The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-05-04
Anti-Sionopoly.Drug store.


TO the Editor Of the Banner
ocala has had a good many ups and
but few, If any downs. As progras
slve city she has astonished tba o,,t-
SIDE world and ne doubt astonis.ad
herself The reason for her apccess !
obvious. She has been in the hands
OF the most enterprising and public
spirited citizens perhaps in the STATE
When they make money they invest !
at home. They keep themselves adj.
vertised with good hotels, good news
papers, good whisky and plenty Of
politics and Office hunters. She IA
bound to stand at the head of the
column as progressive city.
But, while we people on Indian
River are not in competition with
Ocala from commercial standpoint
we get there Just the same. We are
not troubled with Office hunters. poIi-
ties, gold bugs, silveritcs, etc, we are
OF the opinion there is more money
IN beans, Irish potatoes. tomatoes, egg
plants, onions, pineapples, bananas
and tobacco than there is in Iegisla.-
ing for It, as vegetables will mt
money In your pocket without Iegisla-
ton. II you depend on legislation to
furnish you money you will have TO
drink cheap whisky anS eat common
food.
Oeala has been furp ing quite a
lot OF cigars on Indii River and
given perfect satisfacti = 1t might
be well for some of your cigar indus
tries to look to this locality for tobacco.
as our lands are adapted to the growth
Of the finest grades OF tobacco on
earth, even without fertilizing. as the
soil Is rich and loamy, free from frost
and freer from worms and insects
than any country / have ever seen.
No need OF importing tobacco so far
a. quality Is concerned. 1t is a new
settled country and tobacco has only
been raised as an experiment, and is q
perfect success both as to growth and
quality and as soon as fully introduced
will lead any other portion of the
United States for high grade tobacco.
The people down here are not inform-
ed about tobocco culture, which keeps
the business in the back ground. If
parties would come here who under
stand raising and curing tobacco they
would soon loose all interest in the
war going on in Washington about the
gold and silver question as tobacco
would settle that question for them.
The tobacco business is by no means
our only recommendation down here.
We have all the health we need and
plenty to spare for the sick and afiiict-
ed elsewhere. No doctor bills to pay,
ia fact not a doctor in fifty miles of
here, still / can stand in my door and
see twenty settlements; nocemeteries,
no deaths from natural causes; no
cold and no hot weather. did not go
to fire to warm during the past vim
ter.
We can raise at home, catch in the
water and kill in the woods all we
want to eat, and as for clothing. we
don't need any except merely for
looks.
We got well shaken up last fall and
crops badly injured with storm, the
first and perhaps the last one for a life
time, but as Paul said to the jaIlor:
"Do thyself no harm for we are all
here" and several "were baptised the
same hour of the night and pre-
sumo the scare made them better men
and women for the time being at
least. But we are all prone to back
slide when the friction of temptation
strikes fire'even to the silver-headed
senators of the United States.
Mont HARDEE.
Jansen. Florida.