The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-02-26

vain imagining That there exists any
competition between the railroad
companies. In Florida this cOmpe.
titiOn is an unknown quantity, but
we need not despair, as serious as the
outlook may appear; there is hope OF
! a solution of our difficulties. Upon
the border of the beautiful lake
Geneva, in Switzerland lies au ancsenE
castle, known as the Castle of Chilion.
The immortal Byron in a beautiful
and pathetic poem described the
weary Imprisonment OF a prince of
the royal blood, known as the Prison
er OF ChillOn, who was confined in
this castle for period of thirty years,
eating out his heart in yearnings for
sun light, home and liberty. A dis
| tinguishei Am erican, known pOpu.
larry as Mark Twain, in criticism
upon Byron's poems, said, that the
| poem falls short IN not giving the
| result of the long imprisonment. His
statement of the case is that after
having been imprisoned during these
long and dreary thirty years, happy
thought one day occurred to this poor
prisoner, and he raised the window Of
his dungeon and got out. May We
not hope To escape Our prison bondage
under the railroad companies after
thirty years of servitude, 10y the
similar occurrence to Us Of "a happy
thought? l violate no secrecy when
bring to you the glad tidings that
there are men of serious minds and
deep determinations within this city
who have resolved to terminate the
existing state Of things at what
ever cost. present to you tonight,
my friends, my solution of our
troubles. The DunnellOn Phosphate
Company, the Hull Phosphate Conn
pany and the J. Buttgen back Com
pany have already, or are preparing
to construct Independent lines TO
deep water which will give them
absolute independence of the railroad
companies. fell assured that there
are men enough, with courage
enough, and with determination
enough, and above all, with money
enough, whose interests are bound TO
the destinies of this community who
will, i. need be, pledge sufficient
funds to enable the citizens OF Ocala TO
own and operate an independent line
of railroad to the deep waters Of the
st. Johns River, ami at least, let this
beautiful city of ours come into her
own. Shall this suggestion or this
project receive the encOuragem ent
and assistance of you, my friends?
We can by one stroke gain our indie
pendence in commercial affairs.
Shall we longer submit to the dOmi-
nation of the foreign owners Of our
lines, or shall we, like
men, coutrol our own destinies? 1
can see magnificent results from such
q course. There sits our beautiful
city, destined 10y nature 10 be queen
amoug her sisters? Shall we permit
ler longer to go uncrOwned? 1 feel
sure there can be but one response to
his suggestion, that is, the strong
men of this community |
will seize the flood tide of our coming
and forever fix for this
,ity the first place among ali the
Interior towns of this magnificent
tate.
Mr.. William Hooker had been in.
vited for a talk on "Our Pine Forests" ]
,ut in his absence Mr.. George g.
Mathews was substituted and as
always was equal to the emergency.
dr. Mathews said that he was lover /;
# nature and regretted to see the ]
devastation of the ''sOughing pines"
,ut that they were being utilized for
,eneficent purposes and are enriching
ur citizens and after their destruc- {
ion he believed they would be super {
eeded by stock farms and other in
ustries that will prove of greater
,rOfit to those engaged in them. Mr..
is pleasing speaker as was