Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-05-04
Mr.. RowELL ON FLORIDA.

GCO' =. hOWClis eOlloT OF HTllIel s
Ink, a weekly journal for printers and
advertisers, and compiler Of the Row.
ell Newspaper Directory, either
through ignorance OF the fact or for
some designing reasons, has seen fit
in an article in Printers Ink of
April "a, over his own signature, to
grossly misrepresent our State in
many Of his statements. In fact, none
Of them are correct, and it is the
duty of the Florida Press to take the
matter up and call the author to
time.
In the first place. Mr.. Rowell states
that there is only one paper published
in Tallahassee, The Sun, which n Ike ;
its appearance, when IN fact Their, IRE
two first-class weeklies, The SUI and
The True Democrat. Mr.. Rowell,
above anyone else, should know the
facts regarding that of which he
makes a study and business. He
knocks" the State again by the asser-
ton that, such as they are, Florida
issues over $50 newspapers and peri.
odicals, and 1t is quite probable that
there are more than a hundred
Florida papers that do not have a
list of subscribers that would count
as many as 200 names" The Sun
doubts seriously if there are a dozen
in this class, for, as a rule, the Flori-
da weekly is widely circulated paper
in proportion to population--more
widely in proportion than the majority
of papers in other States, by reason
of the fact that Florida is composed
of an intelligent class of people, made
up from every section of the United
States, and as a rule people of re.
finement who insist upon reading the
papers. One may find in the
rural districts of Florida the very es.
sence of integrity, people from every
where who have come to live among
us, some because of the infatuating
climate and fertility or soil, some be-
cause of their health--and in fact for
various reasons. Ninety per cent of
this class who are engaged I'm farm.
ing or horticulture or trucking are
subscribers to their county paper.
Simply because the publishers Of
these papers, who, in many instances
are Indifferent as to whether they
make a report to Mr.. Rowelrs direc- |
tory or not they are credited with |
less than 200 copies circulation
Mr.. Rowell makes another blunder
Of the grossest kind when he states
that there are no stones in Florida,
and that it would be impossible to
secure one In the entire State large /
enough to make doorstep, or even
big enough to throw at dog. Right
here In Alachua county we can dis
prove that assertion, and IL Mr..
Rowell is willing to pay the freight
NO Noh supply ulll Win iol Ollig
stones for his doorstep, but also
of good ones large enough
10 throw at all the CANNES which
come his way,
The dreamy author of this attack
on Floridas resources declares that
we have no hard roads, and that the
surface of sand road is covered with
marsh grass or forest leaves, and
this again with sea shells. It is need.
less to defend this attack, for every.
one who has visited Florida knows
that, while we may not have so great
4 mileage no better roads are TO be
found in the United States than the
roads of Florida, constructed Of ma
.erial mined from the earth OF this
State, which Mr.. Rowell states is
nothing but sand, sand, sand"
Next to the peonage articles which |
have become famous. this article OF
Geo. p. Rowell is the most unjust mis-
Of Florida ever pub
Iished.