The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-10-20
VOX POPULI.
Mr.. PACkARD'S WORK
FOR WEST FLORIDA

Battle Creek. Mich, Oct Is, 1909
Editor Pensacola Journal:
In your issue of Oct. LIST you pub
hshed an editorial under the caption:
VIII West Florida be Considered. "
to which l beg the privilege of lit
tie OF your valuable space for re-
joinder
am sure you do not wish to be
unfair to the railroad and perhaps
are not intimately aware of what
for that region.
In 1902 l began the publication
or the North and South for the South
ern States Lumber Co, of which Mr..
r K Honge was the General Man
ager and Mr. S NJ Lamont, president.
Thls company had in Baldwin County
ana the two EScambias some 300
O0O acres of cut over land of which
II was DESTROYS Of disposing.
None of US at that time knew best
how to advertise that section, but our
combined ideas resulted in the pub
LEGATION Of this paper at Toledo.
OHIO, and its distribution in the
states of Indiana, Ohio and Nichi-
gan. This was continued for nearly
two years and resulted in the arOus-
ing OF a great interest in Pensacola
ad West Florida. So valuable had IT
proven that the L. and n. Railroad.
through its then G. l. and /. A, Mr.
X J. Wemyss, contracted for its
future issues
In doing this work l went personal
ly over West Florida armed with a
battery of cameras and visited per
sOnally every progressive farmer be
tween Pensacola and River juno
ton. I photographed their crops
and gathered from them and printed
all the information that I could get
relative to the progress OF that sec
ton,
During the succeeding seven years
made a dozen or more issues of the
paper, each numbering from ten to
twenty-five thousand copies. In fact
ii would not be out of place for me
now to state that your section has had
more publicity through my publica-
ton than any other section of the
whole system
In these isues I undertook to show
the possibilities of West Florida and
especially of Pensacola to the best
Of my ability as l believed then, as
/ believe now. that your beautiful city
has the "makin's" OF a great center
and that it is bound to come.
These papers were taken by the L
and n first by Mr. WeymSS and
later by the present earnest and en-
thusiastic G. I. and 1. A, Mr.. G.. a.
Park and carefully distributed by
mail in single wrappers TO fnqUiTeTs
North of the Ohio River
During this period NT. Park ordered
several editions of an illustrated book
let on West Florida, which he has
likewise distributed through the north
I do not wish to appear egOtistic,
but I do know that much has been
done and is being done for West
Florida by the railroad which YOU SO
sharply condemn.
I know that in gathering data for
this work / have driven over Bald
win county. I have done likewise
have gone over the sreat county of
Santa Rosa and have depicted the
Chocta whatchie bay country to its ut
termOst IN so doing I have fiauntad
West Florida in the eyes of the north.
from the shores OF the PeTdidO 20
where the waters Of the ApaIachicOIa
wash the fertile red lands of Jackson
county
It now appears likely that I have
made my last trip in this region, as
nv physical condition, yerging on
paralysis. will scarcely permit even
debating this letter, but I cannot for
bear saving this much in behalf OF
the railroad with which 7 have affiH-|
2ted so long and because 7 personally
am aware of how much their enthus-
iasIic general industrial and immigra-
ton agent. Mt. Park. has done and
expects to do for Pensacola and West