The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-17


On Getting Down to Cases, elected
the following letter which show.
how very important an asset tht
completed Dixie Highway will be Il
the South.
Editor Macon Telegraph,
Macon, Ga.
Dear Sir:
| have read with a great deal Of
interest, your editorial in today's is
sue on "On Getting Down to Cases.
Certainly you have hit the mai
on the head; l am the greatest
believer in the world in the adyertis.
ing and | have wondered many times
at the vast amount of literature and
so-called advertising which has been
put ont at enormous expense, tons oil
this stuff has been waited about hy
the hreezes and lugged away by the
Janitor and ashman, possibly servin
their need at some time, but now
grown out of date. I have in mind
several cities and localities in the
West, who particularly ran to tn S
sort OF thinl7, and in reply to a re-
quest for some data, one locality sent
a bunch of pamphlets which would
have taken weeks to digest
Latterly the automobile has come
to our midst, and has brought with
1t the touring fever, and people are
branching out. They have read and
possibly studied and now they are
out to see for themselves. Missouri
! has no longer a lone claim on the
show me" business. The whole
nation, and especially the automobile
4 travelling public are saying that. Col
orado Sprinr and Denver, Colo, are
before my minds eye as examples
They early realized the benefit of
automobile travel, and their convicts
Were set to work on the main and
most important highways. The first
year it became known that the owner
could take his own car and see
things a three onth's touring season
showed $2,500,00O left in Denver
alone with a goodly increase in set
tiers and investments. California
also, has prosperad in kind. Both
of these States have prepared the
way and have sent to the people who
were gazing westward, real live in
tellt2ent mon who have by word Of
mouth presented the facts The
pioneer tourists came back sim in Q
loud the praises OF the roads and the
country possibilities, and in conse-
| quence, hundreds Of thousands have
flocked westward.
Now we have these great States
of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and
Florida, each with their particular
ADVANTAGES, each presenting CONNER
cial historical and scenic advan-
tages peculiarly their own. Rare
ly has the hardy pioneering auto
mobile tourist from the North. who
has braved the dangers of mountain
streams, rivers and bad roads inter
venin., returned to his home with
out singing the highest OF praises for
all these states. The burden of his
complaint has been the difficulties
he has encountered in getting here.
Now, the motoring population is to
be rackoned with, and that seriously.
Let lis take the headwaters of the
Ohio river and those of the Mississ-
ippi, draw a line nearly paralleling
these rivers with Chattanooga as the
meetin2 point of the two lines. Far
go, North Dakota will be at the top
of one line and Rochester. New York
the top of the other. In the triangle
thus formed. and tributary to it.
are million and more automobile
owners. Look at the map of the
United States after drawing these
lines, compare the distance to be
travelled in reaching San Francisco.
or even Denver, from any given uoint
within this funnel, and the distance
from the same roint to Macon, Ga.
or even Miami, Fla. Take your
geography and hunt over the topo-
grapny of the two sections. Is there
any appeal at all to the motorist to
come South in preference to the
West? Useless question, Such an
analysis answers all ar,uments and
emphasizes the great work of build
ing the Dixie Highway; emphasizes
the absolute interest of each par
ticular community to the whole
There are barriers at present. |
which only the most hardy can sur
mount. With the proper, systematic
and business-like cooperation these
barriers will be broken down. the
food of travel will be loosed and can
easily be induced to flow this way.
These show me" fellows will be
shown one of the most beautiful and
God blessed religions in the country,
Their seeing will be only a step to
believing. Then your statesmen and
promoters will have fair sailing. II
should moi 10 hnrL r,n.tn. ..