The Pensacola journal., 1910-06-12
Vox PoPULI.
VOTE FOR BONDS AND
A MORE BEAUTIFUL CITY

Editor Pensacola Journal.
You ask for expression of opinion
on the proposed issue of bonds. l beg
TO register my humble approval of the
whole scheme in it's entirety. / hope
and believe, from what has been said
and written on the subject, that when
the vote of next Tuesday Is counted 1t
VIII be found that respectable ma
Jorlty of the taxpayers are in favor OF
an extension of the paving and sewer
area. l think We need have no fur
ther anxiety on this point except to
get out the vote and impress on tax
payers that vote against the PROPOSE
ton, or no vote at all, means halt
In Pensacola progress, while a vote
FOX BONDS" means more work,
more business, more improvement, a
larger population, and a larger and
bore beautiful city.
But it was not the sewers, nor the
paving, that I set out to write about,
but for public market place. l wish
had the time and the talent to carry
ON a campaign in favor of this most
desirable addition to our city. Since
the city council enacted and published
this ordinance, the most astonishing
thing to my mind that has been heard
on the streets and printed in the pa
pers is the cold water thrown on, and
the out and out opposition that has
manifested itself against the proposed
market house. l am not here referring g
to croakers and knockers and doubt
ing Ihomases, but to several gentle
men, more or less public spirited, who
have said or written (and the latter
includes yourself) that we do not
want it or do not need it, because the
public market as an institution is out
OF date-has outgrown its usefulness.
This because the telephone and the
delivery wagon have rendered it obso-
lete-put it out of business-made it a
back number. With all due respect,
think you are mistaken. First as to
the telephone. Are you sure you are
not looking at this from the point of
view of those few who can afford this
luxury, and not from the viewpoint Of
the other five-sixths Of our popula-
ton? Let US see: There are, rough
ly, 1900 telephone subscribers. Half
OF these are in business houses, and
have therefore little to do with this
matter; the other half are in private
houses, or, say, 1000 residential sub
scrlbers. If Pensacola's population is
10000, and there are five persons to
holds: that is to say, there are 5000
families without a telephone. And it
is for these same 5000 families that
the public market is most needed. Let
us say that of these 5000 families that
the public market is most needed. Let
us say that of these 5000 families only
20 per cent. would patronize the mar
ket; that would be 1000 families
5000 souls. Wouldn't this. be a re-
spectacle patronage for the market?
And if the telephone has busted the
market, how is it that the markets of
Boston, New York; Baltimore, Charles
ton, Savannah, Tallahassee, Selma,
New Orleans are so we'll patronized?
1t is true that the French market has
lost some of its prestige and patron
age, but it is still a busy and most in
teresting place to see. But ask any
of the cities named il they would
abandon or abolish their market; you
would very promptly get chorus OF
nays
Now why do we want a market ?
Here's the answer: So We can get a
regular supply of FRESH meats, poul-
try, fish, fruits and vegetables-get
them fresh and CHEAPER. In one
respect Pensacola is as bad as a
IONA Ill tU6 NlluS Ol N6Ndud- i
refer to our propensity to live out of
the tin can. Do you know that there
is between $250,00O and $500 900 worth
of canned goods brought to Pensacola
every year? Stop and think of this
enormous tribute we are annually pay
| ing to northern truck growers and
meat raisers; the wholesaler. the job
ber, the merchant, for selling to us,
in tin can, at big price which
We should be producing ourselves.
And this brings me to the main and
| principal reason for a market-the en-
couragement it would give to the
raising, making and producing of these
very commodities which are costing us
! so much. You do not have to be told
what holds Pensacola business up, but
lets put it right down here and look
at and think over it. Outside of its
| fish business, which was, and is and
ever shall be- its business is almost
entirely dependent on the pine tree
| on timber, lumber, naval stores. This
| is not a creative business, but is es-
| sentiaily a destructive business. We
| are sitting on the limb and saving it
off between us and the trunk. Just
stop moment and think-think for a
whole minute on this: What comes
aIter tne pine tree mas gone! Whefe
then will Pensacola's pre-eminent posi-
| ton be as the leading yellow pine and
leading naval stores port-where
then will be those stately ocean-going
craft that dot our bay; won't they be
as the ships that pass in the night"
| o, but you say that mystical new
railroad and the Panama canal will
save us. Maybe so. And may the
good Lord forgive us for sitting down
and waiting for something. Shall we,
with our boasted climate and fertile
soil produce nothing but jimson weed
| and gallberry bush and palmetto and
scrub oak. If Pensacola ever expects
to amount to anything, she will have
| TO begin right now to foster agricul-
ture, fruit and truck raising. Quit
buying from and begin selling to our
richer fellow countrymen in the north
and west. Isn't this true?
| And that brings me back to the
market. No one little thing can do SO
much to start the industries I have
named than to have a market where
/ this produce can be regularly taken
and regularly sold; a regular market
| that's the thing