The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-03
Jacksonville
To Have New
Union Depot

Jacksonville is all smiles today
and it's not because of the fact that
it's April !, commonly known as
"All Fools Day."
1t is because after three long years
of patient waiting the prospects for
the early construction of a new pas
senger station to remove the eye
sore which has been a thorn in Jack
sonville's pride for so many years
now loom up big.
The Supreme Court, realizing the
wisdom and the justice of the con-
tentions of the Jacksonville Terminal
Company and tenant line, has decid-
ed once and for all against the rail-
road commission in it's fight for a
new depot at Myrtle avenue. The
railroad commission realizes that it
is useless to carry the contest further
and has decided to attempt to place
no further obstacles in the way Of
Jacksonville securing a station that
will be credit to the city, State
and South.
For three long years, nearly, the
people Of Jacksonville sat almost idly
by and watched the fight between
! the commission and the Terminal
Company. The latter had expressed
a realization of the need of mod
ern depot, but demanded that they
be allowed to build on the site of
the present structure. For some
reason best known to the railroad
commission, the erection Of new
terminal station a half mile further
west, further away from the citys
| busy life, was demanded 1t was a
move that did not command the SYM
| pathy or approval of the people.
Wearying of the long wait, several
| months ago the various civic and
trade organizations in the city one
by one began to express their belief
that the Terminal Company was
right in its contention that it would
be an unnecessary waste of money
to build where the commission order
ed, and that after all the present site
tended to serve the public to better
advantages. When the Supreme
| Court on Thursday denied the COM
missions plea for a rehearing, senti-
ment in favor of closing down on
the commission was overwhelming.
Therefore it was received with graft
fication.
The Terminal Company for some
time has stood ready to spend 49,
100000 in the construction of a new
passenger station and it is a shame
and pity that they should have not
been permitted to proceed long ago.
Jacksonville has come in for a great
deal of censure for the depot that
has for years received the thousands
who pile in and out of Jacksonville
every week in the year. 1t has been
one of the greatest drawbacks to
the Gateway City.
Jacksonville is one of the greatest
passenger handling points in the
country. 1t is one of the largest
Pullman handling centers in the
United States. More passengers are
handled at Jacksonville every veal
than any city south of Philadelphia
AS high as 10 trains are received
a day into the terminal station.
Thus it will be seen that there il
the greatest need for a new station
one Of the largest and best in thu
South, if not the largest and best
The Metropolis believes that tn
Terminal Company and tenant line
intend to give the people of Jackson
Vile and Florida just such a struc
ture. 1t is simply question o
time and the ability to assemble tn
necessary materials.
Let us hope that there will be n
, further delay and that by the tim
the tourists begin to arrive mex
. year it is to be hoped that at leas
a good part of the new station vii
be in se-Jacksonville Metropolis.