The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-11-22
The Florida Friendship Unlimited

! true Floridian and a wholesome spur t.
Jacksonville. More than ever it con.
VinceS us that we have great state
that is just being discovered by the
| outside world. We have a great state
to ''sen'' to those who want beautiful
homes, who want to live and prosper ir
| the land Of abundance and happiness
| Jacksonville has learned by these trips
that she must put her spurs to her boot
heels. 1t is not enough to complacentIy
pride ourselves on being the gateway OF
| sit back with the idea that commerce
must of necessity come to US. We must
! go get the commerce we would have and
we must be alert at the gate if we are
to hold the trade we have as well as
that which we seek to have.
A state divided against itself cannot
prosper. Provincial aspirations that
cultivate jealousies and animosities pro-
duce small profits and they arrest the
| development of big institutions and the
| possibilities of expanding trade. The
| state could engage in no finer work,
| none more constructive, than that pro-
mulgated by the Florida Friendship Tn
| limited-the selling Of Florida to our
selves.
When these friendly pilgrims reached
Key West this work was well inaugu-
rated. The first step of the larger work
was then made when they crossed the
gulf stream and entered the picturesque
capital of Cuba.
Once Floridians have sold themselves
on the Florida idea, but not until then,
they should make the next important
step in state development Of selling
Florida" to the outside world. There
: could be no better place to begin this
out-reaching Of the right hand of fell
lOwship to a neighbor than to Cuba. And
in Havana these Floridians We're given
cordial reception.
Cuba is a near neighbor. By race and
temperament, by language and to no
little extent ethical standards her people
differ widely from US yet they are, as
we are, possessed of warm human
hearts, susceptible to sorrow. responsive
to joys and seekers Of happiness. They
dislike as much as we do the tyranny of
an arbitrary crown; they love political
liberty; they are industrious, aggressive
and progressive. Their capital is we'll
policed, made sanitary by one of our
own great engineers, Colonel Warning,
and it is made intellectually and sculp-
turally beautiful by their own highly de-
veloped aesthetic sense. Havana is a
city of which the Cubans are justly
proud and in which we may with pro-
priety take a neighbOrly pride.
Too long has Florida neglected to Gull
tivate trade relations with this near
neighbor. Cuba is a wonderful island. 1t
possesses high and beautiful mountains,
green, fragrant valleys, productive
mines, forests of valuable timber and
wealth-producing fields. Beside her
great agricultural output Cuba produces
iron, copper, manganese, gold, mercury.
zinc, lead. silver, coal, asphalt, asbestos
and petroleum.
Cuba is larger than either Virginia or
0hio-it is large as Pennsylvania and
almost as large as New York. It's popu-
lation is greater than that Of Georgia
and almost equal to that Of Missouri.
Cuba is a neighbor to be courted. We
should cultivate trade relations with her.
We should know her better and have
her know Us better. 1t is high time for
US to indulge in something more sub
stantial than frivolous jeSts about the
liquor leakage and the bootleggers' trade.
Cuba is a wonderful little empire. All
Florida and particularly Jacksonville
with its railroads radjarjng north and
west and northwest, should seek to be