The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10

~, S,,at,,re Of the case. be only general
< &, f,ejr character. and no dry statistics
nr boring figures Will be used
n A nenerat way. 1t may be said that
5nai,,ro marked out Richmond for n great
9whclesallrg center.
Transportation Facilities.
1,ptor CHARACTERIZATION, which is always
char. aIii \ always holds the railways
In check, SO far as rates IN and out are
concerned 4. was given us In the James
RIVER, the chesapeake Bay and the
AtlaTtic ocean, " an .ll.eh,s nnd pu..
noses Richmond Is q seaport. enjoying
nt,,n ~ ages i,neuualed by any port be-
twcar, New York and Savannah, AMI cx-
celled BY neither OF these
This wonderful advartagc with the
many railways ccntcrlng here, gave this
city1,,nparnlleled transportation facilities,
ana it's ,accessbillty at all seasons and N
all wenthers combine TO make Rlchft e.....
tho best wholesale polEt readable from
tho south: II, fact, commercially speak
Ing ths gate city OF the whole South
country especiallyEot Virginia, the east
ornt shora of Maryland. North Carolina
south I Carolina, North Georgia. East
Tennessee, North Ala bama and all along
down he coast to the Jumping off point
at tho tip end Of Florida FL, 1'ldil
Advantages Improved.
1--we ner, with capital have taken adj
,va reFf1f these natural and acquired
facilities and from time immemorlal this
has been great wholesale town. WlthiE
the past few years this trade has maze
great strides, and the wholesale business
in Richmond has enlarged ana gTo"nt
and branched out until every me
is row represented here and represented
fully and adequately. The merchant from
B the towns ard from the country can come
to Richmond with the most elaborate
memorandum book his varied retail trade
and demands can suggest. and right here
he can fill up every lire and supply
every want.
Richmond Is especially strong In the
grocery and provision lines; in boots and
shoes, In hats. In dry goods and Totions.
in clothing In drugs. IN saddlery ana
harness and buggies, carriages. wagons
and vehicles generally; also IT. farm I'M
PIGMENTS and farmers supplies. In buiid-
crs' materials, iron products ana stove
works. It cannot be beaten ana ~ crge ;a.
cry. fancy goods ard general supplies
II nlays second fiddle to no market in
the land.
Greater Things to Come.
It Is easy enough TO make predictions
and guess at things Prophecies are
cheap and guesses can be reeled OH ,ny
the yard without cost and Without price.
but when careful Investigator finds
the adamnntIne facts to make a strong
basis for his predictions, he cant resist
the temptation to pose as prophet
II is safe to predict that the time VIII
come. ard that at no distant day, When
the whole South Will know no otner
wholesale ceEter OF Importance and great
dimensions beyond Richmond 10 TINS
end Richmond people and Richmond
merchants have been working for these
many years. and will continue to work
until their bright hope hope that
is encouraged by natural advantages.
and is being still further encouraged by
the energy and push Of some OF the wlsest
business men of this day ard genera
ition-shall end In happy fruition.
For many years past, the wholesale
trade Of Richmond has been increasing
by the gradual process. In the last four
or five years It has passed the gradual
stage, and has beer, going up by Jumps
The merchants and their army OF drum
mers have determined that 1t shall go
this year and for the next several years
at q still greater gait TO tins END 'hey
are putting forth much effort, and.
that other Richmond folks may know of
and encourage ard help along these
efforts this series of articles Is in
tended.
Then and Now.
Yes, Richmond has long been whole
sailing center In those good old days
.'way wonder TO- de war" 1t was the
principal market for the whole South,
and ther. business was done In what Wc
would now consider a mighty slow way;
and 1t was slow. for those were slow
and easy going times. But profits were
large, and, all buyers being honest. there
were no bad debts on the books, and 1t
RI I'm.
mense volume of goods to do good
years work as now. It Is possible that
two houses could be picked out in Rich
Hmond to-day which handled as many
goods last year as all Richmond sold,
say. in 1853 for instance. and Richmond
was a great wholesale certer then and
about the only wholesaling town of any
savannah or Mobile. Richmond did do
business in a primitive way. and If: the
days following the Civil War some OF
her energetic rivals said the old Vir-
gina town could never get out those
primitive ruts, and therefore stood no
chance in the race for commercial great
ness as against her younger and more
.up-to-dato competitors then coming In
the field with all the energy enthu-
siasm and ambition ofyonth. H
But Richmond Got Young.
Well. it was true that the old time
merchants resumed business on Cary
street after the war. It was also true
that these old codgers We're nightly
.sot In their ways and irrevocably
welded to some Of tho ,ancient methods.
And il may be true. is true, that they
lost some of their trade BY refusing to
get out OF the old ruts. But these good
old fellows have long since passed from
the stage of action; forever blessed be
their memory, and they have h,en sue
cceded by their sons and other younger
men who were and are as wide awake
and as up-to-date as any business men
on the American continent.
They know all the modern improve
p1ents, all the labor-saving and time-sav-
ing devices. all tile short cuts In trans
portaton, all tho advantages to jump on
to and the disadvanta g'ss to dodge around
in the matters OF interstate commerce.
direct shipment, warehouse storage, ready
made supplies, ETC., ETC.. and thay know
them as we'll as anybody else does. In
the matter of business. especially the
Wholesale business. Richmond is as