The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1915-06-03
The Interests Against Division

When Claude l. 'Engle was edit
ing a newspaper, he used to have
a great deal to say about the po-
litical activities and INSCRIPTIONS
methods of "the interests. " What
he meant by "the interests" were
the great corporations, the banks,
railroad companies and similar or
Examinations. He was very bitter
in his denunciation of them for
their alleged selfish interference
in political matters.
Claude has spent the past sixty
days at Tallahassee, whence he
has been contributing reports and
comments on legislative proceed
ings and other matters to several
newspapers. Notwithstanding his
vigilance, it seems that the activi-
of "the interests" which defeated
the movement for the creation of
Charlotte county, escaped his OBJ
servation and attention. The facts
in this case, if we are correctly in
! formed, and we think we are, ap-
pear to be as follows:
After the legislature had been
in session a few weeks, r. G.
Blount of Punta Gorda, was sent
to Tallahassee to canvas the situa-
ton and ascertain what chance
there was to secure the creation of
Charlotte county. On finding ev-
|erything favorable, he telegraph
ed to the leaders of the opposition
in Arcadia and notified them of
his intention to ask the legislature
to pass the necessary bill and adj
vised that, if they still opposed
the project, they had time to send
up delegation to present their
views. Was there ever anything
more open and fair?
The Arcadia opponents of
course forthwith got busy and
sent up a strong local delegation
to oppose Blount'S undertaking,
In addition, they searched every
locality in the county to find men
to join and aid them in their OPP
position. Not only this. but
they brought up powerful OPP
position from Jacksonville and
other points outside the county.
Amongst the leading opponents of
Blount s measure were the banks
and big cattle owners of Arcadia,
the Heard National Bank OF
Jacksonville, the big nonresident
land companies owning lands in
the proposed new county and sew
eral other representatives. of "thc
interests. " Owing to the encr-
getic work of these opponents, the
legislature, Notwithstanding t h
fact that it had granted every
other new county asked for, re-
jected the reasonable request that
the people of the proposed new
county of Charlotte should be per-
mitted to vote ON the question of
whether the new county should be
created or not.
Now, it may be asked, why
were these banks, big cattle own
ers and land companies opposed to
the creation of Charlotte county?
They gave only three reasons
first, that the most logical divis-
ion of DeSoto county would be
from north to south; second, that
Charlotte would be ill-shapen,
thirty by sixty miles, and, third,
that its creation would increase
taxes.
AS to the first, a north and
south division would give us a
county thirty-odd miles wide by
Ininety-from Bowling Green to
Grove City, which is more than an
offset to the second objection. The
third objection, increase of taxes,
is correct, but, if the people with
in the proposed new county are
willing to assume an increased
tax burden, why should "the in
terests" object? Simply because
they have large property interests
in the proposed new county and
are not now taxed on anything