The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-14
Merchants All Talk Prosperity.

Merchants from out of town are register
ing at the rooms of the Merchants asso-
citation in greater numbers than they did
last year at this period. At that time the
number was unusually large, August having
always been a banner month in the whole
sale mercantile interests in New York.
Merchants who arrived yesterday repre-
scented widely distant parts of the country.
They came from the Southwest as far as
New Mexico Arizona, Texas and Arkansas;
from the Northwest as far as Minnesota;
from tia Central West from Missouri, OHIO
and Indiana; from the South from Kentucky,
Tennessee and Louisiana; and from New York
and Connecticut
These merchants all talk Of prosperity.
Conditions. as reported by them. especially
in the agricultural portions Of the country
better than they have been for years.
The higher prices which have prevailed for
wheat have enabled tie farmers to pay off
their Indebtedness to the local merchants
and both the farmers and local merchants
are freer from debt today than they have
been for a long period. The result OF this
is that there is larger demand by those
local merchants for goods with which to
store their shelves; and that demand is re-
fected again through the demands OF the
jobbers. and so on through the endless chain
which comes with better times.
Until last year merchants bought ju.t as
little as they possibly could to carry them
selves along. In 1897, however, they add ed
somewhat to their purchases, but this Y ar
they expect to purchase more heavily than
they did last year. In other words, many
Of them expect to take advantage of the
better condition in which they are and iii
improved outlook for the country, and stock
UP fully in all lines of merchandise at in
by them.
ic
dence here" said officer OF the Merchan s.
association yesterday. Merchants are COM
ing into rooms and registering from al
over the United States, and with scarcely
an exception they all tell the same st9ry of
prosperous times and predict a better season
than they have had in years, or perhaps ev r
before in their lives. Nearly every section
of the United States has been represent i
thus far. Merchants have come from the
agriculture! districts, the mining regions, the
lumber regions, from the section where co..
ton is king, and from the manufacturing
districts. These men are all hopeful. They
feel that the bad times are behind them
AS a rule, they are glad that the war came.
1t hurt their business in the sprirg, but t.ey
say that the ultimate results will, be CT great
benefit to them. They are also glad that
the war came from sentimental reasons in
that it has served to bring their portion of
the country nearer to the other portions
"A merchant from the South said here
the other day that for the first time since
1851 the term Yankee was received as an
appellstion by the Southerners without
| arousing any of the old feelings, and that
| down in his section Of the country they
were all glad to be classified as one wi b
the North and with the West
''These merchants are here buying every
,;,,J, "
in larger stocks of goods than they haye
done since 1892, and say-as a rule-that
| they feel inclined to ock up to the u.mos
extent of their ability to purchase The
wholesale establishments are filling up with
| purchasers; and in the Wholesale district a
much more cheerful feeling is preya line
than prevailed last spring.
lone of the interesting features of tbs
| excursions of merchants to New York in
augurated by the Merchants association las
year is the large number of ladi who cam.
and registered. Having in view the infu-
ence of the fair sex in the country COM
munities the Merchants association asked
the railroads to grant to the wives ant
| daughters of merchants throughout the coun.
try the same concessions they granted tt
| the merchants themselves This the rail.
roads did. AS the result, many m rchan
| took advantage Of the saving In his fare Il
bring his wife or daughter, in many in
stances both, along with him. 1t goes wi h
| out saying that the members OF the fail
sex who came were pleased with New York
They visited its great retail sores, 1t:
department stores, its churches hotels, roo
gardens, museums, parks; took in near-b;
trips to points Of interest on Long island
down the Jersey coast, up the Hudson river
up the sound, and each one became a mis-
sionary for New York through the pleasur,
she had obtained in visiting the metropol s
Many women. too, who were employed b,
stores throughout the country, came on dur
ing the period when the reduced rates wer,
in effect. These We're principally buyers l,
millinery goods and ladies' apparel Of vari
Gus kinds Some Of them said that the,
had never been in New York before an,
were coming again, and this year the mum
Der Of ladies accompanying their husband
and the number coming by themselves a.
buyers is very noticeable."- York Sun
Here's q Peace Ccmmiss,on