The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-10-04
OCALA A. An EXAMPLE

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The Scar u not sighting statewide
pSOhibitjo0. bat IL decidedly objects 10
the tactics Of some Of the advocates Of
the amendment who are holding Ocala
up - . horrible example Of the evils
Of local option.
A number Of the speakers on the
stats-W wide side Of the question have
been not only uncompllmentary but
absolutely untruthful in their al1us-
IONS to this city. A notable example
II that Of the Rev. Joe sherouse.
whose address In Barlow was SO
promptly and ably confuted by the
Polk County Record. Unfortunately
Ocala has not always present as able
IN advocate Is Editor Savage, who IL
much more familiar with Ocala than
Rev. Shsrouss.
Some Of the allegations against
Ocala are foolish. some criminal. and
all are untrue. Among the foolish
ones are the comparisons OF Ocala
banks with those Of other places. It
seems to be the favorits argument Of
the city's traducers that Ocala il on
the bum simply because 1t hasn't .
bank on every street corner.
"Ocala," they say. has only one
bank. and . branch OF q bank, while
Gainesville has fsvs banks" And they
% ON to argue that Ocala is only 40.
or rather 30. per cent. as good as
Gainesville. because Ocala has two
banks. or q bank and q half and
Gainesville I'VE.
Its . good lie to tell to . primary
class. but not to hand out to business
men. According to their theory q
bank II . bank. and all banks are
equal Ocala has q bank and q half,
Gainesville has nve banks. Ocala has
seven thousand population. therefore
Gainesville must have 1850 or 10000
IL OcG1a does q million dollars worth
Of business. Gainesville must do two
million and . half. to three. Ocala
covers four square miles, Gainesville
must cover ten or twelve. The av-
srags Ocala man IL feet. 8 inches
- feet high. The average Ocala man
can drink q gallon Of beer at a sit
ting: the average Gainesville man can
drink . washtub full Of water.
Crystal River has bank. Ocala
has . bank and half. Crystal River
has tWo-thirds the population Of Oca1a,
but the people eat only two-thirds as
much - the people Of Ocala and are
only two-thirds the size. Dunnellon
has one bank: Gainesville has I'VE.
when q Dunnellon man goes to
Gainesville. he II only one-1fth the
size Of Gainesville man-that is to
say about . feet. 4 or i've inches high.
On the other hand. hank is . bank,
- the Nunroe 4 Chambliss Bank
of Ocala does A. much business as the
Rank Of England or the Bank OF
France. Its q poor rule that won't
work both ways
OF all the silly arguments made.
that Of referring to the Commercial
Bank OF Ocala In . disparaging way
because Il II . branch. takes the cake.
The Commercial Bank Of Ocala il a.
big . financial institution as any in
the state. excepting few in the sea-
port cities. 1t sometimes does as much
business in an hour a. the small town
banks do In week. A man who can
9ive good security can get as much
money from 1t as he can from any
bank In Jacksonville or Tampa. It
occupies the quarters OF the old First
National Bank Of Ocala. has a larger
force and does more business. It con-
ducts It's local business independently
and In practically managed by Marion
coonty- men.
Its safe bet that the Ocala banks
do . much bigger business In proper
tion 20 their number than the Gaines
Vile banks and no we'll posted man
thinks Ocala does only 80 or 40 per
cent. % much business or has only 80
or - per cent Of the resources of
Gainesville.
The other points In the invidfous
compArisons being drawn against
Ocala are - far from the truth as
those relating to the banks. Ocala Is
. prosperous and enterprising city,
ard Il II Just ~ moral as any other
city Of its size. Every one who comes
here 1T once remarks the building
that u going on. There IL not va
cant store and hardly q vancant resi-
dsnce. There has not been business
failure OF any conseQnence in years.
There In not an able-bodied man In
People are coming In every day and
square ano business streets are AL
ways animated with people and We
nsciss.
N point OF morality. Ocala doesn't
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