-country wanted help,
and in our impoverished condition we
did what we could. Did Baltimore or
New York give anything? Not q dol.
lar! Where do those men who came
here and solicited aid Saying all that
trade should come here) go? Almost
the last man goes to New York or Balti-:
more. Why is this? The merchants of
Charleston buy their goods from the same
parties as do the jobbers in New York or
Baltimore, and nre under less expense
and can sell as low, or lower, than their
competitors. This the writer has proved
this season.
PRINTERS INK.
Will the Medium or any other paper 10
the interior inform us how many more
advertisement. they have from Balti-.
more and New York than from Charles
tonY Another instance on this subject.
The owner of we'll conducted newspa-
per in the interior called on the writer
to advertise in his paper, stating that if
We did not Baltimore and New York
would take all the trade away from US.
1 asked him for a copy Of his paper.
He produced it. I found two columns of
Charleston business houses, and from New
York and Baltimore only one, and that
from a one-horse hotel in Baltimore.
TRAVELLING sALEsMEN.
Very nearly all the Southern States
have adopted laws preventing salesmen
from other States, under heavy license,
from coming into the State to sell goods.
South Carolina stands alone. Georgia,
the great Empire State of the South, is
about to increase the license. When o
committee of Charleston merchants went
to Columbia and asked the Legislature
to protect them perfect howl was raised
and the matter dropped.
The head of larger Baltimore firm
told the writer some months ago
that while he found employment for
three men in this State, that in the grea.
Empire State of the South, Georgia, he
scarcely found enough to do for one.
"Why is this?" asked. He said that
Georgia stands square up to her own cities
and towns-Augusta, Atlanta and Macon.
They prefer to buy at home, even If
they pay a little more.
WHO PAYS THE TAXES?
Charleston pays nearly one-third the
taxes of the State. Is it not to the in
terest of the merchants in the interior to
build us up (if they can do SO at no
loss and do as we'll as elsewhere,) and
make us pay more? This is, 1t seems to
any reasonable man, the proper way but,
let
BY-GoNEs BE BY-GoNEs.
Let our uncles and our cousins and
our aunts and our friends know we are
still here. We want their custom, (if we
can do as we'll, we want to see their
pleasant, ruddy faces, and to hear their
hearty, frank honest talk; but above all
we want some of the greenbacks which
Baltimore and New York now get. l
write this as an up-countryman by birth
and education, but now Unidentified with
CHART ESTON