The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-04-29

Rarely does famous historic name rest
with easy grace on the shoulders of the
average man or woman. The contrast be-
tween original and copy is usually too widely
significant not to result to the great dlsadvant-
age of the later edition. Mr.. John Jones may
leave for himself shining name on the roll
of the worlds benefactors if he is strong
enough to remove the obstacles in the path to
fame, but Mr. George Washington Jones may
struggle even more bravely and utterly fail to
do more than to stand in the shadow of his
own ilustrious name, for there never has
been and never can be but one Father of his
Country. If Jacksonville has not risen to the
full dignity of the proud legacy of bearing
the heroic name of the first territorial govern
or of Florida, Gen. Andrew Jackson, it is not
because the mantle of his generalship and in
vinciDle energy has not descended to her.
Could the stern old warrior rise from his
grave, he would have no reason to blush for
his namesake, Jacksonville. With the sub
urbs of Brooklyn, La Villa, and East Jackson
vile it now contains between $4,000 and TO-
600 inhabitants and has large floating popu-
latIon of tourists AS river and railroad COM
which you must pass to reach almost any
desirable point in the interior of the state, and
after the fashion of doors the world over it
exacts tribute from the passcr. The magni-
ficent river, over whose tranquil waters the
Jacksonville citizen watches the last crimson
CLEAN of sunset, Is the broad path on which
the great ocean steamers and vessels may walk
up to the city with their burdens of luXuries
and necessities from all other parts of the
world. Steam on land and steam on water
bend their forces to the great work of inter
changing the tropical dellcacies of the South
for the solid necessities OF the North, and Dtce
oersa. Your steak appears on the breakfast
table hot, juicy and tender, but it never grew
in Florida woods, nor fed from Florida
meadows. If it had 1t would be
neither juicy nor tender. o, mol 1t was a
product of your own Prairie State and its ex-
cellence as home production you have
reason to duly appreciate, but the orange,
browning the dinner, yellow and deliciously
sweet as no grocery orange IN our memory
ever was, is child of the pine forest and
stands in peerless excellence alone in the
markets of commerce For your sake, reader,
we hope that the tram which now carries Hi
nois beef to Florida may soon carry Florida
oranges back to Illinois, and to that city in
| Illinois known as Ottawa.
Every inland town IN the state leans either
IN greater or less degree on Jacksonville for
the needs and comforts of daily lite. To that
city the owner OF the orange grove, the drug
gist, the merchant and housekeeper must look
for hay and corn for dry goods, for groceries,
tor drugs and for all the finer furniture of a
home. Necessarily this constitutes her
Florida Chicago, and like her great example
she will doubtless push her advantages to the
| utmost
Seven different steamboat lines, the De
Barry, the ST. Johns River Fast Line the ST.
Nicholas of New York, the Independent Line
the Baya Line, the U. 8. Mail Fast Line, and
the Draper Line, act as the agents of the grow
| ing city on the St. Johns. Five railroads, the
Savannah, Florida and Western, the Florida
Central, the Macon, Brunswick and Waycross,
the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile, and
the Florida Transit, are the fleet messengers
running to and fro at its bidding. All these
lines and roads have inviting Office homes,
but the elegant headquarters OF the Waycross
would be no dlscredit to Chicago, and are
stately ornament to Jacksonville. AS the city
draws It's life and glory from the st. Johns
broad bosom, 1t is fitting that Its longest,
busiest and finest street should border that
noble river. Imposing hotels, large business
houses, animated scenes of lite sprlnglng from
the arrivals and departure of boats as they
discharge and take up their loads Of passen-
gers and freight at the wharves, handsome
drug and fancy stores with their collection of
curious things from curious state, large bus
mess houses, postoftice uncomfortably
thrOnged during the hours OF delivery, and
line of street cars very new, very clean and
clumslly heavy give to Bay street Its proud
pre.eminence over Its sisters. Other streets
less exclusively devoted to business or not at
all are wide, all lined by pleasant homes and
shaded by noble forest trees or magnificent
| live oaks.
To counterbalance these attractions Jack
sonville does not contain a single paved street
and the deep, drifting sand through which We
hicles must roll and horses plod is neither
agreeable or soothing TO the average traveller.
You fancy that 1t Will be pleasant to take a
street car tour of the city. You start. Your
car moves up portion of the street and sud
denly halts. AS no visible person has signaled
the car you ask the driver what he is waiting
for. and receive the information that the heavy
car has slipped from the track, that his
strength is insufficient to replace it, and that
he has whlstled for help from the station and