The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-08-05
STATE PRESS EDITORIALS

employment and residence elsewhere.
DeSCto is reported this morning as
having gained 1929 or 79.l per cent
Iincrease-it now being credited with
total population of u.s.
Oscecla county Is given a total of
I7.l95, an increase of 1858, or 3O.7
per cent.
In marked contrast to this south
Florida showing is that made by
many old counties in the northern
part of the state and on through to
its western end Many of those
counties are showing a practical
stand-still, while others have shown
a decided loss in population. The
reason is plain. South Florida offers
more for agricultural settlers than
the old part of the state, EXCEPT in
cotton and hay raising, and in those,
save for cotton only, there is nothing
the southern part of the peninsular
of Florida does not grow as profita-
bly,, and more easily than it can be
grown in the rest of the state or in
any other state. Then, too, the
climatic differences are in favor of
the southern part of the state. We
are in the region of perpetual
breezes, and TO one who has visited
the interior of west Florida in July,
August and September, it is unneces-
sary to say more.
But the greatest reason for this in
crease in south Florida is the money
this section spends for intelligent
publicity and the effort it has been
making to attract the people and tc
please and satisfy them when they
have been brought in. Imagine al
of west Florida together putting W
$40 900 for publicity and Amusement
for visitors in one year, as Miami haj
/ done, or $4,000 like Fort Myers il
I doing, or 100000 like Tampa will do
, Lake county and Orlando and Day
y tona, and Palm Beach, and st
Petersburg will all spend thousand
, of dollars this fall and early winte
to attract people to their respectiv,
locations. What west or north Flor
ida county or town will do it, saw
Jacksonville?
The day has passed for the jok
about Florida thriving off sick Yam
= KEGS" 1t is the well Yankee, tn
- Yankee who has time and inclination
n and money to spend for pleasure, o
G to prevent his being sick Yankee,
. who comes to Florida now. H
brings his big touring car with him
and he wants to drive and drive, an,
drive, seemingly forever. That i
. why south Florida has bonded ant
built so many thousands of miles o
the finest permanent roads in tn
world. That is the reason why soutl
t Florida has built hundreds of fin
. resort hotels and has developed
hundreds of Edenic sports and gar
dens along the coast and on its mag
. nificent rivers and lakes. And W,
have built golf links and fishing ant
. recreation piers, and have mad,
bathing beaches where nature haC
: difficulty in keeping the vegetation o
the land encroaching on the flora o
> the sea. All this cost money, but /
pays. 1t has paid back, many times
; the money invested, and it is nov
paying it all back again in added per
manent population.
The price of increased population
is like liberty, eternal vigilance-anC
many thousand dollars West Flor
ida can pay that price if it woulc
have the increase; but until ives
Florida does, it will continue t
gather in the mere overflow, thu
casual dropper in who does not know
his Florida as he will know it aftej
few years observation-disclosures Tri
bune.