The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-09-08
By ]. K. SIMMONS

to confess that l am somewhat disap-
pointed, for after all the story can be
told in one word, ADVERTISING.
True, California is a wonderland
Her Climate is fine, almost anything
can be grown here. But with all that,
California would not be the wonder
land she is in the eyes of the world if
1t were not for the advertising she has
received. California is the best adver-
tlsed state in the Union, Florida not
excepted.
In order to show Georgia people
what they can do by advertising their
state, L 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 40 years ago, this CITY
had the insignificant population OF
II 900 people. In 1890 there were
$4,000 people in the city. Ten years
later there were over 100000 souls
here. The census of 1910 showed a
population of $4,000, and they now
CLAIM three-tourths OF a million in pop
ulation.
But what challenges interest the
most is the fact that this wonderful
growth has been accomplished by adj
vertislng. We are all accustomed now
to seeing great business establishments
built up by advertising, but here is a
dusty LITTLE desert city that started our
deliberately to make iself by advertis-
ing and did it., and the mile on mile
OF the most beautiful 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 and succeeded we'll
And what this dusty little prairie CITY
did, great rich empire like Georgia
can do, and do with great deal more
ease, because she has more to build
upon.
But to return to the problems of the
builders on the Pacific Coast. With
such a rapid growth, the city saw the
barren desert country must be made
to produce, so they said to themselves {:
All we have ever said about soil,
about climate and about conditions
here in general are true, but if the
word could know the facts as they
are, BODYBUILDING men and women
would come here and turn these Jack
rabbit pastures into beautiful, bloom
nP gardens and producing farms and
orchards"
heir problem was to sell'themselves
to the world, and to sell something
that did not then exist was no small
undertaking. With back country
that did not exist except as a barren
desert, dotted here and there with
sun-bleaching town sites. their selling
problem was anything but inviting,
even to the most optimistic. The CITY
was far from the center of population
and was accessible only after a long
and most tedious journey over the
mountains and deserts. And right
here | wish to remind the Georgia far
mers that California is according to
statements of the California fruit
growers, IS to 20 days from the east
ern markets, whereas Georgia is only
"a to SO hours. That is a most decid>
ed advantage. Of those we will speak
later.
California has done what Georgia
must do-she has sold herself to Cali
fornia people first. Every Californian
you meet is full of boosting. They
meet you boosting California. They
leave you boosting, and if you are not
a chronic kicker and crouch thew will
have you boosting too. The police
man, the street car man, the taxi dri-
yer, the shop girl, and the stenogra-
pher is California booster. That is
what makes California what she is,
and since coming here, am thorough
ly and completely convinced that Geor-
gia, with her wonderful possibilities
as an agricultural, fruit and live stock
growing state can be made as famous
for these things as California is for her
climate, fruits and vegetables.
A statement that impressed me more
than any other was made to me a few
days ago by Morris M. Rathbun, man
ager of the publicity department of
the Los Angeles Chamber of Com
merce, when he said:
There is mistaken idea gone out
from California. and especially does
this idea prevail in the East, that all
one has to do in California is to get
few acres of land, plant oranges,
lemons, walnuts or some other such
fruit, then sit down and wait for the
money to come rolling in. We people
here have to work and we work hard,
too. This is no land for the drone.
The man who comes here and sue.
ceeds has to dig for it just as in other
sections"
II Georgia people could only real
ize that with the same efforts in pro-
ducing and the same scientific market
ing they could equal these Califor-
mans, it would be the greatest lesson
they ever learned All Georgia far
mer has to do is fence his farm. clear
up few stumps and brush and he is
ready for work. When the Califor-
mia farmer does this, he is just begin
ming. He then has to prepare for ir-
rigation, because you know these fer,
tile farms California would be bar
rem waste were it not for artificial
moisture. This irrigation costs from
$500 per acre up to install, and then
costs an average of S. to SIS per acre
L.