The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-03-29
Montgomery Advertiser. March 2n.l
FLORIDA.

There seems to be a fever of improve.
ment in Florida. West Florida has al
ways been so separated geographically
and otherwise from the other two sections
of the State, that for many years the ques-
tion of annexation to Alabama was moot
ed. Even since the war, during the Rad
ical reign in this State, a movement was
made to take the unhappy "West" out
"of the wet" and give her a pleasant
place in the beautiful picture Of Alabama.
The movement was made the occasion of
visits at the States expense of State Off
cials, and the commissioners got, as
usual, in those days, handsome remunera-
tion for their services, if the State did get
no benefit therefrom. 1t is not likely now,
that the question of annexation will ever
be raised again. 1t is among the things
of the past-there it will remain, for
West Florida is going to be bound by
iron bands to the other portion of the
State. Heretofore, as now, people in Pen
sacola and thereabouts, who wished to
visit the Capital of their State, would
have to come through Alabama and pass
over into Georgia and travel hundreds of
miles through these two States before
they could see their seat of government,
or else they would have to plod by pri
vate conveyance as best they could,
through the pine barrens and "tight-eye
thickets " of one of the loneliest regions
Of the South. All this is to be changed.
The initiatory steps to the change have
been taken. A railroad from Chattahoo-
chez on the Apalachicola river to Pensa-
cola was chartered by the last Legislature,
and it is to be pushed forward as rapidly
as practicable. This will open up all
West Florida and " boom " for that
long-neglected section is counted as one
of the certain results Of the enterprise
The completion of the road will give it
railway connection with all other parts
of the State, and open up communication
with all the world besides.
Great preparations are making for
the celebration of the completion of
the irst-class railway between Fernan-
dina and Jacksonville. The trip between
the two places will occupy one hour on
this splendid road. Another road is un-
der way from Gainesville to Tampa, and
other railway projects are being discussed
and determined on. So that, as a contem-
pOTdT( SccS IL, WITCH NISllOIS can DCuclTdIe
by rail to the most southern parts of Flor
ida and this is certain to be an accom-
plished fact if the big speculation of
draining the Everglades is ever success
fully carried out, as its projectors declare
it is bound to be, without much delay
they will be able to go direct to places on
either shore, ocean or gulf, where the
winter climate is so much like that Of the
Bahamas as to make it no longer an OBJ
ject even for invalids to go on further and
visit the famous island sanitarium at the
southeast.
The spirit of progress, so observable
in Florida just at this time, is to greater
or less degree busy all over the South. 1t
is pushing it's way even into the regions
beyond. And the neigh of the iron steed
will soon ring along the blooming plains
of Mexico, while his breath of fire will
flame through the mountain gorges as he
hurries to meet on the borders, his well
laden mate from the South.