The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-11-27
United Effort Required
To Build a City.


In a speech before the Chamber of
Commerce Friday night. Hr. Edwin L.
Commercial Congress. told the mem
bers of the commercial body great
deal about building up city. Some
Of these truths the members already
knew and great many of them they
had only guessed at. Altogether. Mr..
Ouarles put the Things he had to say
Inv such strikinE ard matter cf fact
light that they were brought home to
haps they have never been before.
Mr. Quarles mentioned the cases nj
several other cities that were all but
dead and buried. where the citizens
got together, buried all snlmosities,
laid aside all petty iealousies, dropped
all rivalries. put up money and adj
vertised the natural advantages they
posses ed, and went to work them
selves. building no industries that en-
rloyed people. These cities-all Of
them-hegsn 20 crow and they are
growing yet.
Perhaps the most notable Of these
examples are Fort Smith. Arkansas
and Pctershurg. Virginia.
The Ia st narCed town. without about
three exceptions. is the oldest English
built city in the United States. For
more than hundred years H. had
maintained about the same size. Its
people were all the time growing more
and more exclusive and the old
colonial mansions we're becoming
more and more dilapidated.
The "Cockade City" was aristo-
cratic all right: no doubt about that
but the people did not have any
money. Nobody moved in and the old
folks died about as fast as the babies
We're horn.
They organized and got to work.
They reorganized their Chamber Of
Commerce and they established indus
tries.
The result is this: Today Peters
burg is one Of the richest and mos.
rapidly growing cities in all the south
II manufactures great quantities of
shoes. tobacco and other goods and
the whole world is its market. The
old mansions are there yet. But they
have new roofs on them and they
have been painted. The old city Is
H,,e 81 iv, nd historic
lore as Ii was hundred years ago,
but the srions Of the old families
have gone into business and are
making money in order that their chill.
dreu may be brought up "a BELTS such
an ancient and proud people.
In a great many respects. Pensa-
cola reminds one of Petersburg, only
Petersburg had more aristocrats and
had reached a position a little nearer
20 the brink Of the grave than Pensa-
cola had. And besides Pensacola has
the most natural advantages. Peters
burg has only the river and Pensacola
has the finest harbor in the entire
country.
What Petersburg has done. Pensa-
cola can do. as for that matter is doing
now.
Frederick Douglass was only ne.
gro. but he said this:
when | was boy / went down
into my masters cellar and prayed 10
the Lord to set me free. but until I
began to pray with my feet and legs
I never obtained freedom"
There Is no use in Pensacola sitting
supinely by and praying for some
capitalist or corporation to step in and
build another railroad. There is little
use in waiting for another Ponce de
Leon or another DeSoto to come again
and discover Pensacola. The only
thins to do is for Pensacola to wake
M and get to work.
Pensacola must have other rail
roads and the future of the town de-
ponds on her having factories estab-
lished.
But Pensacolians must 60 these
things themselves. or at any rate they
must get busy and force The su-