The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-01-12


ton. However, he declined to give
the names of those who were han
ding the petitions.
Chronicle, Ala, January 2, 1872
We arrived here the Saturday be-
fore Christmas. Mrs. Barclay has
been confined to her room ever
since, but seems to be very slowly
improving.
This is a very quiet little city
among the "Piney Hills of Ala
bama" 1t is high ground and
breezy, quite unlike the gulf coast
towns, because there is no fog,
which is the bane of New Orleans
as well as of all the resorts between
that city and Mobile. 1t seems to
be warmer, too, than the immediate
coast towns. They grow Satsuma
oranges in abundance here, and it
seems that the citrus fruit industry
is to be developed along with the
raising of pecans which has proven
quite profitable. This has been
resort for invalids for thirty years,
and was quite famous ten years ago,
when tuberculosis patients became
so numerous that it drove away
considerable share of the miscelian-
eous tourist trade, without proving
specially beneficial to the poor con-
sumptives because the air lacks that
extreme dryness requisite to consump-
ton cure. Now very few patients
of that sort come here, but many
tourists are returning.
Climate is Delightful.
The climate is very delightful,
even the rain-it has rained most OF
the time since We came-is not un-
pleasant to US northerners. 1t does
not seem to wet like rain does in
Minnesota.
The presence on all sides of ever
green trees and shrubs gives one
the impression of being in "a land
of summer even while it rains, and
when the sun shines and the japon-
icas and roses show the impression
is deepened.
The sale is poor; that's the trou-
BILE with all this gulf country, it's
too rich in sand" George w.
ALVIN of Madison Lake would reyel
in these sand hills If. he had them
on the line of the "Mankato,Madison
Lake-Twin City" road-put on thin
enough on top our black soil they
sure would make fine wheeling
but Mr.. Allyn's contention that too
much is not good holds we'll mere.
Yet there is enough vegetable mold
on top here to make good hard
roads when it rains, but not enough
to keep it from drying, out and go
ing into dust in the summer.
Starting Good Roads Campaign.
They are starting a good roads
campaign, and maybe l may get
mixed up in it. 1t is thirty miles
to Mobile, and these folks are prom
ised a good auto road-some time
out of $50O,OOO fund voted last
wear. They may get it, but they
will have to initiate Madison Lake
if they do. Nobody gets any good
roads if they don't work for-and
shout out.
think that it was a great piece
of good luck that George Allyn
went to Minneapolis in my place
to meet the Publicity club. He GER
tainly started something and it
seems to me at this distance all to
the good. He got off some good
things, am told one of the best
and it was not published either
was that the twin cities stood like
nair of elephants with both ears
turned to the north and west whence
they could hear the faintest whis-
per while from Southern Minnesota
down over their left hirs-"the
land of the best farms, best towns,
the land that nursed them when
they were babies, they couldn't he"r
a loud holler." but that We in South
ern Minnesota were fast learning
that Chicago was attentive to every
sound we made and we are begin
ming to try to forget the twins
which we had loved so long. This
sounds to me like an effective sort
of appeal to a Commercial club.
These Scant Headlines
But this while it got the Publicity
and Commercial clubs, didn't quite
get the metropolitan press. Mr..
Allyn's next move was to send to
the publicity club--for the city press
-contrasted headings of the notices
given the good roads, movement
small and insiguifcant-with the
scare headlines over matter per-
taining to the northwest Of no more
Importance. Then with these he
sent copies Of press notices from
all the papers in the southwestern
part Of Minnesota, and told the Pub
lefty club to turn it over to the
papers.
When Mr. Allyn made his subse-
uuent visit and met Mr.. Cooley, Mr.
Hill, Senator Elwell and others, the
tide had changed. Then IL was that
Mr.. Wickham came down to Man.
kato and out to Madison Lake and
tn city papers began to wage a
good roads crusade.
Was Extended Invitation.
/ take PLEASURE in writing this
because the invitation to visit Min
neapolis and to confer with the
Publicity club was originally extend
ed to me and dearly wanted to
go, but could not. owing to the
necessity of taking Mrs. Barclay
south, but / feel that our great
project was the gamer by the fact
that Mr. Allyn who kindly went in
nay place was unhampered and be-
ing alone was con his metal"
Let us never disparage our own