The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-06-10
RUMLEY TO THE RESCUE
A Resident Who Objects to Any In
piled Reflections on
Florida.
HE HOLDS HIS STATE FULLY
EQUAL Ito THE GLORIOUS
CLIMATE OF CAL
IFORNIA"
Admitting There Ale Some Tired
People There, the Majority are
Very Industrious.

Tc the Editor of the Chicago Inter Ocean:
KE-U-KA, Fla, May 18.-I have no
time to write for the press, and am only
driven to it now by letter which ap-
peared in the Inter Ocean recently from
a correspondent in California. The OBJ
iectionabIe portion Of the letter is the
following comparison: "The advantage
of California over Florida is, the people
of the former state do not lose any Of
their life, activity, or energy as they do
who take up their homes in Florida, 4.
This information must be valuable, as it
comes from person who had sOjourned
three whole weeks in the land he ap-
plauds and no line or word shows that
he had for a moment enjoyed what the
most celebrated medical men in the
world have repeatedly asserted and de-
clared the most delightful climate in the
universe.
l would shrink from anything that
might undervalue the Ell Dorado state,
for it has many blessings for the human
family whose lot has cast them on its
genial shores, but with equal pleasure l
rise up before the Inter Ocean audience
and dcny-emphatically deny-that
residence in Florida rObs soul Of the
life, spirit, activity or energy he inheri-
ted.
THE WRITER OF THIS HUMBLE DEFENSE
has worked up tifty-four winters and
has just started in on his fifty-fifth sum-
mer lie was brought up in printing
Office and editorial room, and never
worked outdoors a day in his life except
on fishing excursions before coming to
this state, yet last summer he worked
every week day in his grove. Two years
and half ago the writer called to bid
the editor of the Inter-Ocean goodbye.
You will remember you said. with wee
bit of sarcasm in the northeast corner of
your eve, "FlOrida is magnificent lazy
mans country" The writer agreed
with you, as it was an expression uni
versally used in the North; but he has
never WbIh httl ~ ldlO III Ills me- tlcL -
he the only one who works. This settle
ment, which is located nineteen west of
Palatka on the Florida Southern Rail
way, is made up of people from Illinois,
Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Connecticut;
and they all work, men, women, and
children, building houses, making fen
ces, cutting timber, setting out groves,
cultivating flower, fruit, and vegetable
gardens. They work as many hours
and many more days than in the North.
As an evidence of the mildness of our
winters, one could pick ripe tomatoes on
my place any day from November to
date. SO you see that the climate is in
favor of your working every day in the
year.
NOR ARE THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA,
the natives and long residenters, lifeless,
lazy, or inactive. OF course there are
people born tired in Florida as well as in
Illinois, but the per cent is no larger.
As an illustration of the spirit and en-
ergy of the people, look at the city of
Palatka. The sun went down on the
night of the 7th of November, as was his
CUSTOM The bright red orb lit up one
of the handsomest cities in the South, If
not in the Union. The morning sun OF
the Sth rose on its ashes. Her immense
hotels. with regulations co extensive
with the world; her large mercantile es-
tablishments, filled with the necessities
and luxures OF life; her banks, her post
office, and the magnificent orange trees
that lined her business streets had van.
ished into thin air The morning was g
chilly one, and the tired and begrimed
citizens who had through the long night
fought the fire fiend, stood face to face
with misfortune. 1t was q short ac
quaintance. quickly shook. for ere the
sun went down the music Of the saw
and hammer was heard in every direc
ton. and on the 7th of May, five month!
from the day of the disaster, the city
was nearly rebuilt. Forty-one stores
the buildings two and three stories high
built of brick and finished with plat
glass and costly fixtures, wrought from
our native woods, stand on the burn
district.
THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE
the warehouses built of iron AMI a hdn
dred wooden houses erected beyond tn
fire limits. What does this read like, n
though the people became life!ess, inac
tive, or lazy by residence in Florida
70 my mind it displays activity. energy
and pluck, when compared 10 wealt
and population, superior to Chicago o
any other city in the world.
Three years ago when the Florid
Southern Railway started westwar
from Palatka, it was twenty-five mile
to the first house; now all along the lin
can be found prosperous villages, hand