The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-06-29
NORTH FLORIDA VS.. SOUTH

After giving one real reason why Florida should
not be divided into two states, namely, that the
wealth and population of the two divisions would
be too small to secure the best results Colonel
Peter o. Knight. in a letter to the Tampa Iri-
bune, branches off into a discussion of the personal
merits of the two sections which can not fail to be
interesting reading to our South Florida friends
He says:
As is well known | have been opposed to
reapportionment for years. On its merits, the
state should be reapportioned, were there not
other considerations. have never given all
of the reasons for my opposition to reappor-
tonment; but I think it becomes necessary
now to do so. | probably am as well acquaint-
ed with the legislative situation in this state
any man in it, having been actively en-
gagged with legislative matters since 1889
And | have found as 4 rule that the repre-
sentatives from south Florida do not compare
with those sent from middle and west Florida
There has not been the immigration into mid
die and west Florida that there has been
into south Florida. The result is that the
people in middle and west Florida, as rule
those who have lived there for years.
and their fathers and grandfathers and great
STdhuldlnerS. lney are conservative; they
believe in the constitution of the United States
and the principles upon which this republic
has been founded; and they are unwilling to
after false gods. And it has been the
conservatism of those gentlemen from middle
and west Florida that has saved the property
interests and the business interests of south
Florida from the multitude of freak bills that
have been, from time to time, introduced in
Of tba lauic
of which have been passed, and the result of
which is that Florida today is one of the most
conservative states in the union. 1t is be-
own property and represent property
that have opposed reapportonment; and all
other property interests in south Florida
would do the same if they understood the
legislative situation they ought"
Now, while we can not withhold admiration
for the absolute and fearless frankness of thi,
statement let us see exactly what it means South
Florida is more prosperous and progressive thar
North Florida. That is admitted And the
reason is that the people of South Florida are
more enerprsing. They have come here, pu
their money and energy into what was virtually d
wilderness, made it blossom like the rose, and
fused to provide road funds, they went down into
their own pockets and dug up the means to pro-
vide the most splendid system of asphalt highways
in the United States. And their proper reward for
all this, as Col. Knight frankly advises them, is
that they must remain under the absoute rule of
the people of North Florida, whose conservatism is
SO immuable and rock ribbed. as he explains in
another part Of his communication, that TaIahas-
see has exactly held its own since I ampa was a
fishing village.
The Telegram, though opposed to division,
does not share this view for moment If it be
leved that all the enterprise and progress of this
part of the state were to be forever checked and
halted by the Conservatism CT the northern coun-
ties. it would Join the movement to set up new
state in the peninsula. But it does not believe that