The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-11
Mauning's Market.

Our comments on the tobacco ant
cotton market of this place has met
with such warm approval, that we
feel encouraged in the hope that good
| will result to, both merchant and farm
er. On last Saturday we had a talk
with group of substantial farmers
and they were especially warm in their
commendations of the articles which
have recently appeared in the TINES.
and one of them who knows the people
well said, that he was ''glad that the
attention of Manning's business men
had been called to very serious con
dition, and that it was now their duty
to take the matter in hand, not with
a namby-pamby pretense, but with a
stubborn determination to make Man
ming the equal of any market. Ihls
gentleman went on and said that II
Manning's merchants continued TO
shut their eyes to their own Interests,
the farmers of the county would, as
matter of self-preservation, be forced to
90 elsewhere, and use their influence
with the renters to do likewise"
We cannot for the life of US, see the
business sense in our merchants per
mitting 4 condition to remain which
they know is Injurious to them. Are
they satisfied with the trade that IS
compelled to come here? II SO, they
need not care whether the farmer has
as opportunity to sell his produce IN a
market that is satisfactory to him or
not, but if they want to hold their
trade and build up more, they must
make active war on all things which
have a tendency to create dissatls1ac-
ton, or causes which drive cotton and
tobacco to other markets.
1t is self evident fact that cotton or
tobacco buyers are in the market for
profit and not for sentiment, and the
cheaper they can buy the products the
more the profit for them, therefore
they will not pay anymore than condl-
tions force, and if there is nothing here
to force them to pay the farmer full
value, they will pay as little as possible
that their profits will accumulate fast
er, but the question is, can our busl-
ness men afford to permit the market
monopolized? The buyer is not to
blame for having one-sided monopoly,
and he will hold it as long as people
will give him profitable encouragement.
If the business men are so dull and in
different to their interests as to allow
condition to exist that is driving
trade from their doors. then they need
not be surprised nor feel hurt if the far
mers use their influence against them.
1t would be very damaging to our
business interests, if our land owners
were to urge the renters to sell their
products in some other ma rket, the ef-
feet would be disastrous. It would
mean the loss of thousands of dollars
in trade, and also thousands OF dollars
of accounts. Do not permit, even an
excuse for such condition, merchants
of Manning get together and with a
sincere and determined effort strike
down any and every barrier to trade.
We we'll remember years ago when
this town was not much more than a
cross roads, and at that time the idea
prevailed with the business element:
the fewer the stores the more prohts
to the store keepers, and they did every
thing to discourage anything like COM
petition, but that foolish idea has been
exploded long ago, and experience has
proven that competition makes trade,
the more competition the more trade.
People do not seek dead market, they
want one that is alive, quick, energetic,
and up-to-date. A dead market is the
product of monopoly, a curse to the
town and blight to it's prosperity.
1t is part of our mission to help build
up this town, and we propose hammer
ing away at our merchants, until they
arouse themselves to their own and the
peoples interests. They must go to
work and drive selfishneSs, greed and
avarice to the wall, they must show by
their acts that they are deserving OF
the results of the peoples toll, they
must see that the producer gets all
that he is entitled to, and then they
must see to it that one dollar of Uncle
Sans money dug out of the ground
and washed in the sweat of the toiler
will fetch one hundred cents in value.
This can be done, this will be done,
this shall be done, is the motto that
should inspire our merchants, and that
inspiration will be the oiling of our
markets gate hinges that they will
swing open without creaking. Such
an Inspiration will be received with
10y by Clarendon's farmers who want
to build up their natural market, Man
ming.