The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-05-09
A RAILROAD TO SHILOH.
A Business Proposition to Be Submit
ted to the Business Men of Sumter.

A Business Proposition to Be Submit
ted to the Business Men Of Sumter.
From The Daily Item May ,.
An Item reporter was asked today
by g close observer Of trade condi-
tions few questions and the gentle
man asking the questions proceeded
to answer them himself in a manner
which convinced the reporter that his
remarks were of sufficient importance
to the merchants of Sumter to merit
publication. Said he:
What has become Of the Shiloh
trade that used to come to Sumter
Where are the numbers of people
from the great Pudding Swamp sec
ton who formerly came here, some OF
whom came in covered wagons, camp
ing over night on the way?''
"Well, will tell you. The Sumter
merchants have been sleeping over
their rights until competition has
about diverted this trade to Manning,
Timmonsville, Mayesville, Lynchburg
and Beaulah, and some has gone to
Florence The Alcolu railroad has
been the cause of much Of this trade
going to other places. It is not gen.
orally known that new and hustling
little town called Beaulah has sprung
up on this Alccl:, railroad and that
two large mercantile concerns have
been started there by Messrs. John
McSween, and Charles A. Smith OF
Timmonsville, and that thousands of
dollars Of trade is going there, and
to the other places mentioned above,
because the Shiloh people do not now
have to travel many miles to get to
Sumter to do their trading when there
are other, if smaller towns more con-
venient to their homes It is true that
some Shiloh trade still comes to Sum-
ter, but nothing like what once came.
Nov, what is the remedy? Why, a
railroad from Sumter to the heart Of
the Shiloh section with a morning and
afternoon schedule. This will bring a
large part Of the trade back to Sum-
ter. The merchants of Sumter must
keep on devising plans to extend their
trade territory. We have some splen-
did schedules over the eight lines Of
railroads running into Sumter, but we
also have a large portion Of Sumter's
legitimate trade territory with which
there are no railroad connections di-
rect with Sumter We must reach out
to keep this trade. The Sumter mer-
chants must not think that they have
any cinch on the trade in all of the
territory tributary to Sumter. Smaller
towns, like those mentioned above,
are getting some Of Sumter's trade be-
cause they are more convenient to the
people of Shiloh and Pudding Swamp.
Timmonsville, with her magnificent
markets and her wide-awake
merchants, is getting the Shiloh trade
in great big hunks
Some Of the leading merchants
have realized this fact, and I under
stand that a meeting Of business men
will be held this week to discuss a
plan whereby a railroad will be oper-
ated from the Shiloh section direct
into Sumter. It is to be
hoped that the merchants Of
Sumter will wake up and listen to
the proposition which will be made to
them at this meeting What is the use
of building SO many stores and having
so many more wholesale, retail and
brokerage esta blishments locating in
Sumter, unless we are going to in
crease our trade with the surround
ing country, instead Of diminishing it
by allowing other towns to absorb our
trade which has been coming here for
years and still would come here If it
was not so much more convenient to
go to other places?''