The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-10-04
Did They Do 1t =.

One day last week Mr.. Oppenheimer,
/ travelling salesman for the firm of Fincken
4 Jordan, grocers of Charleston, was N
town and very evidently not pleased with
the progress that is being made by the
Manning Grocery Company, because, IN
conversation with Mr.. Avant manager for
the firm, Oppenheimer predicted the
early demise of our local wholesale grocery,
and then proceeded to inform Mr.. Avant
that the wholesale grocery merchants OF
Charleston, at a meeting, resolved to de-
cline to sell the merchants of Manning un-
less they first signed a written agreement
to buy from the Charleston merchants the
year round, and not turn their fall business
! into the hands of local grocers.
Mr.. Oppenheimer may or may not have
authority to make such an extraordinary
threat, but if he told the truth, that the
! Charleston grocery men had resolved to re-
gpire of our Manning merchants written
/ agreement before selling them goods. then
we have lost all confidence in the business
judgment of Charleston's wholesale gro
cery dealers 1t strikes US that Charles
ton has suffered enough already by the re-
quirement to sign papers We remember
when it was a common practice IN that city
~
! certain number of bales of cotton a1d in
case of failure to ship the required num-
Der. a commission was charged; It was this
that helped take away a good deal CT the
cotton business from Charleston, and now
| if Charleston's wholesale dealers propose
to tie our merchants with written agree
ments they will simply kill the goose that
laid the golden egg The Manning mer-
chants can and will buy where they please,
ard certainly wherever they can save
money, as This is day of competition, and
in order to keep up with the procession
every cent must be saved.
If Mr. Oppeuheimer has misrepresented
the Charleston business men, then it is but
simple Justice to them that his threats
should be made known to them, that they
may know what manne- of man they are
sending out to sell goods Ier them. We
are we'll acquainted with numGer Of East
Bay merchants, and we do not believe that
Mr. Oppenheimer does them justice; in
fact we honestly believe that such talk is
great Injustice to such an establishment as
the Carolina Grocery Company, house
that we know IS made up OF business men
who do business on business principles.
Tie Carolina Grocery Company would not
care to do business With q merchant who
was not watching his business close enough
to keep abreast of the markets, aad who
was not trying to save every cent possible,
for it is only those men who are abreast of
the times that settle promptly
Several of our merchants were incensed
at the threat made by Mr.. Oppenheimer,
and they did not hesitate to express their
entire independence Of Charleston. In
fact some of our local merchants baye about
as good or better commercial standing than
some Of the Eas: Bay merchants, and if
Charleston has resolved not to sell our mer
chants because they patronize the Manning
Grocery Company and thereby save freight,
she can continue to stick to her resolutions
and our merchants will continue doing
business at the same old stand, and buy
when and where they find the best induce
ments to buy goods, in spite OF Charleston
or any other seaport town.