The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-05-11
JAS. R. MURPHY GIVES
GET-TOGETHER DINNER
TO Palatka Business Men in
Putnam House We'd
nesday Night.
Representative Business Men Made to
See Necessity of Bonded Ware
house in this City.

Col. James R. Murphy, president Of
the !olida Farms & Homes, Inc, Ell
tcttajned nearly one hundred repro
sentative business men of Palatka at
a dinner in the Putnam House on
Wednesday night. Besides those
present from Palatka, there were a
dozen or more representative men
from towns out in the county.
1t was o'clock when the 83 guests
filed into the great dining room of
the Putnam House and took their al
lOtted seats at the T-shaped tables, a
diagram placed in the hand of each
guest making it easy for him to find
his place.
The dinner was a elimination of the
"Plant More Food Crops" campaign
which Mr.. Murphy and his co-workers
have been conducting throughout the
county during the past three weeks
under authorization of the board Of
county commissioners and which clos
ed with the mass meeting at the court
house in this city last Friday night
and with the fish-fry at Georgetown
on Saturday afternoon last Col.
Murphy has, during the three weeks
of these meetings, been in all parts of
the county and mingled with the peo-
PIE; he knows the difficulties under
which they work.
And this is an easy thing for Col
Murrhy to know; he is mixer who
hos the faculty of Getting at the core
of things, we'll developed. Then he
has sympathy-humanity. From his
familiarity with the hard ends of life
one would gather that he had lived
among them and through effort had
worked his way up and out of the en-
! tanglaments.
When all were seated Col. Murphy
arose and stated his reasons for de-
string the presence of his guests; he
wanted to invite every business man
in Palatka and the surrounding towns,
but was limited by the facilities for
providing them entertainment.
Then Col. Murphy told of the cam
paign and the enthusiasm with which
the people were entering into it. He
told of the objections he had met,
chief Of which was the inability OF the
people to find market for their crops
after raising them. 1t was to provide
snch a market that he had called this
dinner of representative Palatka bust
ness men-that they might see the
situation rs he had been forced to see
if and exert themselves to remedy
conditions.
Col. Murphy introduced Mr. B. F.
Williamson of Gainesville. This gen
+lemar is engaged in the bonded ware
house business in the University City,
and lie told of his experience leading
I'D to the establishment of this busI-
ness. If the people of the country
had confidence that Palatka business
men would take their products of the
farm and pay the market price Tor
them. there would be no trouble. AS
it is they come to the city with then
surplus and frequently are compelled
70 carry it back home for want OF a
market. He predicted that if there
was more cooperation on the part OF
the business men and farmers, and the
latter were given reasonable induce
ments to plant staple crops, they,
would do so and both the city ana
country would prosper AS it is at
nrcsent we are consuming our re
sources and if contiued we would be
come poorer and poorer. Make Pa
Iatia a market where the people OF
the county could find sure and ready
market for their supplies and thiS
ritv. with its wonderful natural ad-
,,antooed. would soon be a city of 3D.
600 inhabitants. ....,
As postmaster Col. Murphy intro
duced Col. S. J. Hilbun who also IN
an elooucntly earnest manner plead
for greater cooperation among Palat-
K, hp5iness men to the end that we
MIGHT prosper in all parts of the coun-
ty. Co,,,+,- Conn
,,,issioner Alvers, n. E. Shontz, W. +.
Merriam, Z. NJ. Earnest, +. [. Gocn-
zane ,'a F, E. Reeder, G. L. Sipprell, d.
W. Ramsaur and W. A. Russell k,. .e,;.
This dinner was a splendid analn n
and i is doubtful if the get-togethef
'nirit .r, was ever so thoroughly mani
Fact et Palatka function. Col. Muf-
INV as one man explained it, pos
la:scs p"S, the "encrgy" and can put 1T IN
10 thc sort Of campaign he has been
cgrrying on in the county during the
rast rS't ; several weeks. But that lSn
pii ,ii'' He has energy and he has heart
A. = business man accustomed to en-
TarTing ,S K in large enterprises, he has
gcon t6e one great need of Putnam
county, and has pointed out that need
70 men he hopes will see 1t as ne mas
so .oon if and will hasten to open the
,,ov nGT" 70 this community prosperity; HIS
y ' iha opportunity that has been
Erocking h at the door of Putnam coun-
Among those present at the dinner
we've. las. r. Murphy, B. T. Wllllam-
son %o G E. Rowton, f. NJ. Earnest j.
w W. Lcdbetter S. J. Hilburn, K. F.
Adams, H. Gray, J. V. Walton, A. H.
0Jom H. NJ. de Montmollin, NJ. f.
Sbontz W. P. Merriam, F. H. Wilson
willard. n. w. Ramsaur, Dr.
Coo c. " F. Welch. W. c. Alvers, W, A.
Russell, G. L. Sipprell, Howell A. Da-
Wis H. F. Lecks, P. n. Hoist +. D'
WottIes. L. Cantrell, w. W, Tilghman'
Nj Tilghman. NJ. NJ. Vickers,, T. b.
AN'o' L n Tophr1np |