The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-04-21
APOLOGY RECEIVED
FROM EDITOR OF
NORTHERN PAPER
withdraws Suggestion "Freeze' News
Was Propaganda
(Florida Grower.)

IN these columns IN the issue OF Il
march 81, were reprinted portions Of
~ editorial from the Schenectady
cogatte of Schenectady, N. Y, alleg-
~ that story of a $5,00O,O0O frost
damage in Florida had been inspired
~ the growers Of the state with the
;d4a of influencing prices of their
products.
Along with it was reprinted very
ob,a answer from the editorial col
aims Of the Miami Herald. No fur
.har attempt was made to answer [
j. these allegations in these columns
hut the editor of the Sealdsweet
chronicle simultaneously took the
natter ND with the Schenectady Ga |
oatte through correspondence chan
nels
# is only fair to say that the edi-
torial writer Of the Schenectady ia
,ettp has been just as quick to see
bis error as he was to jump at y
folse conclusion as to the source OF
these exaggerated dispatches concern
ing frost damage. The editor OF the
seadsweet Chronicle is in receipt OF
marked editorial from the Sche-
rectady Gazette under date OF April
3 which in part says:
1T is justice that it be explained
that the Florida Citrus Exchange had
no responsibility in preparation or
snreadjng the baseless talk of dam
aged crops. On the contrary It mas
devoted considerable energy in the
past few weeks to Strengthening ou'
the tangle.
Little by little, in spite of the de-
yelopment of propaganda. it is becom-
ing nlaner that nothing serves 50
GOOD purpose as the unadulterated
truth The motive behind large
amount of publicity of today is to tell
mo truth hut not the whole truth
Some people thought Lincoln was
mistaken in his utterance about 1901
ing some of the people and all ths
people.
TN the case Of crop reoprts, TINS
most recent dispatch found almost
everyone involved dissatisfied. me
citrus fruits distributing agencies
realized that the people already were
having enough for Florida products
and that anything which would in
dictate higher prices would rea''
against the trade Real estate inter
ests in Florida also awoke to the fae'
there would be less attention PAID III
the noerth to money-making posi-
bilities if it were true there were even
occasional frosts which could caus
$4,000. 900 damage in night.
"But whatever the harm OF the pas'
there seems to have come real sooo
from the complications caused by TN
last overt act in publicity. Blame no"
Is attached to just one person WIZ
sent out the last fake dispatch on TN
wires and henceforth the public may
look for more reliable reports IRON
this section of the country "hici
sends its valuable products into TN
most receptive northern morkets'
In addition the Schenectady Ga
zette forwards the following repor
made to them concerning this stor'
BY the chief of the news department
Of the Associated Press:
The superintendent of our sou.n
ern Division had already had up ~
Investigation the Miami Fla" SVo'
Of March 2, about damage to fruit an
vegetables in southern Florida OeloI
we received your letter of March 10
As long ago as March 5, after lhqulr
into the facts. he instructed the Floi
ida correspondents not to attempt :
estimate damage but to walt UNI
some official body had done SO Oelol
carrying figures. He wrote 10 !"
correspondent who put on tins s'oi'
telling him that no estimate OF oan
age should be made.
in addition to the story you cdiie
TO our attention, we had an item
the same day from Tampa quo'in
the Florida Citrus Exchange to u
effect that the fruit crop woui"
little damaged.
The Schenectady Gazette mas u0'
lis part Handsomely in making It's
traction just as prominent. an"
torceful as were the Original a
mistaken allegations. One g'ou
suit of the Schenectady editor III,
take has been to locate deflniteR y
source from which came the ASSURE
ed Press dispatch which spreau
the world the news OF So'VVO'O
Damage to Florida by Freeze \
ports of this character can never
- - Ia a. rho ctate, ara pa