The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-10-29
WILLIS POWELL OF
THE CLEARWATER SUN
Took a Peep at Jacksonville
Last Week and Secured
Some Impressions.

proposition recently announced by IN
: attorney general of Kansas, tina
"Florida lands are not worth damn.
The News printed the Powell reply t
n that statement. You all remember il
, Powells latest concerns his impress
sions of Jacksonville. They appeare,
in his paper one day last week. Her
they are:
Jacksonville looks a city. But i
grew into that estate too rapidly.
is hollow chested, has a cough and i!
pale around its lips.
But old Doc. Optimism is attending
to its case, injecting paraffine into it;
backbone, stiffening it nightly.
Jacksonville's troubles began some
five or six years ago.
1t had an idea that Jacksonville was
bigger than the rest of Florida, not
realizing that the rest of Florida was
making Jacksonville
1t was Welcoming to-our-city tens
of thousands of people who were pour
ing into Florida, not by any effort on
the part of Jacksonville, but by the
effort of live-wire towns all over the
State.
1t was handling train loads and
ship loads of freight in and as many
train loads of produce and fruit and
lumber and naval store and phosphate
out.
Truly" said Jacksonville, 1--WE are
a Wonder City. We need towering of
flee buildings and gross of hotels and
miles of homes to keep up with Old
Prosperity"
Jacksonville had real biggity-big
feeling.
1t was out-growing its clothes so
fast that it kept the municipal tailor
working nights.
1t was told by well meaning friends
that it was losing its own best bet.
1t was told that it could not ignore
he rest of the State without getting
the hooks thrown into it.
go way, child" Jacksonville said,
cor you will get run over"
And time went on.
The travel to and through Jackson
vile got on the blink.
Then the Convention Bug hit the
city.
1t ordered million miles of bunting
and lot of convertible souvenirs and
tuned up the First Regiment Band.
1t went abroad into the land and
made a big noise and got an odd lot
of conventions of various sizes and
Co Is.
t kept the old WI in IN uproar
fur about year. Fat m l W.rr
In Quoted cyr:y NIGHT and the Mayor
a q Prresi len Of the Board Of "a !c
AID other 1ignitaries got so nurh
practice rae'lng ~ figures of Jack
sonville's greatness that they got to
believe all they said themselves. The
kept their red, white and
blue bunting up all the time. Gener-
Gus people quit their business to ride
the delegates of the Ancient and
E. Campus Vitus all
around town.
But Jacksonville woke up one morn
ing with a bad taste in its mouth and
said: Where is all this leading us
to-"
They commenced to check up their
cash register and found that it wasn't
naying.
In the meantime the rest of the
Great and Glorious Commonwealth
said "If Jacksonville can do Won
lers without spending any money for
zeal advertising we can do likewise" I
Hence. for two years past literature
n south Florida and east Florida and
vest Florida has been a little shy.
And the people did not hike down
his way as in wears of yore.
Those who did hike were in a hurry
o get where they were going and
when they left, to get back to where
hey came from.
This is where Jacksonville changed
rear.
1t shelved a lot of What-th Use
Fellows, and the tribe of Civic Leeches
md pressed down on the gasoline.
But the carburetor needed adjust
ny.
Up to this point I haven't The least
dea | will win that 500 prize for
writing the best story about Jackson
lille, even if | willed the prize to the
lhildren's Home.
But l have more to say.
Jacksonville is too big for its popu-
alton.
But there is a different spirit in
hat city.
They have wiped the deck of froth
md set out on the counter another
lrew
1t is more solid and more substan-
.ial
Jacksonville is now planning Ma
ion wide advertising, telling the peo-
Die that Jacksonville is the gateway
% great State-the east coast, the
west coast and south Florida-that
his State is peopled with a million
men and women and children, and that
hey contribute to Jacksonville'g
and by their trade through .
he jobbing houses.
Jacksonville is also preparing to
AXE care of the business that these
people are to send it. They are build
ng immense docks and-warehouses
and terminal facilities. More ship