The Forrest City times., 1897-10-29
The Best Cotton Market?

son by paying more for cotton
than they could afterwards get for
Vt. We do not believe that Mari
anna offers any superior induce
mcnts for the trade Of any section
Of Eastern Arkansas, to those
found in Forrest City, the blowing
OF the Mariana papers to the con-
trary Notwithstanding.
The Lesser Cotton company has
its buyers in Mariana. 1t has
them in Forrest City. They are
perhaps the largest cotton buyers
in Eastern Arkansas, and their Of
fers are based upon market quota
tions. They know. absolutely,
what cotton is worth. 1t is not
reasonable to suppose that they
offer higher prices in Mariana or
elsewhere, than they do at Forrest
City. They do not care where
they buy it or where it is raised.
It's cotton they want. And they
compete with other buyers for it.
The merchants of Forrest City are
governed by the same competition.
Competition between merchant
buyers is lively, and certain to
cause the highest offers consistent
with safety to themselves. Be-
sides there is lively competition
for the trade of the farmers, which,
4 there were no other considera-
ions, causes all merchandise to be
sold at the lowest prices.
1t is folly to think that any
town IN Eastern Arkansas does,
can or will pay more for cotton or
sell goods for less money than the
merchants of Forrest City. One
must think our merchants a set of
fools who believes they would al
low such n condition to exist.
They could not afford it, neither
could the other town. 1t would be
better for the farmer to think over
these things and act with reason
and sense, discarding petty preiu-
dice, before hauling cotton away
from Forrest City.
If cotton has been hauled to
Mariana from the Forrest City
district, other than the markets in
fiuenced the haul. 1t may have
been prejudice, it may have been
transformation; 1t may have been
the result of ignorance, it may
have been one or more of a dozen
causes other than prices, and did
not benefit the seller one whit, be.
Cause, under the same conditions
he would have received the same
price here.
A certain farmer was offered
so for two bales few days ago
in Forrest City. He declared that
Mariana was paying Cos, and
that he would haul his cotton there.
The merchant here advised him to
telephone his merchant at MARI
anna before going to the trouble of
driving down there, which he did,
in these words: Gam offered SOL
for Two bales middling cotton,
what can you pay today" The
answer came, "Middling worth
5 3 5 10 81. Would advise you to
sell, if you can, at $40"
This is only one case. We can
give the names and dates if neces. |
sary. it shows that if we were |
disposed we could laud it over Ma
rianna that we are paying more for
cotton than she, and prove 1t by
this instance, and, declaring that
Forrest City furnishes the better
marked, try to deceive the people
and bring them here to trade.
But why do this? We must give
the people credit for having a little
sense, and if any man will think
about the matter, he will readily
see that such talk, whether il
comes from US or the Mariana
papers, is the veriest rot, because
while every man has the right to
sell where he pleases, exactly the
same conditions exist and govern
the cotton and merchandise
markets in both towns.