The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-06-18
OCALA "HOLLERS"

Editor Fank Harris of the Ocala
Banner, usually one of the most
broad-minded and liberakidead of
men, gets into an awful stew over
the announcement that the Atlantic
Coast Line has finally consented to
cater to the greater convenience of
the travelling public by putting on an
extra train from Ocala to Lakeland.
This train, known as the Sunny
Jim Special" on account of the fact
that it has been agitated year after
year by M. E. Robinson, will afford
long-desired facilities for the move
ments of the travelling men and will
also permit people from Ocala and
intermediate points to visit Tampa,
transact business and return the
same day. And this latter fact is the
undisguised motive of the Banners
complaint.
This being true, there must be
some very good reason why Ocala
does not desire to afford it's people
and the people residing in its imme-
date neighborhood the opportunity
of coming to Tampa more easily and
conveniently than heretofore. What
is this reason? Does the Banner care
to confess that it is because Ocala
fears Tampa competition, is afraid
that Tampa merchants, by better pri-
ces, easier terms. superior goods or
more up-to-date methods, will take
away from its own merchants some
of the local and neighborhood bust
ness they now enjoy? If the Banner
does make this confession it conSti-
tutes a very doubtful compliment to
the Ocala merchants. And if it does
not make this confession, what rea-
son can it give for objection to addi-
tional train service?
The more opportunity they have of
coming to Tampa, the better and the
roster life must be to the people in
and about Ocala. And, according to
the Tribune's way OF thinking, the
Atlantic Coast Line proves itself a
genuine benefactor to many people
by making this improvement, while,
as for our friend, Sunny Jim"-he
deserves a monument in the court
house square in Ocala.-Tampa Trib-
une.
If the Tampa merchants do not sell
cheaper than the Ocala merchants,
they ought to, because of the discrim-
mating freight rates allowed by our
railroad commission in favor of the
seaport cities against all interior cit
les.
Has the Tribune any idea what
this discrimination amounts to?
We shall cite a single instance:
The freight on an automobile billed
from some factory in Michigan to
Jacksonville was $50. The freight on
the same machine billed to Ocala was
$151.
And Ocala mustn't holler!
Not only this, but we must hold up
the hands of the commission and help
manufacture them into great states
men.
Barnum said that the American
people liked to be humbugged The
people of the interior seem to enjoy
it.
We have the political power TO say
that this discrimination must cease, !
but we let things rock along without
as much as raising a feeble cry.
But it seems to us that it would |
instantly occur to the railroads to |
cease this discrimination and, instead, |
foster the interior cities and do all in |
their power to build them up, because
the interior cities are wholly depend |
ent on the railroads, and every piece /!
of freight coming in or going out is |
so much grist that is compelled TO !
pass through the railroad hopper, and !
a city in the interior means much |
more to a railroad than any seaport !
city
We my be very stupid, but for the !
life of us we cannot see how eX-
cursian trains. leaving Ocala every |
morning, one for Tampa and anoth- |
err for Jacksonville, the former permit |
ting the people of Ocala and all terri
tory south of her to visit Tampa and I
do their days shopping; and those |
living north of us to visit Jackson |
vile and Gainesvilel and do their |
days shopping, can possibly benefit !
the Ocala merchants, and they are
the fellows this paper wants to ben
eft.
And as these excursion trains are
hurtful to them this paper hollers and !
hollers loud,
1t is real mean in Editor Harris to |
protest against permitting Ocala peO- |