The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-02-15
A TOWN IN FLORIDA
1T Is A NEAR APPROACH TO
UTOPlA-MAYOR Is BENE-
DlCTiNE FATHER.

BY an act of the Florida legisla
ture in the session OF 1891 Saint Leo,
Pasco county, was incorporated as a
town. and to this day it stands unique
among the many towns OF the United
States. Territorially 1t is AZ large as
most of the towns in the state but the
freeze of 1S94-1S95 helped to deplete
its population considerably.
It's first mayor was DR.. Corrigan,
brother OF the late Archbishop of
New York. He held the Office for a
number of years, and in his old age,
he was among the most honored citi-
zens. He died recently. During the
past three years the Office of mayor
has been held by Catholic priest,
the Very Rev. Benedict Roth, 0. S.
B., director of the local Catholic Col
lege, and he bids fair to succeed him
self for many years to come. He
ranks among the very few priest
mayors in the country. The town
clerk is an ecclesiastic in the loca
monastery, and two members of the
City Council are Benedictine Broth
ers. The other officials are mOstl!
non Catholic and until recently one OF
! them was a Guardian of Liberty C).
The directors office in the college
serves all the purposes of city hall
as it is used as council room, mayors
office, etc. So far there has been nc
need for a city Jail, and during the
, twenty-seven years of the towns eXis
tence only one culprit and he was {
denizen of neighboring town-waS
/ brought up for trial. He was fined s.
! for trespass on a former mayors pr
vate property. On the occasion of 8
recent visit the very new and honor
+ able mayor showed this dollar to the
writer. 1t lies for safe-keeping on the
top of the city's safe, which, by the
way, contains nothing and is securely
locked.
The citizens pay no city taxes and
the city officials periodically serve
without pay. A proof of the efficiency
of these officials was manifest during
the recent epidemic of Spanish influ.
enza. The instructions of the State
Board of Health were carried out tt
the letter. Sneezers and such like were
Immediately rushed to the local drug
store, which is under the personal SUI
pervisiOn of the mayor, and were
sprayed right away by one of his as
sistants. In consequence of this com
mendable vigilance and the other pre-
ventive precautions taken, notwith
standing the prevalence of this disease
throughout the state, not one case was
recorded among the inha bitants of st
Leo.
In addition to the town marshal
the good people organized a Home
Guard to serve during war time, an6
the sound of the soldiers bugle is
heard oftener in Saint Leo than il
the large cities of Tampa and Jack
sonville. This same Home GuarG.
constitutes, besides, splendid volun
, teer fire department.
Lest the reader may think that
Saint Leo is only town in name, let
it be told that not only are there town
officials, but all the other qualities o.
a full-fedged town are present To be
gin with, Saint Leo has its weather
bureau with an official appointed b!
the United States government There
regularly twice a day if it is due you
, The Right Reverend Abbot of the
Monastery is the efficient postmaster
The express Office is located beside
, the postoffice, but another man holds
, the Office of agent. There too is :
barber shop, garage, blacksmith an6
shoemaker shops, printing press, gen
eral store, where, by the way there
is no profteering tolerated; butcher
, shop, bakery, theater. skating rink enc
. dance halD, waterworks, of which the
: well is 100 feet deep, bored into soli6
> rock; packing house for the conven
fence of local citrus fruit growers, liv
c cry stable and boarding house. With
: all these the sanitary conditions are
/. among the very best.
g There is a marked scarcity of town
\ gossips, loafers are unknown anC
e able-bodied tramps are put to work
:. on sight The railroad has an agent
: here, as also has the Western Union
). Telegraph Company. 1t need hardly
I be stated that the telephone is with
f in the reach of all who can afford it.
n Last, but not least. Saint Leo has
l. its electric lighting and power plant
: In addition to the principal private res
e licences and public buildings all the
n main streets are well lighted unit
l. after curfew each night. If there is {
e closer approach to Utopia anywhere
|. outside of Saint Leo | would like tC
:. hear of it.
e Rep T. u. Bresndhdn, in Catholic ReDfeD.
K