The Pensacola journal., 1907-05-12
7. A. JENNINGS s
LET TER Of
REGRET
Which Was Read Friday At
The Ferry Pass Picnic
And Speaking.


The following is the letter of Hon
I. A. Jennings, which was read III
day AZ the Ferry Pass picnic and
| speaking. expressing his regret at be-
ing unable TO be present ON the occa-
sion:
Mr.. Geo. w. Harper, chairman COM
mittee on Arrangements.
My Dear Sir:-I find that | will
be unable to attend the annual pic
mic given under the auspices of the
| Knights of Labor and farmers on
May 10th and l therefore decline with
regrets the invitation to make an adj
dress on that occasion.
| Il assure you that il would afford
me great pleasure to meet again the
good people of the Ferry Pass neigh
( borhood. participate in their festivi-
ties and enjoy their hospitalities So
cial gatherings of this kind do mucn
good toward engendering better feel
! ings- In this fast age unfortunately
many of us take but little time to
talk to one another except on business
matters. II often happens that we get
the wrong impression of our fellow
man when We see him hurrying on in
his determined effort to increase the
weight of his pocketbook. We dis
cover later when, by chance perhaps,
We come to know him better, that he
is really a pretty good fellow. We
find that when we can place our feet
together under the table and break
bread with the other man that he is
very much like ourself and We learn
to like him.
''It has been my pleasure to serve
out a public road to this point. |
hope that 1t will soon be built. L
trust also that another public road.
an air line to Pensacola will soon be
constructed. I hear. and with a great
deal of pleasure too, that the new rail
road will go near Ferry Pass and | in
dulge in the fond hope that it will not
be long before we hear the conductor
at the new union depot in Pensacola
call out All obard for Ferry Pass,
Andalnsia and Atlanta l earnestly
trust that Escambia county and San
ia Rosa county, soon after the two
public roads to Ferry Pass are COM
pleted, will join in the building of
first class steel bridge across the river
at or near Ferry Pass, thereby en-
abling the citizens of the two counties
to visit each other and Interchange
traffic without the great hinderances
now in their way. If Santa Rosa
county will not join in this undertake
ing which is so greatly needed and in
fact almost public necessity. then
Escambia county should rise in her
might and remove at once the prov
able-in fact undisputed-charge that
she is cut eff from all of her sister
counties in Florida by impossible
streams. no kind of foot bridge and
not even a free ferry. being operated
anywhere on the EScambia river in
this state This is not as it should
be and I have faith in our progress
sive and honorable county commits
sioners and hope that they will not
let this condition exist much longer.
This being a picnic and barbecue
given by the Knights of Labor and
Farmers I will refer briefly TO each:
ITO the laborers will say that 1 be
lieYe in good wages for good work.
This should be an American principle.
Good wages is just as important to
the man who keeps a store, runs a
farm or conducts any other legitimate
business as it is to the laboring man
who works for wages. The prosper
ity of the country depends upon the
purchasing power of the masses.
When people receive large wages and
salary they spend that mach more
at the store. these storekeepers buy
more goods from the manufacturers,
the manufacturers in turn consume
and demand more material and which
must be furnished from the mines,
forests and farms. Thus the whole
country becomes more prosperous and
the general standard of living be-
comes higher. Our desire should be
/ = - hot ~ g~t- I.,-
which will enable the iabOrerer of
yesterday to work for himself as his
own master to-day and employ others
to labor for him tomorrow. There
should be no permanent class of hired
white laborers among us in this great
American government with all its lib
eralities and freedom. All of us are
equals. each TO. the other, and each
dependent upon the other Therefore
let us advance together Let improve
ments in condition extend to all
classes at the same time. The effort
of some to shift their share of the
burden of labor on the shoulders of
others without the proper remunera-
tion is one of the great curses of our
country.
''As for the farmer. ii is fact that
he is the one upon which all the rest
of the factors of government and
civilization find their foundation. Un-
questionablly he carries more than
his share of the burdens because OF
the peculiar, position which he occU-
pies in society. in government. and in
commerce. Since the foundation of
our government. more than a century
and a quarter ago, he has patiently
borne his burdens and never demand
ed any special privileges. His opin-
ions have scarcely ever been solicit
ed. his interests most seldom ever
questioned and his counsel probably
never asked when the policy of the
government is being determined. The
farmers seem to be unnlindful of the