The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-27
As Others See IT
DEFENDING FLORIDA
palm Beach Post.)

Those who deal in the "slings and arrows" of
outrageous falsehood concerning Florida do not.
disturb the editorial equanimity of this journal,
but there should be some way to stop them, just
as mad dog is stopped in the interest of the
public welfare, not necessarily because they do
Florida any particular harm.
The person who comes to Florida and then
departs to scatter untruth about conditions here
is some kind of maniac. 1t is strange and I'M
accountable Yet such people exist They return
to their own homes and give damaging accounts
of what they have and how they have been
robbed and they deter others from visiting Flor
ida. There is certainty that this is an newt
able result of their SANDERS but there is a like
hood that the effect is not beneficial to Florida
There is a certain large organization which prose-
cutes its libellers yet this kind of reprisal might
not be digniied for state.
But if we deSpise the ways OF our traducers We
can feel grateful to those who take the opposite
view and are liberal in spreading the gospel CT
good about Florida. 1t is just as we'll, perhaps
to allow the effect of the one to offset the other
What we lose on de banan we make up on dc
peanut" was the philosophy of fruit selling
dago which might be applied to the evangels OF
one who has so persstently advertised the attrac
tions Of Florida and has done it so we'll and so
effectively that the people of this state should
feel grateful to him, though the state is no more
theirs than his. This refers to Mr.. Richard H.
Edmonds, editor of the Manufacturers Record
who has a winter home at Daytona, and spends
about half of the year in Florida
Mr.. Edmonds knows the art OF publicity. IL
has been his speciality for more than quarter OF
a century He has built up the south through its
agencies and has built up a splendid publication
az the came time 1t is through the Manufacturers
Record that he speaks 50 effectively about Flor
ida, for his journal is read by superior class Of
people. Thus what MIR: Edmonds says about Flor
ida has much more weight in its favor than the
unfavorable reports that are spread about by per-
sons CT limited knowledge and reputation.
Not only has MIR Edmonds written much about
Florida for his publication, but lie has given
interviews and has written articles for other
papers and periodicals that have been given wide
circulation. Some time ago he contributed an
article to the Augusta, Ga, Chronicle in reply
to certain allegations that had been made by
preacher of that city in regard to malaria in
Florida. Mr.. Edmonds asserted and proved that
Florida is not maaria country, nor a mosquito
country nor is it country for the rich only.
Misinformation and ignorance go hand in hand
The Augusta minister did not maliciously SANDER
Florida; he merely talked about something that
he knew nothing about For Mr.. Edmonds to cor
rect him came in good time and order. 1t was
better that he did it than for some Florida editor
20 throw himself into HIS states defense Mr.
Edmonds can speak with the authority Of one
who lives in Florida and yet with the dispas
'sicnate tone of the nonresident. His article so
completely answered the erring minister and
moreover was such an excellent advertisement for
the 'tate that Senator Fletcher has had it printed
in leaflet form and is making wide distribution
OF it, Both the senator and the editor deserve
2ommerdation for this public spirited work