Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-23

timore altogether, because Wash
ington has no jobbing house in this
line. He told me that he bought
elsewhere simply because he couldn't
buy in Washington. F. P. May
sells him little something every
now and then, but he would very
much like to buy all his stuff in the
national capital. He says he will if
he is taken care OF in reasonable
way.
G. W. Payne & Co., grocers, buy
their tobacco from the Washington
Tobacco Company, but go to Alex
andria for groceries. MIR. Payne
told me he'd like very much to buy
these in Washington also, but the
freight rate was absolutely prohlbl-
tory.
In Culpeper l had about the same
line of talk from merchants. A. L.
Goodloe, dry goods and furnish
ings, buy some notions from Guy,
Curran & Co., but the bulk of his
business goes to Baltimore, for the
stock reasons have mentioned sew
eral times.
Roberts & Co., grocers, claim
that it costs just as MUCK TO get
goods from Washington as from
Baltimore. He can get an order
from Alexandria the day after order
ing it, but Mr.. Roberts told me that
when he sent an order to Washing
ton he.1ever had the remotest idea
when it would be filled. He admit
ted that this lack of confidence in
the freight service has had a great
deal to do with the placing OF his
trade. incidentally he mentioned
that he bought all his coffee in Bos-
ton, and had never even SO much as
seen coffee drummer from Wash
ington. Mr.. Roberts suggested to
me that the Alexandria rebilling be
entirely done away with. If this is
accomplished he believes that Wash
ington, so far as the south is con-
cerned, will prosper commercially.
w. w. Chelf & Co. buy their dry
goods in Baltimore and their shoes
in Lynchburg. Mr. Chelf frankly
said that he had never even SO much
as thought OF Washington as mar
ket place, and that if he were sure he
could complete his stock, would be
more than glad to make his buying
trips to Washington instead of else
where. He used to buy some notions
in Washington, but as he had to go
to Baltimore to get his dry goods he
got in the habit of killing two birds
with one stone and quit the national
capital altogether.
Mrs. J. M. Fraley told me that she
would gladly favor Washington if
that city had a millinery jobbing
house, such as are found in Balti-
more.
w. A. Thomas, Sons & Co., tin
ware, stoves, etc, buy some
little in Washington. Mr.. Thomas
said, however, that the service was
so much better from Baltimore, and
even from Philadelphia, that he pre-
ferred to buy there. He would do
business in Greater Washington
provided that city would carry a
complete assortment in his line and
freight rates were lowered
Il have never seen a drummer
from Washington in my line" re-
marked R. T. Kelly, who keeps fur
niture, sewing machines, etc. Il
buy mostly from Baltimore jobbers,
but would gladly go to Washington
if could do as we'll there"
r. B. Mccoy, druggist, patronizes
Baltimore almost exclusively and
has never tried Washington. The
freight rate on his line of goods
was higher from Baltimore than
from Washington, Mr.. Mccoy ex-
planned to me, but the service was so
much quicker and SO much more
satisfactory in every way that he
was more than willing to pay the
higher rate rather than patronize
Washington.
P. Thomas, grocer, told me that