The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-08
LAKELAND CITIZEN
REPLIES TO WINTER
HAVEN CHIEF


at Winter Haven, in blazing head
lines comes out thusly:
Lakeland at Her Old Game,
Would Divert Settled and Logi-
cal Highway to be Built Through
Polk"
Always Ready to get Lions
Share of Road Funds and Oppose
! Section Paying Largest Taxes"
The Chief says: "Her game is
an old one and the time it at hand
to call her hand, and Winter
Haven will have no hesitancy in
playing the trump card" Il
Wait Mr.. Editor, wait, don't
kick before you are spurred. How
do you know what we want, or
what we can do? Come to our
good roads meeting and act har-
moniously with us, and maybe
tyou won't feel so disgruntled.
Don't threaten to kick out of
the traces beforehand, if things
|don't go your way. 1t may be
that you could get square deal
without unnecessary threats. The
greatest good to the greatest
number, ought to be your motto,
and | believe will be the motto of
every good citizen attending the
good roads meeting.
You give me some news when
you state that Winter Haven Sec
ton pays the largest taxes. This
is the inference from your head
lines. Further on you qualify
and say pay the largest per CAPT.
la | cannot comprehend this.
We have numerous phosphate
plants worth their millions con-
vergent to the route which you
would block. This route runs
through one of the most thickly
populated and progressive cities
of the county. A pride to the
citizenship of Lakeland and the
state. Twety-two miles of Wit
rihed brick, fifteen feet wide, are
already laid from Tampa to Plant
City. A few more miles of paved
road and this route would be an
accommodation, and a delight to
thousands who would pass over it
directly in line with it, in thickly
populated sections, who would be
benefited more than double the
amount of taxes to be paid be-
sides making full buckets for
hundreds of laborers.
Editor Florida Chief, you say
your section pay the largest
taxes. Let's see. The stats
tics of 1914 give Lakeland and vi
cinity 500 acres in citrus fruits.
Strawberries and melons 625
acres. Total in acreage from
which shipments are made 1924
acres. The said statistics give
Winter Haven SOB acres in citrus
ifruits, no melons or berries. Our
city could swallow you and near
ly all the towns in Polk county
and yet you say you pay the larg-
est taxes.
| You say again: ut is fact
for years past our little nietropo-
lis of Polk county has never lost
sight of available road funds.
Where We're they expended? We
had very poor roads, leading in
and out of Lakeland, and only
one decent road over which I
have travelled and that is the
road from Barlow to Lakeland.
| | have found better roads
around Winter Haven and Bar
tow. than l have around Lake
land. Were there any county
funds to aid these roads?
Nov Florida Chief, you say:
1--WE want square deal and in
sist on it. w ecan cooperate and
will; or we can fight, and will,
N necessary" What's the mat
ter with YOU Mr.. Editor? Don't
hight. Help along the cause.
| Don't roll any logs in the road
bed but let us all pull together
Tor good roads all over the State.
4 You edit good paper, one
creditable to any town in the
state, but you do wrong to attack
! Lakeland. and YOU force me to
eXclaim with our immortal
| Shakespeare:
BY all the gods at once. what
meat Is this our Caesar doth feed
upon that he has grown so great ="
CITTZENr