The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-02-27
TELLING TIE STORY STRAIGHT


Misrepresentation in tie advertising of Flor
idas climate and resources never was profitable
proposition either morally or financially, fact
now universally recognized by land companies,
RAILWAYS and others interested in Florida exploita
ten. There are so many nice things to be said
about the state in truth and soberness" that it is
a pity that anyone should ever have adopted any
other policy. The claim once was made that it
was necessary for Florida 10 out-lie other s;aies
bidding for new settlers and new investors but. il
that were ever true. that lime is not because
we live in day of higher business ethics in which
we have learned Tie lesson dat in these matters
as in all others Of Ike nature, the best policy
is absolute trulfalne;s and frankness. One state
mart tLat has often been used in promotion litera-
ture IS that Florida is essentially a poor mans
country and that any person with sufficient hnan-
cal resources 10 buy ticket to Florida can leave
the rest with his Maker and Mature. Not word
Ct truth IN i.-thousands of people have read and
believed that statement and, after acting en- it!
have found TO their sorrow they had been fooled.
In his latest issue Of The Florida Bull" that
splendid fellow, Isaac Van Horn, CT I4ancs City
IL particular and Polk county in general. prints
among ether timely articles, The following en- this
very point whieh is SO gcod that we are taking
the liberty Of reproducing his presentation of the
s1bject:
Everybody admits that people are sill very
much unsettled, thai we are slow in getting back
to norTnalcy. We'll, what's the matter with some
Of you people who ere c7owding the cities, paying
big coal bills in the north and being soaked with
state income taxes, coming to Florida in thi, beau
tfuI relaxing climate and enjoying Tic easy living
cond.hon5 tkat ;uch a country makes possible We
don't mean these who have cniy enough money
to sci down Ecre, because this particular country
known as ihe Scenic Highlands of Florida Is not
a peer mans cou2tfy-nejher is il a rich mans
country ncccasarily-bui it takes seine capital to
g-t started right and these who tell you otherwise
nsload you. It's the greatest citrus fruit section
IL the world and it fruit section you either need
the capital to build grove and wait years until
comes into bearing CT have the capital 10 buy one
already in bearing and if you can do either you
will find nature will reward you handsomely There
are also many ether opportunities in oher lines Of
eadeavor Jaat promise much to the application Of
brains and money and il will be found that cond-
tons are SO Tar superior to living in the crowded
cities you will simply be delighted You wouldn't
Ike here, you ssy--ycu dent like fiat country
and you couldn't stand DE awful heat in summer
and the mosquitoes. etc. Well, bless your heart
before the writer came down here that's lust the
way he felt because he loved the hills and lakes
Of New England but | came down for two week.
and have been right here every minute for two
years-lnrad you nowhere aa-in the Scenic
Highlands Of Florida-frcm two hundred to three
hundred and twcnty-eM feet above sea level-hnest
water to drink you ever saw-practcaliy no mos
qltcss-payed reads running cvcrywhere-for its
in that great Florida county Of Polk where there
are more miles Of payed read lhan any rural county
in the world-hrcc hundred and t,yenly-six miIeo
of then-and every few miles there: beautiful
town nesting in the rolling hills, overlooking some
beautiful lake. Exaggerated a bit-conc
down and see, it; only thirty-:ix hours from New
York Can't get away in winter-coudn't stand
it to come down in the summer? Why not? Polk
county was one ef the most pleasant spots in the
United States last July when the whole North was