The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-07-21
APATHY AND WANT OF ENTER
PRISE.

] bringing IN cotton anu secu anu Tetufb-
ing OH the evening with freight from
the landing, and goods that they had
bought from our merchants. Then
Providence was in its glory, all the
stores were in full blast aud carried a
large stock of goods; the landing keep
ers did a wholesale produce business,no
store was 10 be had in town for love or
money, and not even one dwelling
house was for rent. Money was plen-
tifnl and the merchants grew fat.
This was several years ago. What
| is it now? One whole street almost
entirely abandoned with the stores
closed as OIL account of a grea: calam-
ity; the grass growing on Levee street;
houses tor rent everywhere, and the
stores that remain, carrying very
limited stock of goods. A stranger
landing in Providence and walking
along Levee street would be apt to
ask of what great citizen the town was
morning the death, and at what time
the funeral was expected to take place.
The keen observer, resident of the
town, who lived here in the days OF
its prosperity, seeks involuntarily the
cause of this decadeuce, and soon come
before his eyes the crop failures OF
'91. '92 and the overflow of '93 as the
immediate cause of stagnation and
utter lack of business in Providence.
But inquiring more infinitely, he soon
comes to the conclusion that this busi-
ness decadence began before the crop
failures and overflow mentioned
above, that blight struck the town
ere this, and he gradually comes to at
tribute ii TO the lack of enterprise in
our town people.
Ten years ago, when the town was
in nourishing condition, there were
few country stores, and the town
merchants had the trade all 10 them
selves. Little by little, the planter
came TO think that the town merchant
was getting rich out of him, that he
got all the money of his hands, and,
he also, desiring to get some of the
bonanza. set out few can goods and
barrel of mean whiskey with few
crackers in corner OF his plantation,
which he pompously decorated with
the name of "store." Thus the bust
ness came to be divided, the town
merchant lost good deal of his
custom, aud sat mourning and weep
ing over the starting of country
stores, some even bringing out to
bless them the most forcible terms Of
the Queens English.
This he did, and no more; he sat
down OH his gallery, waited for the oc-
casional customer, and whitfield away.
The trade became less and less every
year; tho country trade was purposely
reduced by. the country storekeeper,
who paid only at his store on Satur-
day night, too late for the negro 10
come to town; later on, the hill trade
ceased altogether, 80 that to-day the
very rare wagon that comes from the
hills is an object of curiosity.
The world is moving ahead, but
Providence is not; the town merchant
elsewhere does no longer rely on the
nickle day-trade, but strives TO extend
bis trade far and wide, and for this
purpose, uses leaders, posters, adver-
tisemenis, offers premium to thecns-
toner buying, say, $40 worth of goods,
sends out agents, etc.; in fact, does
business in progressive way.
What does the average Providence
merchant do?
He .eads comfortable life of lasi-
ness, sits down on the sidewalk, fans
himself, reads the Democrat,
and waits for the customer. No
danger of his oudgeling his brain to
extend his trade, no danger of selling
anything at cost for leader, or using
advertisements to let the people know
what he has in his store. Oil no,
these new tangled ways would cost
him an effort of brain, that might
throw him into fever, and it is
so much more comfortable to sit down
and wait, even if he does not do quite
as much as he would otherwise; at any
rate, he risks nothing. Truly, he risks
nothing, aid his trade goes decreasing
every day, his rent goes on all the
same, his bills fall due, and, the first
thing we know, Mr.. Merchant is
closed out aud the sheriff has charge
Of the store.
So little progressive are our mer-
chants that not one of them has an ad-
vertisement in their town paper.
What good it would be? they saw.