The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-08-21
HE WILL DO Us If WE LET HIM

Mr.. Morton Riddle, in appearing
before the council to submit final
plans for the railroad improvements,
stated that the land fronting on
Kentucky avenue, between the pas
senger station and pine street would
be used as a park. This will con-
vert what has long been an eyesore
into a place of beauty
Telegram.
Mr.. Morton Riddle would do the
same thing for US, perhaps, or some
thing similar thereto if he were al
lowed the privilege-but Our traffic
station continues to occupy its prom
inent place on one of our principal
streets and other streets are block
ed with sidetracks, and conditions
are likely to continue so for a long
time, because of the slow progress
being made in getting Mr.. Morton
Riddle and our city council together.
Hurry up, dear gentlemen, please.
Time and tide are hurrying us along
and some of us cannot afford to wait
many more years to see the beauti-
full and beneficial changes that we
hope for. Time is pushing! BAN
ner.
If the editor of the Banner will
examine the city records, or even
his own files, he will find that the
city council gave the Coast Line
ample opportunity to remove it's
traffic station from one Of "our
principal streets over eight years
ago, allowing it to close South
Fourth street on its promise to re-
move its freight depot from the mid
die of OSceOla avenue to the corner
of the avenue and South Third. That
promise has never been kept, tho
the railroad closed the street, and
closed two other streets without per-
mission, and has ever. since used
them, paying nothing to the city in
return. If any citizen OF this town
had so imposed on the public he
would be considered as liar and a
-swindler, and he would be prosecut-
ed and punished-unless he, like
the railroad, possessed unlimited
capital, enabling him to hide in the
tangled ambush provided by the
technicalities, not the justice of the
law.
Now, that the time has come that
the people of Ocala are awakening to
the possibilities of their city, and de-
looks as we'll as prosperity, the
Coast Line comes and demands more
streets in order that it may build
and permanently establish its freight
yard in the heart of our residence
section. 1t does not offer anything
to Ocala in return. 1t simply offers
to build a freight warehouse that il
needs for it's own business.
We do not see where the Banner
finds any warrant for saying that the
Coast Line would do anything bene-
fetal for Ocala. 1t never has. 1t
keeps its freight depot in the middle
of a principal street, it blocks other
streets, it keeps its freight scales at
a point where they make continual
annoyance and danger to the people,
it has allowed its passenger station
to run down until it is more shabby
than that of the Seaboard, it gives
the people of Ocala, Dunnellon and
Homosassa the worst cars on it's sys-
tenn; it even hauled them in jimcrow
cars until the railroad commission
compelled it to do better; it kept a
muckpond in front of its passenger
station until the city threatened to
make it take up the sidetrack, and
the platform of the station is cover
ed with water now in every rain, it
stops sinking fishcars right in front