The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-04-29

| Highway, winch seems objection
able, as YOU will see by the careful
reading Of the copy Of letter which
l enclose and which was recently
sent to the Miami Board of Trade.
|. This letter speaks for itself, but l
wish to call your attention more es-
pecially to the fact that this great
Dixie Highway which will bring in
thousands of tourists from many
| western states should be laid out to
Miami by the route which l suggest
in the letter and not on the extreme
east coast. 1t should be, as nearly
as possible, in the center of the
State Of Florida and the proper
route is through Live Oak and Lake
City to Gainesville. Ocala. etc., as
mentioned in my letter, taking in
the thirty principal important cities
and finally running across to the
east coast from Arcadia to Fl.
Pierce.
The great interests Of the western
states are agricultural and all of the
tourists, who visit Florida should
pass through our great farm regions
in the center of the state, and by
the route proposed, they will do this
and also see the farming regions be-
low Fl. Pierce, on the east coast.
Whereas, if they go by the route
from Jacksonville, through Daytona,
ETC., they take in only the high
priced resorts, and there are no
farms which amount to much on the
east coast north of Fl. Pierce.
OF course, this great new highway
should be for the good of all the
people and for the education and ex-
ploitation of the state among the
thousands of tourists. The middle
route proposed will accomplish all of
this and l feel sure you will see the
wisdom of the route proposed.
II have written to and sent copies
of the enclosed letter to all the prin-
cipal cities along the proposed route.
urging them to write to the two
commissioners SO that they will
make careful investigation before
reporting on the subject.
While realize the wisdom of hav-
ing these two commissioners advise
in the matter, I do not think it we'll
for the two men Zone of whom is
very much prejudiced in favor of
the east coast route) to be able to
control the great interests of the
whole state entirely ana 1t occurred
to me that you would like to look
into the matter, as you, undoubted-
ly wish to do all you can foi the in
terests of all Florida not only for a
narrow strip along the east coast,
and it might be well for you to have
an interview with these two commits
sioners as soon as you can then, Of
course, advise them as to what will
be best for the whole state of Flor
, ida.
As the East Coast is now open to
, traffic, all tourists can return by
! that route of course and there will
be a road from Live Oak and Lake
City direct to Jacksonville. SO that
tourists can go down either route
they wish.
| l have been instrumental in doing
a great deal Of good road work in
/ Florida, for the last six years, and
am thoroughly posted on the whole
subject, having travelled over the
state several times and over nearly
every route that is open to traffic.
OF course, you understand that
these roads should not be advocated
merely for northern tourists, but for
the locai interests Of the a;r:cultur.
al communities and to connect the
various county towns so that the ma
tives of Florida may have every no.
vantage.
think. IL you will carefully look
into the matter, you will see that it
Is well worth your attention and l
hope you will not forget that the
great region along the middle and
western part of the Florida peninsu-
Ia is of even more Importance thaa
the east coast. At least, 1t should
have an equal advantage and, in the
route proposed by the Dixie promo
ters, it is left entirely out in the
cold.
II the'e is any further information
that you wish, would be glad to
write you again.
l remember, with pleasure, my
call on you, in Tampa few weeks
ago and think that the road inter-
ests of the state represent such an
important subject that You will be
glad to look into it and help it in
every way possible.
Thanking you for anything which
you can do in the matter, am,
Very sincerely yours,
FRED F. SMITH.