The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-03-06

A. c. l., in company with It's esteemed
brother pirate. the S. A L, does its
best TO keep out OF Ocala by extortion-
ate freight rates.
Begging Mr. Burford's pardon, but
the physical reasons" which would
prevent South Fourth street from ex
listing except ION a map or a diagram
do not exist outside of mis- argument
Twenty years ago, South Fourth street
was in considerable use. With lit
tie improvement, it could be made
an important thoroughfare, and the
| time is coming when the city viii
need it, All Of us who have travelled
/ can recall to mind many streets whose
physical conditions" are much more
Idifficult than those Of South Fourth,
\ and yet they are lined with houses and
/ crowded with travel Mr.. Burford for
gets that the editor of the Star has
been a citizen of Ocala for twenty
years and has lived and worked in
few squares of the disputed territory
all that time, is much more familiar
with it's physical conditions than Mr..
Burford He hasn't appealed TO pub
lie passion and prejudice about the
street nor ever asserted it was
great public thoroughfare." He has
said the street has been used, and it
could be used again, that it would be
a useful street and that the railroad
company has no right TO it without
paying for it. Mr.. Burford should
stick to the record.
So it is with South Sixth and South
Seventh They have been used and
they can be used. and the people need
their use, and the railroad company,
without any contract or ordinance
whatever has virtually closed them to
public use. 1t isn't necessary to argue
! Anybody can go and see.
} Mr.. Burford has neither right nor
reason to say that the Star is trying
to create public sentiment against the
A. c. l. because it is inconvenience by
; the railroad tracks passing by its
building. The Star has never consid-
cred the location of the railroad from
; the north end to South Third street an
, inconvenience to itself or to the pub
lie. 1t favored the city allowing the
Plant System to put down the side
. track from South Second to Oklawaha
about fifteen years ago. 1t has always
J said the present location of the pas
senger station was a convenience to
r the public. 1t said about two years
= ago that it would not be either right
5 or eXpedient to require the railroad to
: tear up it's tracks thru town, and Mr..
Burford should remember it, for the
editor personally consulted him on the
, matter. A short time later, the Star
r opposed movement in the city council
5 to make the road remove it's extra
/ track from South Second to Oklawaha,
] saying that the said track was more
$ of a convenience to the public than to
/ the railroad. And only a few days
5 ago it said that if the railroad would
] act fairly in other matters, the city
5 should allow it to double-track Os-
v ceola avenue. Why has Mr.. Burford
t in trying to create the impress on that
y the Star is trying to fan popular preju-
= dice against the railroad, ignore these
n things?
t The Star has been called a railroad
e organ because it advocated the rights
- of the \. G. L. when 1T thought they
t were being infringed to the public
j. wrong. 1t is now being accused OF
q demag gism because it speaks for the
( people. The Star doesn't care dern
d 1t will say what it p1eases, or keeI
o silent. 1t never talks very loud for q
i big corporation, because a corporation
is big enough to fight its own battles
: 1t will speak for the people when Il
can, because the people, though mighty
e in the aggregate are weak and negli
It gent individually, which fact the cor,
s poration never fails to take advantagt
e Of
e In conclusion:
" What reason have the people o
Ocala, Mr. Burford. to believe that tn,
# Atlantic Coast Line will carry out any
e of it's promises as long as that of 100
It remains so flagrantly broken?
rit Of 10
h from your legal duties, think that ou1
e little city. which must exercise the ut
e most thrift to make both ends meet
: should surrender without any pay
It foot of it's streets to a big corporation
J. which could buy every foot of land il
n our limits and not miss the money?
Has the Atlantic Coast Line eve
d given Ocala anything? Doesn't it max,
i the people pay a good price for every
l. thing it gives them? Do not the PEG
e pie Of Ocala need money as much a.
it's stockholders? Wouldn't they max,
a the people of Ocala pay for any par
e of their property they gave up?
d Haven't you in your article misquot
l. ed the Star, and are you willing to e.
e TO its files to prove that you have not
: The Stars position is simply this: /
n thinks that the Atlantic Coast Lin
q WOulu 40 De+teF Tor ltSeH as Wei a;
!. the city if Il moved its yard to it,
It property south of South Eighth street
J. The railroad as we'll as the city will b,
n much better off if all the space nov
/ occupied by its yard between Soutl
e Third and South Eighth is given up Il
d residences. The little added distance
It for hauling goods would be of very
o little account as compared with tn,
immense Improvement that would b,
n made by moving the yards away from
It the school and resident section in tn,
a south of town.
e A competent civil engineer, who ha:
S lived here about as long as Mr. Bur
ford. informs the Star that there arr
# no great physical obstacles to any o
e these proposed changes.
= The railroad might locate its freigh
Y depot on its own property between
: South Fifth and South Sixth, an(
It move it's yard south of South Eighth
: 1t would not need more than -four
e. tracks alongside the freight ware
!. house We have seen some in mucl
s larger cities that had not so many.
I" If the railroad will do this, the city
n should allow it to double-track OsceoIa
d avenue from end to end 1t could the1
It straighten its line clear thru town
a and remove the curve it has arount
the Eichelberger property Now, thii
d isn't the Stars idea 1t was earnestly