The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-10-09
SUPPOSE?

Banner had opposed the movement to
incorporate our little city, and had
been successful in its efforts, what
manners of a city does one suppose
that we would have today?
Yet the movement for incorporation
was fought more bitterly and with
more intolerance than the bond issue
is now being fought.
We have had to fight our way up
ward and onward and have encounter
ed bitterly hostile opposition at every
turning point.
Suppose this paper had strongly
opposed the movement to put in a
system of water works and had been
successful in defeating the PROPOSE
ton, and we were still compelled to
depend on cisterns and surface wells,
how would Ocala stand today in the
point of health? How would she
stand in the point of outside criti-
cism?
Yet this movement was fought and
had it's prophets of evil the same as
the contemplated improvements have
today.
To get these improvements has
been a constant fight.
Some people like to fight-they like
to stand in the way. They are afraid
to take a step forward.
Read the Message tc Men" that
we print in today's paper, and be
men. Show your manhood, and do
not be too quick to haul down the
flag that stands for larger and bet
ter city-that stands for progress
that stands for the conquest of trade,
traffic and travel
Suppose this paper had opposed the
movement to put in an electric light
plant. Suppose that it had taken it's
place beside the non-progressives and
prophets of evil and dire calamity
howlers, and had succeeded in de-
feating the proposition, and the city
had been condemned to the use of the
tallow candle and the kerosene lamp,
with the eternal breaking and clean
ing of lamp chimneys, what sort of a
place would Ocala occupy today in
the estimation, say, of the travelling
public, and what sort of patronage
would our hotels be receiving, light
ing the guests to bed with the "tal-
low Dip"
Yet we had to make fight for the
electric light plant.
See how long we have been trying
to get Carnegie library.
See how the civic center is being
opposed.
1t has not been very long ago since
we put down vitrified brick pave
ments around the public square, and
then quickly followed up the same by
paving Fort King avenue and Magno-
liza street to the Seaboard depot.
1t will be remembered that it was
not done without opposition. We were
told that it would be hurtful to prop
erty owners and that they could not
bear the burden. But it was done,
and nobody seems to have been hurt.
The increased burden of taxation was
scarceIy nercantible
Today there is scarcely person in
the city who would vote to have these
pavements taken up, have the money
they cost refunded to the property
owners, and have the streets restored
to their primitive condition.
1t was a fine improvement, and is
enjoyed every minute in the day.
When one sets out to do things one
must expect opposition.
Since the time Moses assembled the
mountain and returned bearing the
tables of stone on which were inscrib-
ed the commandments, and he was
met with "murmurings" of the people,
the "murmurers" have been in evil
dence and will continue to be in evil
dence to the end.
There is but one way to conquer
prejudice, and that way is to march
boldly over it; but one way to beat
down opposition, and that is to build
so slightly and solidly that the con-
templated improvements, like the wa
ter works and the electric lights and
the vitrified pavements, will command
admiration, and will beat their way
into popular favor.
We are going to build a city in the
interior We are going to take adj
vantage of our geographical position,
our alluring climate, our generous
soil, and we feel that now is the psy-
Geological moment to make the effort.