The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-17
FLORIDA'S FUTuRE.
]. N. G. Stockton Not Disheartened at
the Outlook.
From the Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution.

From the Atlanta (Ga.l Constitution
What has the future in store for Jackson
vile and Florida? 1t is question in which
the people of the whole country, in common
with those of Florida and the south, are in
terested. Is the injury done by the terrible
epidemic permanent one, or is it only
temporarya And will the final effect be a
good or bad onel
Among the recent arrivals from jackson
vile is Mr.. J. N. G. Stockton, one of Flori-
da's most prominent citizens. Mr.. Stock
ton, though quite young man, is cashier
OF the National Bank of the State of Flori-
da, in Jacksonville; president of the First
National Bank of Tampa; a member of the
board of public works at Jacksonville, and
is besides interested in different enterprises
throughout the state.
The popular idea about the injury done
to Jacksonville and Florida by the yellow
fever epidemic" said j. N. C. Stockton, in
discussing the question yesterday, Seems
to me to be erroneous. l am not one of
those who believe that any permanent in
jury has been worked by the fever, except.
of course, in the death of some of our best
citizens. SO far as Jackso vile as a city is
concerned cannot help believing that the
effect will be exactly the opposite In this
way: In crystallizing public sentiment to
the necessity for great improveme nts in the
sanitary conditions of the city; and, indeel
in all that is necessary for the building up
of the city, this has been terrible lesson,
but the ultimate effect will be for good
at will be good in different ways. We
have been careless about the condition of
the city in the past, but now every energy
will be bent toward the building Of per-
feet system of sewers, the filing in Of all
those low places about the city which have
been nothing but death holes, and in the
state the creation of n state board of health
aud the enforcement of thestrictest possible
sanitary laws. Jacksonville's bonded in
debtedness is about 1920. 900. A propos-
ton for the issuance of bonds to the
present Indebtedness andrnake all necessary
improvements, will be submitted 10 the
people, and will undoubtedly be carried
That will give us about $780, 900 with which
TO improve the city, and with that we can
put it in such condition that il will be
absolutely safe against future attacks of vel
low fever II may be hard TO realize. but
it is fact that n great many improvements
of this kind have been made during the cpl
demic Squads of men have been at work
all the time, and new streets have been
opened up, many of the low places about
the city have been filed, and the general
appearance of the city shows considerable
improvements
''Those of us who have been in the midst
VI ~ al "a y NV hN1iA1 W thuCu ODPItSSetl DH
the outlook as are the Floridiaus who have
depended on the newspapers for their infor-
nation. 1t may be that we have become
somewhat deadened to the awfulness Of it
all, but | think we are better able to weigh
all the conditions and carefully consider the
situation.
"In considering the effect Of the epidemic
on the business OF the state, most people |
find think only of the travel from the north.
We are glad of course, TO have that travel
and it helps Jacksonville and other places
in Florida, but IL forms very small figure
in the total of the states business. The Wis
itors will come, however, as there is no such
climate in the world. The orange indu try
will not be at all hurt by the epidemic
neither will the lumber interests, tlo to-
bacco nor the cotton Those are Florida's
staples-Florida's wealth. Each years bus
mess shows a decided growth IN al OF these
industries aud a consequent increase in tho
states wealth, and as neither the endemic
itself nor the business sta ynation incident t.
it have injured these industries. the siate,
taken as a whole, has been very little al
fected
81 mean the business interests. The death