The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14
MERCHANTS ASK Low RATES
Cheap Railroad FaTtS Bring Trade TO
Savannah.

The Merchants Trade Association
Figuring on Plan to Secure Rates
for Country People to Visit the City
Between Now and the Holidays
Circus Day Rates Show That the Poo-
pie Want to Buy Goods Here.
The people who came to town to attend
the circus last week left considerable
money here. Many Of the merchants say
their trade on the day of the circus and
the day succeeding was the best they have
had in sometime. The feature that at
tracted their attention particularly was
that the people who came 10 town had
money TO spend and spent 1t.
The visitors did not hurry home i'm
mediately, but remained in the city and
made their purchases of fall and winter
goods and household supplies. They came
10 savannah to do their trading and 1t was
not the circus which brought them here,
but the cheap rates which were offered
by the railroads along with it. This is
proof positive of what the merchants have
always claimed, that the people of this
section are anxious to trade with Savan-
nah If the railroads will only let them. AS
the population is very scattered in this
section, 1t is necessary that cheap railroad
rates be given in order TO make it pos
sible for people to come to Savannah.
Many merchants who were seen yes
terday expressed a desire that something
he done to resume the cheap excursions to
savannah given under the auspices Of the
Savannah Merchants Association last
winter, and which proved very successful
until cut off by the railroads. The excur-
sions promised to prove of considerable
advantage when they were suddenly
stopped The merchants argue that the
excursions were profitable to the railroads
because they brought large numbers of
people to the city who would never have
made the trip had il not been for the
low rates offe-t d and because the passen-
ger receipts were evidently largely in
creased with but slightly increased ex-
penditure.
An officer of the Merchants Trade As
ISOLATION said to a Morning News repor-
ter last night that several efforts have
been made of late by representatives of
the association to get the railroads to re-
new the excursions, but without success.
The railroads persistently give the cold
shoulder to whatever we ask" said he
They seem to prefer to take goods into
our territory from points several hundred
miles away, when they only get q small
percentage of the rate, to having the peo-
pie in their territory buy goods from Sa-
vannah, when they would get the whole
rate.
I'VE do not ask them for any charity We
are willing to charter trains or to buy
tickets, or to make any other arrange
ment satisfactory to the railroads which
will enable us to bring out patrons here.
The association has a small balance in
the treasury, and the last monthly sub
scription has never been called in and
could be collected on short notice. All we
ask the railroads is to give us a showing.
We are willing to put money in their
pockets if they viii help us to put money
in our own. Now is the time we ought to
have these excursions, because the people
in the country have money now and now
is the time they want to make their win
ter purchases -