The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-02-25
FLORIDA IN THE SPOTLIGHT


putation to Buzzards Bay. Roosevelt
to the Louisiana canebrakes, Wilson
to the Jersey coast and New Hamp.
shire hills. If Florida waited long
president was sure to be chosen
from the multitude of Northerners
who have learned to admire her win
ter resorts The peninsula's fame has
been growing ever since Mrs. Stowe
and John Muir visited and advertised
it just after the Civil War In the
eighties came the amazing Develop
ment of rail lines, from hardly 500
miles to more than $500. This made
it possible for New Workers and Phil
delphians to reach any part of the
state in little over day. Before the
famous Flagler railway was laid over
the sea to Key West the automobile
had materially stimulated tourist
travel California is a rival, but one
handicapped by distance. Florida
takes Mr.. Hardings trip as its due.
FLORIDA may not have anything
else said one visitor, "but it has lots
of sand and climate In Miami or
st. Petersburg this speech would pro-
woke the retort that it has more area
than any other state except one east
of the Mississippi; sInore seacoass
than any other in the country. more
interest to biologists than any other
part of the continent Reporters with
Mr.. Harding have not mentioned its
wealth Of history. The president
elect has just abandoned the Victoria
at New Smyrna, the oldest settlement
south of st. Augustine, where natives
pointing to the Spanish ruins can
smile at Plymouth's claims to age.
The >Victoria's haven was Mosquito
Bay, and Mosquito Bay was a famous
landing place of blockade runners in
the Civil war. At Cotton Shed Ham
mock Mr.. Harding doubtless saw the
place where cotton was piled ready for
them. Little has been said in the
telegraphed news about scenery, and
most people reading of Indian River
think of the president-elect voyaging
up some stream into the interior. Ii
is not a river at all, but saltwater
sound of 40 miles protected from the
Atlantic by long, narrow islets. This
straight silver streak, with its bath
ing, fishing, and hunting. and the
variety of outlook offered by pine
woods, orange groves, pineapple plant
ations, and hardwood hammocks. was
the resort of houseboaters long before
Mr.. Harding began his visits TO Flor
ida.
Cockneys in cities like New York
obtain from picture supplements and
fashion from picture supplements and
Florida offers only magnificent hotels
at st. Augustine, roads for millionaire
speeders at Daytona and Ormond, and
resort for the ultra-exclusive at
Palm Beach. Yachts do seek the Flor
ida coast, but plebeian launches and
hcuseboats are thousand times more
common. For one visitor who pays
for service at the Poinciana or Alca
gar, crowds seek modest cottages and
boarding houses. The automobile, slim
ulating winter travel to the South, has
actually helped keep it democratic
Farmers and mechanics bring their
families in cars. as bankers and manu-
facturers do. The motorists associa
ton that are springing up are ostenta
tiousIy humble. Thus the most vigor
GUS, which is providing stopping
places for travellers and publishers
magazine, calls itself the Order OF
TiH> Can Tourists. Our nation has
plenty of summer resorts and winter
resorts open to rich men and men OF
small means, the first citizen and the
plain citizen.-New York Evening
Post