Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-09-08
~ ]. KELLEY SIMMONS

BY J. KELLEY SIMMONS
President Georgia Press Association
LOS ANGELES, Cal, Sept. 81
have come nearly three thousand
miles to learn at first hand the story
Of California, and, although 1t is a
most wonderful story to tell, i have
10 confess that am somewhat dis
appointed, for after all the story can
be told in one ord-advertislng.
True, California is a wonderland.
Her climate is fine, almost anything
can be grown here. But with all
that. California would not be the
wonderland she is in the eyes of the
world if it were not for the adver-
Using she has received. California
IS the best advertised state in the
Union. Florida not excepted.
Los Angeles
In order to show Georgia people
what they can do by advertising their
state, / am going to take the case of
Los Angeles, about which everything
in Southern California revolves-and
what has helped the city has helped
the state.
In 1880. Just forty years ago, this
city had the insignificant popula-
ton of II 900 people. In 1880 there
were $4,000 people in the city. Ten
years later there were 100000 souls
here. The census of 1910 showed a
population of $4,000, and they now
claim three-fourths of a million in
population.
But what challenges interest the
most is the fact that this wonderful
growth has been accomplished by ad-
vertising. We are all accustomed now
to seeing great business establish
ment built up by advertising, but
here is dusty little desert citv that
started out deliberately to make it
self by advertising and did it, and
the mile on mile of the most beauti-
full residences in America, hive on
hive of buildings that tickle the sky
line, pyramid on pyramid of statistics
that startle the imagination, are
ample proof that it has succeeded
srd succeeded we'll And what this
dusty little prairie city did, a great
~ioh empire like Georgia can do, and
e. with a great deal more ease. be-
caUse she has more to build upon.
Production
But to return to the problems Of
tho builders on the Pacific coast.
With such a rapid growth, the citv
saw the barren desert country must
Ae made to produce, so thev said to
II mselves:
'All we have ever said about soil
a10ut climate and about conditions
AOre in general are true, but if Tho
I'D could know the facts as thev
~rn BODYBUILDING men and womer
~ould come here and turn these
iock-rabbit pastures into beautiful
Looming gardens and producing
5a~ns and orchards"
Their problem was to sell them
elves to the world, and to sell some
thing that did not then. exist wa
no small undertaking With a bacl
-0"ntrv tina did not exist except a.
barren desert dotted here anC
there with bleaching town sites
their selling problem was anytime
hrt inviting. even to the most ont
0istic The city was far from tn,
ce0ter of population and was acces
sihle only after a long and mos
tedious journey over the mountain
and deserts. And right here I wisl
II remind the Georgia farmers tina
California is. according to the state
ments of the California fruit grower
fifteen to twenty days from tn
Eeetern markets whereas Georgia j
Only twenty-four to thirty-six hours
That is a most decided advantage
Of this we will speak later.
Selling
california has done what Georgi
must do-she has sold herself to Cal