The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-20
Editor Florida Grower Writes
Interestingly Of What He Saw
And Heard AT WASHINGTON

We had with us in the party a maj
who in the last election was candi
date against Senator Trammell ant
who told us the amount of money i
cost him to make the attempt. Aftel
| being around with the various dele
cations for four days he told us tina
he wouldn't be United States Sen
ator for all the money in the min
and while he may not have mean
that literally, it shows that he was
impressed with the tremendous bur
den carried by each senator who is
active in his duties. / am happy tc
say that our trip proved, with the
help of our representatives in Con
gress, to be an unqualified success
and that Tampa is to be recognized
in the future and that we have every
prospect of adding 10000 at least to
our population within the next six
months. We have certain defined
promises that seem to assure this.
Tampa had been sitting back for a
year or more believing that her en-
inent qualifications for shipyards,
environments, etc, must be recog.
nized by the government and that
therefore they would come without
effort. | believe that most Of us
blamed our representatives when
these activities did not come, but we
know better now; we know that 10
get such things they must be gone af.
ter. am sorry to say that Tampa
did not stand any too we'll with Of
fetal Washington, particularly among
army officials, who had imbibed a
prejudice during the Spanish
lean war, at which time Tampa was
town of sand streets, overflow fiat
woods land, cess pools and mosoui.
toes. All that is changed now, Of
course, but these army officials can
only see things as they existed at
that time. One Of them is reported
TO have said that he knew of no place
IN the country that he would prefer
to see the Germans land because he
felt that with the sand roads prevail
ing all around they would have trou.
Bile getting out. He does not know
what fine system of roads we now
nave near Tampa and it would prob.
ably be impossible to tell him; or
make him believe it if he was told.
Washington is probably the bus.
lest city in the country, not even ex.
cepting New York. 1t has much Of
New York's "jazz" without the cock.
tails, and has caught the spirit Of
charging high for everything, and no
waiter, taxi driver, bell boy or bar
per expects to turn hand over with
out being literally tipped. One wait
ter In the Washington Hotel con.
temptously threw back 40 cents to a
diner who was paying the bill for
four, saying that he could not afford
to wait on four people for 40 cents.
A simple luncheon in such hotels
cost from $1.5O to $500 outside of
tips and nearly everything is a pro.
portionately high. Most of the wait.
tiers in our hotel were healthy looking
foreigners. Swiss, should Judge, and
| hope the draft gets them all before
this war is over.
A lady, Mrs. G. w. Tyrell, of Perth
Amboy, N. j., says, Immediately af.
ter reading your tribute to Tod Gil.
lett | found the enclosed verses. To
me they seemed worth passing on
W those whose boys have gone, that
we might live:
He has not gone to die,
Tho he may fall,
And far in Flanders lie.
He heard life's call,
And knowing what it meant
His strength to give
For Freedom, on he went
That we might live.
He went to live the hour
For truth and right;
To rise to manhood's power /
And tnct htc ,,..~L4