The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-08-12
Seeing San Diego

and. publicity organizations Of the
city, Isl the pride OF all army and
navy men. some $50 900, 900 having
been spent here ID bases and build
ings of various sorts.
Who is the most int ting cit
izen OF San Diego Well. ina com
munity where you know most ev-
erybody, it Is blamed dangerous to
get too specific. One might start
an argument .ssE .5a3 W
There is John D. SprecHes and
Bill Kettner, and a thronging host
Of other names each Of which is
entitled TO a lot Of consideration.
But out of them all, two persons
stand out, in my opinion, as typi-
flying the spirit Of the great semi
arid west, the west where In the
words of William e. Smythe, ..ar-
idity is a blessing and irrigation
a miracle" and these two person
are Colonel and Mrs. Ed Fletcher.
I don't know which of the pair is
the most important or interesting.
lie that amid the hurry and bus tie
OF the past % years, while they
have been building great reser-
voirs to store the water which Is
turning sagebrush and greasew God
into orchards. and while they have
been inspiring state: and county to-
build hundreds Of miles OF con-
crete highways, and while they
have been driving over this great
empire state working out plans to
save the trees along the highways
and to- plant trees where there are
none, they have also found time
to raise. a splendid family of 10
boys and girls!
A+,d% IN.
the list on equal terms with her
you viii agree that any woman
who rears 10 children is splendidly
conspicuous ip an age when Pom
eranans and twaroom flats are at
a premium.
Things aren't perfect in San
Diego and no one knows it better
than the folks who live there, al
though they won't admit it.
When Father Horton laid out
the city all he thought of. appar-
emily, was corner lots The city
blocks are only half-sized and. in
Their Achievement
It Is interesting certainly, to real
consequence, street paving costs
are abnormal
Has Zone Fares
San Diego has fine street car
system but. alone Of California
cities, has the zone fare system
# you live downtown you pay a.
nickel: if outside, Z 1-2 cents The
Idea is sood-you pay for what
You get. In practice it works al
hardship on the small nronertv
owner who bought his home hefora,
the raise in fares But shrcks tie
small property owner gets soaEaS
at every turn of4tbe road anvhous
There are no iitoave in1S@S.,
Diego, due to the desire on the nart
OF the city to give the street car
monopoly every chance 10 finnish
service and it must be admired
that the service is exc el1ent.
san Diego orators occa sim > 11v
spout about the back. country Nv
which they mean the severa1.tho:-
sand square miles OF valley and
mesa and mountain living like
great ampitheater back from the
bay and ocean.
One night at big booster han.
quet after a lot of oratory had been
spilled over this back country
thing one-minute speeches were
called for by the toastmaster. A
tall spindly-shanked brindle.hair-
eu cNer# from Aip1nS rose treDl-
blingly to his feet and said ..tNlr.
Speaker. I'd just~lille to ask one
question about this here back lcoun.
try we've heard So much about.
What keeps it back2"
In the road of laughter which
greeted this query no one thought
to make answer. But OF course. the
answer is simple The twin f6rce.
holding the back country bach
have been lack Of water and 1ack
of roads.
Today, the last of the great wal
ter systems is being Devotional nv
the Santa Fe Railroad Co. Hun