The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-01
Ont Town Merchants. Here TO
Buy Stock. Say Indications
Point TO Big Trade
WILL MAKE LARGE PURCHASES.
Crop Outlook is Promising and
Local Wholesale Dealers Pre-
pare TO Meet the Demands
Of Their Customers.

The vanguard OF fail merchants las be-
gun TO arrive in ST. Louis. Evidences Of the
country merchants We're noticeable about
the rotundas OF the big downtown hotels
and IN the large wholesale Stores along
Washington avenue yesterday.
Merchants from the Southwest and South
have not arrived in large numbers. but are
expected the first OF the week. Travelling
statesmen Of many oc the large wholesale
houses are in the city. and preparations are
being made 10 receive the out-uf-town buy
ers.
For the most part the merchants who
have arrived during the last few days are
from Northern Missouri. Illinois, Indiana.
Ohio Iowa and q few from PENNSYLVANIA.
- The men from this territory are usually
about two weeks earlier than their Southern
brethren.
At the hotels The lists OF arrivals are
showing a marked Improvement II the
lists the number OF guests from smaller
towns is increasing each day. The bis hos
telries have about completed their summer
house cleaning and renoyating. and are IN
shane to accommodate tine fall trade.
Merchants from every section. who have
20 far arrived. bring with them reports oil
splendid business and excellent crop pros
poets in their localities. Several prominent
buyers said they would purchase larger lines
than IN 1872.
Prospects for the fall trade are. accord
ing To reports. most promising. Farmers
and inhabitants of small towns appear L"
have money. and their wealth viii he ma
terially increased by this years crop IN
epeakins of the outlook g. /. Armstrong. a
prominent Southern Illinois merchant. s24u'
GOOD BUSINESS PROSPECTS.
.The people in my section of the country
cannot understand the reason Tor the slu'lip
in stocks and rumors of tight money III tle
largo commercial center=. With as business
prospects were never better. / believe 'Ae
fan trade will he one Of the largest ana
most profitable in years. People are puE-
ing everything. Their shopping is not con-
fined simply TO the necessities o! life FarfhS
are being improved, and there Is every HI
dication for continued prosperity. OF coui 80
persons who We're inlursn D! tie n4,,s9 ~,
rectlv are not as well off as they might pe,
Int If the weather continues favorable even
these will not fare so b;5lly
Loca! wholesale merchants look lor
lively business, commencing early IN AuSu<s
and extending well into september Ihui-
cations are for recoI d-hreiklng iluinber OF
buyers and reports from travelling saisS-
men and correspondents lead them 10 nc-
lieve that large stocks in all lines wlli DE
purchased If nothing happens to mar the
crops, IL is almost the general opinion taaI
The records of last fall will be broken. An
officer in a large Washington avenue ary
goods house said:
Business generally throughout the ter
ritory tributary TO ST. Louis was never bet
ter. In the small towns conditions are
wholesome and everything points to rec
ord-breaking fall business j. is still little
early for buyers but our correspondence
assures US that there will be almost an I'M
precedented number when the season opens
St. Louis merchants have been preparing
for the fall business. and they VIII not be
disappointed in their expectations.
The few merchants from Southern points
who have arrived repeat the predictions of
those from the northern end OF st. Louis
territory. They say business is good, and
farmers have plenty of money with which
10 buy their fall goods. In the South and
Southwest the crop outlook is promising.
Among the Southern merchants to arrive
yesterday We're: J. y. Blake of Texas, Mrs.
J. E. Francis and II. l. Smith, LengviewE,
Tex; J. L. Hicks and J. X. Brodie, England,
Ark; Mr.. and Mrs a. A. Rogers, Fort
Worth. Tex; L. c. Berry, Mobile, Ala; J.
Brown. Dallas, Tex; T. q. Jones and Liz
zie Jones, Knoxville, Tenn.