The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-04-09
OBSTRUCTING OSCEOLA

1HIS LOWH Is supposed TO De DEM
ocracy, and in democracy all people
are supposed to help preserve each
others rights. This is a principle
which every citizen firmly believes in
when it is applied to himself. We re-
greet to very often find citizens indif-
ferent to it when it applies to others.
Take for instance the scheme to put
in spur track in front of r. E.
1onge's home on Osceola avenue. Mr.
Yonge and his good wife have lived
in that little home for more than
forty years. Their children have been
born and raised there, and the COM
Portable tho unpretentious cottage,
with the yard in front. the flowers
and the trees, have become a part of
their lives; as they have lived there,
they desire to remain until friends
come to lay them away.
Mr.. Yonge has done his part in
building the town. He has been a
good citizen and he has paid more
and done more to develop Ocala than
many man who puts on high style
and sports swell front. He bought
an unused piece of ground in front
of his home twenty years ago and
covered it with buildings that have
helped in the cityis business and paid
taxes into the city's treasury. He has
received no favors from the city. It
has never even kept the street in
front of his home in decent condition.
The railroad has sidetrack running
along by his business block, but he
can't unload a car of freight there
without a special permit.
Some people insist we must have
a street with warehouses and factor
les on each side, and consequently
given up to the railroad. This may
be so. but how many citizens are dis
posed to give all Osceola avenue to
the railroads. Why not let it fill that
entire avenue with tracks? Why not
let it run spur to the back yard of
the Temple, so the road companies
can unload and load their baggage
into the theater? Why not let it block
the door of the fire station with an
other track? Why not let it build
alongside the city lots and on down
to where the factory and warehouse
section really begins? Why not let
it add in number and width to the
melancholy wrecks called crossings on
our principal streets, and which it has
promised to keep in repair? How
many promises, by the way, has the
Atlantic Coast Line kept to the town?
They tell US we must have spur
tracks or we can't have warehouses.
One firm in this town has three ware
houses, each big enough to put Pill
lans & Smiths warehouse into and
shake it around, yet it is three blocks
from the railroad track.
How many of the members of the
council would be willing to have the
railroad run a sidetrack right across
the entrance to his premises?
The town needs warehouses-ware-
houses are good thing to have-but
not for ten warehouses can we afford
to trample on the rights of citizen.
1t is not to the interest of the peo-
pie of Ocala that the Atlantic Coast
Line should have a yard and spur
tracks and warehouses in the upper
part of town. Its yard and its freight
station is scar on the face of the
town, and some of these days we are
going to have progressive city gov
eminent that will make it move. By
methods that are practical piracy, it
has already blocked four streets. and
it will take the others if the city gov
eminent will let it.
Since the council is oblivious to the
rights of those citizens who haven't
pull, since it is ready to give up Os-
ceola avenue to the Coast Line, why
doesn't it make the railroad pave the