The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-09-30
LA. FLORIDA, THURSDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 80. 1909

kind of thing that nearly everybody
would endorse as a good thing and
which few will take any active inter
est in. If we are to have a state
board of trade there are several mat
ters TO consider at the outset. Florida
is a state of magnificent distances
Where would the promoters of the
movement meet to formulate a scheme
of organization, unless they fall in
line and appear as self appointed
delegates? How many business men
are there who would be willing to
contribute of their own time and
money the needful amounts required
first and last TO take an active part in
this work? A work of this kind IN
dertaken for the general good should
be supported by the public, but it is
necessary for the individuals to make
some sacrifice at the beginning, and
there are not many who can afford il.
We take il that there are men in
every community, as there are in
Miami who have served the public for
a long time at their own expense and
with but little appreciation and as
rule these men feel that it is time for
others to take up the burden. Who
is going 70 attend to the public con-
cerns2 The poor man who is forced
to grind day in and day out can spare
neither the time nor the money, and
those who are able do not take the
interest in affairs that they should.
We had not expected TO see such an
exhibition of pessimism in this Miami
contemporary OF ours. 1t seems to
have lost faith iii its own power,
which we do not believe it is justi-
fed in doing; and it also expresses
great doubt about the progressiveness
of the men of Florida-their willing
ness to shoulder a slight burden and
be put to tTifing expense for the
good of the state.
The Metropolis must have noted
that it is the persistent voice of the
press calling TO them day after day
which arouses the public to many
lines of useful endeavOT and although
public opinion may not be what one
could call something tangible to
work upon, being mental not a ma
terial object of attack, its direction
into certain fixed channels of useful
thought has been the beginning of all
direction falls cOnspicuOusIy within
the province of the newspapers, and
the sooner this is understood and act
ed upon by the Metropolis and others
Interested in seeing a state board of
trade established the sooner will that
body become an accomplished fact
Nor do We think The Metropolis has
a right to presuppose that citizens Of
Florida viii be behind hand in doing
what has been doae by those of other
states, both large and small The
boards of trade of these other states
have accomplished and are still &C
COmplishing an enormous measure Of
good in the industrial development Of
their respective territories. We viii
not for moment admit that citizens
OF Florida are one whit less patriotic
or progressive than those of other
states, but We do believe they need to
have shown to them clearly the great
importance of a general commercial
body in connection with the upbuiId-
ing of Florida and the enlightenment
and enrichment of its people
The suggestion of The Metropolis
in the final paragraph of the same
editorial from which We have quoted
that as a starter the delegates TO the
inland waterways convention to be
held in Jacksonville in November be
commissioned by their several COM
munities or local commercial bodies
to meet and lay out a plan for the