Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-01
A Live sIarket-Evcrything to Rich
mond.
Southern Tobacconist)


No cold-storage warehouse for hlcn,
mond; no housekeeper's home for Invalid
hogsheads; but a live. actual, everyday
market for the planter. We want ho'
sales; quick sales-money turned over
daily-tobacco brought here, sold here, re-
handled here sold from the hogsnead
here after the planters sales, where we
have been, on the contrary, buying II
already prepared, with all the profit pul
in the pocket of the reprizer.
The loose sales draw the hogshead sales
and orders here; keep the manufacturers
buying here; keep the importers here
keep people and trade here; fill houses
here; draw the planter here to spend MS
money when he buys; make business for
everybody here, and hence the tobacco
business is everybody's business in Rich
mond.
Too much and too long storage. too
much inducement to hold and too little
10 sell, has been the bane OF our market.
we must reverse the order. The old
commission men have died out, and so
with their habit and vocation OF adj
vances that once drew the crop and to-
bacco here. The crossroads store be-
came market, and tobacco the curren-
cy; the railroads, eager for trade, con-
verted the country road into railroad
FEEDER; fifty new tobacco markets sprung
up. with depots and banks and buyers.
bill OF lading Is as good at one OF
these points as at Richmond TO draw on
European or Asiatic markets. The old
suppressed superior advantages of the
real Richmond market are lost In the
maze OF modern Observation-Disclosures no
longer. The children of our creation IN
the country have become giants in COM
mercial competition. The planter sells
his produce, not by the size of the city.
but by site nearest and best suited TO the
sale of his staple. Sentiment Is strong
In this city itself, and In its favor by
the farmer, but he wants a daily sale for
daily needs, for his crop. as he cures IT,;
he does not store 1t; he sells 1t for cash.
lie can't compete with rehandlers' ar
engagements for bordering and sorting
by steam, and so he sells, with plenty OF
competitors. He had rather buy when he
sells; he does do II. If he sells In Rich
mond he buys here. and sentiment brings
him here along with equal prices of other
markets. He wants to trade with Rich
mond, but goes to Petersburg and Black
stone, from our doors, with his load Of
loose or fine.
Planters and others ship $50 miles to
Danville and small markets; they get
not Richmond. right in the black belt
with black tobacco going to markets
twice and thrice as far off from Rich
mond as the farmer himself?
The loose markets now control the
hogshead market-figures on figures prove
ii sadly; the hogshead market per centra
no buyer controls the loose market YER
bum sap. The control Of the loose mar
ket is in the hands of live warehousemen.
The experiment tried by weakest ones
here. though partially failures for want
of facilities and support, proves the pro-
position. Richmond's bright sales from a
long distance are larger than the old sys-
TEN. and warehouses sell of dark close
by-gone to other places.
The. remedy is co-operation-a 10000
warehouse, capital equipped. with a dozen
paid drummers to cover convenient and
outlying territory as other markets do.
Richmond has one drummer for the weed
to fifty in the field against us.
Buy at home. and everybody will want
to sell what you buy here. not only every
planter but the surplus and best OF
every market will come when there Is
daily live, active trade. and where the
merchants sell cheapest what the sellers
OF the produce want TO buy. The stores
OF Richmond will reap more profit from
tobacco-men themselves do. They get a
larger share of the cash and profits
There IL one sale of tobacco, but q hun
dred farm and family needs TO supply
with proceeds. Cincinnati has 100000
invested in warehouses to secure the
CROP other markets in proportion
We have. as heretofore, given the text
gument only. We are prepared to defend
the issue. No more banks, we have
plenty; a plenty Of money. plenty of
everything except public spirit-a leader
and co-operati on-and the use of our
common senses. Tobacco beats beets. IL
Virginia and the Carolinas. Let Rich
mond control the crop-her share at
least-Or 1T will control her downward
destiny. We have rightly diagnosed the
disease: we have given our remedy; the
dose must be taken; the cure we insure.