The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-08-02
FLORIDA and Georgia Facts.

WALDO, Fla, July 23.-[Special cor
respOndencc. Il have just been read
Ing the FREE TRADER and have never
so thoroughly realized the vast am
cunt OF careful, painstaking labor that
you are bcstOwing on your paper 10
make il SO acceptable and readable. ]
am reminded that the farmers OF Hi
nOis, as also OF this seceiOn, are Strug-
CLING with monopolies, fiice sharks,
professional politicians and a raft OF
IOther ills which seem TO be common 10
American life at this time. My own
convictions were long since formed "a
the result Of the instruction received
from Judge Human, Of Farm Ridge,
well known 10 most Of your older read
crS no doubt. If only his precepts and
counsel could have been placed in the
hands Of our school boys twenty years
ago, how much more easily the great
problems Of to-day would be solved .
! He seemed TO look with prophetic eye
to the coming Of just such day as we
now confront.
| have recenely made trip into
! Georgia, and am greatly impressed
with the progress the people or thal
state are making in all material defcl-
opmcnt. The city Of Macon in partic-
lular is making wonderful! strides III
the development of her advantages.
As | rode ont of the city on the new
Georgia Southern and Florida r. r., a
gentleman sitting at my side called
my attention to the fields OF waterln"-
Ions alongside the road and with no
fence to protect, as the local option
fence and stock law is in force in Geor-
gia and many counties nave AWARDED
themselves Of its advantages. He a so
remarked on the prosperous people In
that section and the wonderful strides
that Macon had been making for few
wears past. THE new G.. ). x +. Try.
is what has done It," he said. He then
explained that the remarkable success
that had attended the business OF that
road from the beginning had inspired
other enterprises to come 10 Macon,
and the boom was only just begun.
| remember well when | first visited
Macon, some twelve years ago, that 1t
was sleepy looking old town, with
broad streets, handsome shade trees
beautiful hills and many other attrac-
tiOns Of quiet character but for bu-
siness push and enterprise thought
little of the place, nor did | have any
leXpectation of ever seeing things so
thoroughly changed in so short time.
Now the electric street car, or Belt
Line" road, runs through the CITY, all
is hustle and stir, and the confident
assertion of the citizens is that Macon
will show an even hundred thousand
by the next census.
The crops of Florida and Georgia are
in excellent cOnditin, and an abund-
ance seems assured. The people of this
immediate section have also great
interest in the recently completed IT,.
l. :. * +. Ry., as it makes theOnly snort
cut outlet for Florida to the north
and west. 1t shortens the distance to
all the great cities 10y many miles. 1t
also affords all-rdil competition, some
thing we did not have before. Cotton
raising, which had been practically
abandoned in this neighborhood OF
late years because OF no competition in
Transportation and the enormous rates
charged 10y the one line controlling, has
again revived and promises to be an
important Florida crop for all time to
come.
We are to have series of Harvest
Excursions" this fall, and very low
rates: so we shall expect TO see hosts
of our friends from the Northwest in
our far flower land at that time. The
matter will be advertised, but prob
ably not very generously by the north
ern roads, who will have competing
excursions to the West, and will care
little for the southern ones; but let
your readers watch out and he sure to
come down and see for themselves the
wonderful things we have TO show.
w w BREESE