The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-24
4 WORD IN PASSING


icise the Evening Telegram's tposi-
tion on municipal affairs. Usually
the Telegram goes serenelyi on its
way, paying no attention to these
malicious and untruthful vaporings;
but for the benefit of a few persons
who may have been deceived by
them, once in a way we will state a
few plain truths.
Yesterday the editor of the Telc-
gram spent Just enough time in his
J Office to open his mail. The remand
er of the day was devoted to long.
wearisome trip to distant portions
of the county to further the cause Of
good roads. Good roads affect his
personal interests no more than the
average citizen; but they affect the
community as a whole. and the more
roads and the better. roads that ra-
diate from this city, the more COM
fort, pleasure and prosperity comes
to it's citizens. And for this reason
only he devotes his time and money
, to help in securing them.
And yesterday was merely typical
of many such days. There is scarce
ly week that passes that one or
more days is not thus given to the
public. Recently in one week two
/ days were spent in his Office and four
days were devoted to working for
the public-without money and
without price,-and with his ex-
penses coming out of his own pocket.
The public as whole know very
little of these activities, for he per-
mits no mention of them in his own
paper except in the most casual way,
and when there was another paper
here its policy was so broad that his
name was not allowed to appear in
its columns even in an ordinary news
item And so the people 90 not
know who works for them. They sec
results only. They see Improvements
which this paper worked for, and
was abused because it worked foT
em-improvements which hav"
made this a city. Every brick on
our streets, every foot of sewerage.
every extension of the light and wa
ter mains. we have had to fight for.
And in every instance we were
abused. and in every instance has
time indicated us; and If propo-
sition were made now to take away
any Of these improvements. the very
people who were foremost in their
opposition to securing them would
be most violent in opposition to sur
rendering them The people see con-
ventions come here; they see the ar
engagements made; they see the null
titudes fed; but they do not inquire
who does the work, nor recognize
the efforts of the handful of faith
full, energetic, tireless, unselfish men
who make these things possible.
While the editor of the Telegram
was out working for the good of the
community yesterday, what were his
critics doing? What do they do for
the public welfare at all times or
at any time
Most of them are mer who are new
er thought of when work Of this kind
is to be done. Those of them who
might be useful in this capacity new :.
er have time when unselfish work
is to be done. They have time to
stand on street corners and knock
the men who are doing something;
they also have time to view with
self-complacency the finished work
which they have opposed, or which
at least they have not aided, and to
boast to strangers of what I'VE
done for the town.
At meeting in the City Hall "a
few nights ago. certain parties Wen,
J out OF their way to abuse this paper,
because of its stand in city affairs
We do not know who the parties
were who uttered the abuse. for we
were not sufficiently interested TO
question our informant. But we
hazard the guess that they were peo-
pie who owe the Telegram money,
or to whom its editor has done a
kindness. And, in any event, we feel
safe in the statement that town
composed of 10000 like them would
not support four-page weekly
newspaper, or have more public i'm
provements than can be found al
: Winston
This paper can not be coerced intr
: silence where the public welfare /;
/, concerned II has stood for progress
at al times. and It has never taken
q position which has not ultimatel,
teen proven 20 Re correct Il ha.
been accused recently of being tht
"a d,,,f iut ~ 4