The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-07-14
BUSINESS IN THE SOUTH.
How II is said to be Picking up--A Noted Col.
Orcd Man.

| New York is full of business just now.
"A big merchant says that trade is much
better this month than it has been for q
long time. An interesting incident of
this increase of traffic was related by a
gentleman of large affairs.
''Nluch of our trade" said he, cat this
time of year comes from the South. You
would be surprised at the number of
Southern merchants who come North on
combination tour of pleasure and bust
ness about this time. Most of them are
shrcwd buyers and are leaving good
orders. Therefore at this season of the
year, when we generally expect to be
dull, we ale liaving n good, brisk trade
| can account for it upon no other theory
than this Is the time of year when South
crn men find it most convenient and
profitable to come North to purchase
goods. This revival of Southern trade
shows the prosperity of that region.
Within the past two years it seems to
have picked up wonderfully and there is
a substance and fidelity about this trade
that makes it profitable. The class of
goods that go South has also changed
wonderfully. They are buying more
substantial goods than formerly, but at
the same time of richer materials. Form
crly the Southern trade demanded costly
iaDrlcS Ol SNOWY character orange
and figured goods prcdominating. Now
they are taking more durable materials
OF substantial colors. In fact, no trade
III this country has shifted SO radically
within the past five years as the South
crn. The change has also given us an
index to the reforms freedom has brought
about III the economic condition of that
section. The way it looks now the South
Will IN very few years be among our
choicest customers. But the goods they
buy will be II reflex Of the broader life
that has come to that people, since the
many arc better off and the few are per
haps suffering or have suffered seriously
from the disasters of war"
This business man had hardly stopped
diScourSig upon the past and present of
Southern trade and Southern clements
when singular character appeared. 1t
was iinchback, of Louisiana. He was
drifting around the corridors of the st.
james Hotel, occasionally speaking to a
man, but most of the time walking about
us ii i'll Il half brown study. lie is look
ing much older than ten years ago, when
he had been elected United States Sena-
tor from Louisiana and was trying to get
his seat, to which, by the way, ho was
us much entitled as was his colleague,
Pitt Kellogg, or John Patterson, of
South Carolina. But he is interesting
now only rs II reminder of the curiositics
OF reconstruction. You would never
take him for colorcd man as he walks
about among the throng which drifts
about the place where he stops He is
OF about medium size and very we'll
formed. He is stout"r than he used to
be while mingling i'll politics, but does
not wear enough flesh to make him
gross. His full beard is growing very
gray, and his hair is following suit. His
whitening whskcrS and locks make his
olive complexion seem much lighter than
it really is, and he would readily be
taken taken for wcll-to-do business
man of the West or Southwest He is
apparently well to do financially. He
stops alta swell hotel, wears good clothes,
plenty Of jcwclry and eats and drinks of
the best II he had not been Il colorcd
man with reputation for gambling nc
would probably have secured scat in
the United States Senate, for in point of
looks, manners and ability he was the
superior of many of the Southern men
who appeared in Congress, during recon.
StructlOn.