The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-01-20
ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE
(st. Augustine Record.)

P, T. Barnum's we'll remembered
saying to the effect that "a sucker Is
born every minute" never seems to
lose its point in all human experience.
But more glazing examples Of the
credulity, avarice and selfishness o.
some folks were never so pronounced
as right now in Florida, simply be-
cause this State has become the Mec-
ca for hundreds of thousands Of peo-
pie from all parts Of the country who
have come south to escape the rigors
of the northern winter. Florida is
glad to extend to all its visitors a
most cordial welcome and it grieves
our people to have misfortune befal!
even a single one of these, our guests.
Every protection that law and order
can throw around them, is afforded
and everywhere our cities vie with
one another in providing hospitality
and entertainment so that when these
guests go back home in the spring
they will carry with them none but
pleasant recollections of their winter
in Florida.
But some times there is to be found
a discordant note in the genera hymn
of praise and compliment. Every once
in while the public press prints
stories of well-to-do business men or
farmers from Michigan or Ohio or the
Dakotas or some ther State falling
victims to so-called confidence men,
who have shared their victims of
sometimes several thousand dollars.
Then a great hue and cry goes up
against Florida and criticism is heard
Of State and county officials who per-
NIT such a condition of affairs to ex'
list. Right now there are dozens OF
Florida newspapers printing warnings
to visitors in their respective COM
munities to beware of the fellow who
offers that old yet seemingly ever sue
cessful gag about winning big pile
of money on "the races" Everybody
with any sense knows all about the
time-worn trick of the secluded hous 3,
the busy telegraph wires, the piles OF
greenbacks exposed to the gaze OF
the avaricious sucker" and then the
inevitable theft of sometimes the
savings of a lifetime. We have these
people operating right here in St.
Augustine today, but they are so slick
in their dealings that none but plain
clothes detectives have any chance ir
the world of getting tab on what Is
going on. The strange thing about il
all is the apparent east with which
victim sare drawn into the net il
seems incredible that even the mos
unsophisticated dweller in the mos
remote portions of our country should
not be suspicious when approached
but the only explanation lies in thu
fact that there are those who always
want to get something for nothing ant
willing to risk almost all they have
+, tC get ahead of their fellows. Every
person with any sense must know thai
race-track gambling in this State ant
in most other States is an infractiol
Of the law Of the land; therefore theil
participation in such things makes
them breakers Of the law and there
fore liable to the laws punishments
II may be this very fact that leads tt
silence and secrecy when often the
swindlers could readily be caught AM
imprisoned. The fact of the matter
is that things have come to such G
pass that victims of these swindlers
deserve not the slightest sympathy
They go into the game with their eye'
wide open and they deserve to ge
"plucked :" But the exasperating thint
about it all is that Florida gets thu
blame, is given bad advertising ant
acquires the reputation of harborini
class of criminals who prey upoi
the public and whose operations maxi
of law and order nothing but farce
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