The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1916-11-30
AFACT NOT GEN
ERALLY KNOWN
SHOWN BY CENSUS FIGURES
w. A. McRae, State Commissioner
of Agriculture. in a Newspaper
Interview Explains Matter
Affecting Our Towns

Florida has no abler or more
persistent booster than William
A. McRae, commissioner OF agrl-
culture. During the past few
years, he has contributed to the
press many articles of great val
lie bearing on the advancement
and development of the state. His
latest expressions along this line
were given last Thursday to the
Tallahassee correspondent of the
Tampa Tribune. They contain
views that are both truthful and
highly important, and they
should, therefore, be carefully
read and digested by every cit
izen, male and female. They are
as follows:
Referring to census matters, Mr..
McRae called the correspondent S
attention to a fact not generally
known. He said: During the
census period between 1900 and
1910 nearly 5000 towns in the u
nited States fell off in population,
a large drift Of people to the big
cities. Some of the towns drop
ping behind were in Florida,
where one town lost 1910. That
sort of thing means depression in
real estate values, not only in the
losing town but in the surround
ing country, with general loss in
all kinds of values. 1t means the
same, if not higher, taxes in the
town to maintain itself with de-
creased business and smaller pop
ulation. 1t means lower prices
for the products of the farm. 1t
. means poorer schools and church
privileges, and poor roads. A
town losing in population is usual
ly avoided by people looking for
locations.
"There is reason for all this,
and one most potent factor is the
harm wrought by mail order trad
ing The mail order business has
spread its wings as thing of evil
over every community, sapping
the commercial and economic life
of home affairs in all parts of the
land. The postmaster at Talla-
hassee will tell you that catalogs,
often beautiful in pictures, with
tempting figures for second rate
goods, come to this office literally
by thousands of pounds in the
course of a year. These alluring
catalogs do not come directly from
Chicago and New York, but from
decentralization merely ship
ping clerk-to get the benefit Of
the lower rates Of the first and sec
! Ond zones of the parcel post, but
the goods come from the big stor-
@es IN the centcrs at the expense of
Ehe buyer. Mail order trading
Builds fve-acre stores and ware
houses, and the president of one
OF them some time ago paid a mill
lion dollars in cash for a home.
and this was advertised at the
fine as the largest amount ever
paid in single check for that
purpose.
8 "The citizens of Tallahassee and |
tf Florida helped him buy his pal
See. Thep helped this same man
40 give $4,000 to the Republican /
campaign. They don't know him. |
4 Ic pays no taxes here. He gives
alo credit. His name is never
found on a subscription paper to |
sraise funds for an unfortunate
customer, as is the common case
with the local town merchant. | |
could give you scores of reasons |
why the country is suffering from
this evil, one that is putting dry |
rot into thousands of towns. To !
trade at home is not merely a mat
ter of loyalty and sentiment, but |
one of self-interest. A bird in the |
hand is worth two in the bush. |
One dollar in Florida is better
than two in Chicago or New York. !
1t is local cooperation that builds |
a community. Without it there !
is isolation and selfishness and |
poverty. It was Carlyle, who |
long ago said: Men cannot live
isolated. We are all bound togeth-
er for mutual good or mutual mis-
cry, as living nerves in the same
body. No highest can can disunite |
himenlf from the lnWast. , y !