The Punta Gorda herald., 1922-10-20

Punta GOrda and Charlotte county
have more than a fair share OF ma
tuTal advantages that have been be-
slowed upon Florida generally. This
is an undisputed and ind.srutable
fact, but Punta GOrda and Charlotte
county have not grown and are not
| growing as are other towns and coun-
! ties with no more if as many adYan-
Itages. That is another undisputpd
land indisputable fact, and the sooner
we recognize it and face ii, the soon
| er will this town and this county be-
gin to develop as they have a right
10 by reason of their location and
advantages. There IS a reason or
reasons for everything. What is the
reason or reasons for our failure to
develop as rapidly as other sections?
What is the reason or reasons for the
PHI nomenal DEVELOPMENT Of these
other towns and counties?
Less than eight years ago, what
! is now looked upon as the most FRO
gresSiyc and rapidly developing coun-
IT, in the state. had about the same
rorulatiOn 10 the square mile but a
relatively smaller assessed value than
charlotte county. The two PRINCIPAL
towns OF that county had been drag
ging along for nearly a quarter OF
IcCntury, one OF them %rOwin" a little
each year and the other one growing
a little one year and sometimes losing
the next. The whole outlook for
that section at that time was a hope
less one-to most people. Every
body, or nearly everybody. seemed to
have a hopeless case of blues, 50 far
as any expectation of the country
lever amounting to anything was con-
|cerned. But there, as almost every
where, Were a few men and women
who had faith in theirtownS and their
county. They saw possibilities that
others could not see, and in spite of
the general Indifference preached
progress at every opportunity. Good
roads, they said, was the thing need |
ed to develop the country; pa1 ed
streets, sewers, lights, and other mod |
ern improvements the things needed |
TO deylop the towns, and good schools |
to develop both towns and country.
Finally an election was called and |
a small bond issue for roads voted |
1t was soon evident that the few !
miles of good roads built with the |
first bond issue were not enough. so !
more bonds were issued and more
roads built BY this time the county |
had begun to attract the attention of |
hOm eseekers and investors. and the
people generally came to see that
their money had been well spent
More roads were built and still more,
the towns were paved, sewers were
installed, schoolhOuses built, while
settlers of the best class poured in
by the thousands from every section
of the country, and they are still
and will continue to come.
Before this era of development and
progress began. mention of bonds for
d
chorus of despairing groans from an
element OF the population. They
are fixing to tax us 10 death and
bankrupt the country" they mOaned.
Instead of the country being bank
rupt. property in that county is worth
i've and ten times as much as it was
worth eight years ago: that county's
ponds are in demand by all bond buy
RS at par or better and as evidence
hat the people are not being taxed
o death for all the improvements :
hat have been made, a newspaper .
'alls attention to the fact that it has
9ot published an average of more
han one sheriff sale notice a year .
or the past six years. ..
The things that have transformed .
his county and these towns and
many others in Florida-good roads. .
good schools, good streets, sewers. .
md other modern Improvements i.
are the things that are needed and :
The things that we must provide if .
we expect this town and this county
TO develop as they should. Our fail
IRE to provide them is the answer :
TO the question asked in the begin .
ming.
Are we going to progress? Do we .
WANT to progress? The way is