Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-03-02
letter AGAIN
A. "A. MONEK REFERS TO CONDI
TIIONs IN FLORIDA AS SEEN
By HIM

B1 HIM
Hot Springs, Ark, Feb. "a, 1911.
jamestown Alert:-
The Daily Alert of the 18th came
to hand and what 1 see out of F. c.
Bennett letter to the Daily Alert, I
think II F. c. Bennett would first
take a cold bath or ducked his head
under the ice in the river and cool
OF his brains, it would have done him
as much good as the baths in
Hot Springs are doing for me.
: I see Mr.. Bennett has spent few
days or weeks in Florida and it seems
he can describe Florida as paradise
and Florida resources better than he
could describe North Dakota after
he has lived there 20 or more years.
I have made two trips to Florida
and have spent almost months. l
have not been there altogether in
darkness or with my eyes shut. Have
seen those fine orchards as Mr.. Ben
nett describes, but have in my ar
tcle of February 7th, described only
some Of my trips, over the so adver-
tisesd good, cheap Florida lands.
What have said in my letter is moth
ing but the truth and I can prove by
parties who were with me. Have not
tried to. describe the state in general,
its hotels from Is cents to $40 per
day, it's fine orchards and gardens
producing from nothing to $4,000 per
acre as Mr.. Bennett does, I simply
described some of my trips and have
misrepresented nothing but the mos
quito bill. I stretched from " to 2
inches as you have exaggerated the
income of an acre in Florida from
$500 to $4,000. The fishing as Mr..
Bennett understands, was not done
on high land, in the bitches along
either side Of the road where the
real estate men told us land was sell
ing from $40 to $3.50 per acre which
/ would not have as gift. In regard
to p1asaia and fever, ! did not say
people were apt to get 1t in hotels
like the Royal Poinciana in Palm
Beach, but in the country where the
poor farmers had to live on the
low lands and use we'll water, as all
the country along east coast is only
a few feet above sea level, I have
also seen those fine orchards and
green gardens grown on pure white
sand. I also, by investigating, found
out what it cost to fertilize and ha' :
which, perhaps, you never gave a
thought but imagined it was the fine
climate and pretty white sand that
did it all Further more I saw south
from Miami some of the finest Or
chards of grape fruit and oranges the
surface, before orchard was planted
being coral formation or solid rock,
blasted out first then filled with
dirt and fertilizer that were hauled
for miles away. Any pin head would
wonder how such fine fruit trees could
possibly be grown on rock. 1t is not
my intention to misrepresent Florida,
as I do not care who goes there or
who does not. I like the winter
in Florida very much and may
visit there again, but would not
spend the summer there as the peo-
pie say short distance from the
ocean the heat is unbearable, and
I think it only fair to tell the read
ers of the Alert if any of them thinks
of buying land in Florida to go and
see it for themselves. did not
know that my friend Bennett was so
deeply interested in Florida land, as
1 would never have said any thing
about It. After Mr.. Bennett describes
all sorts Of his strange queer trips
through jungles, orchards, weeds,
strange trees, rivers and pools the
e '
everglades and through dense jun
giles again and has not even seen an
alligator. I was out for ride a
few miles from Daytona when the
driver pointed out to us two alligators
from two to four feet long. Any six
years old school child will tell you
there are alligators in Florida. You
say flies and mosquitoes are practi-
cally unknown in your described dis
trict. I must say 1t is not the truth.
Flies and mosquitoes are there the
year round, and in conclusion will
say that In the few best fruit growing
districts I have not seen prosperity as
it abounds In the north.
A. A. Monek.
ftS ---O---
LORIMER RETAINS SEAT. IN SEN.
ATE
Washington, D. c., March l.