The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1922-03-17
RING w. LARDNER AND
OUR FLORIDA ROADS

Mr.. Ring w. Lardner, like SO many
other famous individuals, is visiting
Florida and writes a characteristic
article entitled:
FLORIDA and the Ford"
He says:
Not more than 7 or 8 years ago
there was great excitement in the
state of Florida when a car come
along with a Tennessee license OF
some other place way up north and
everybody wondered who the folks
was that had all that nerve and pa,
tients to make such a long trip and
how long it had took them and etc
In those days the auto routes between
the northern states and Florida was
so bad that they wouldn't nobody
undertake such a trip unless they was
he blooded red Americans with a
whole lot of spare time on their
hands to say nothing about a passion
for misery.
Now days. however, the roads
amt impossible no more, but just
plain rotten and the result of same
is that the sunshine state is infested
with Fords that is too old to stand
the riggers of q northern winter
though some of them shell holes in
Georgia without general nervous
break down, it is hard to see what
little ice and snow could do to it.
To hear some of the boys tell it, Demp-
sey's sparring partners has a light
occupation compared with marching
through Georgia in fiivver.
In most states where they have
not rough roads why once in awhile
you come to a bridge made out of
wood or something smooth and while
you get little rest from being shook
up But though they have got as
many rivers in Georgia as anywhere
else, why Gen. Sherman blowed up
all the bridges and they haven't had
time yet to get to work replacing
them so automobiles has to be fer
ried and they say that after you have
been ferried across one of them rivers
in Georgia, you begin to think that
the 3 lost ball0onists was just joy
riding.
But what was going to say was
that few years ago, when auto
mobile tourists from the north was
still scarce In Florida, why the ma
tive Florida motorists began making
a drive for good roads, and they got
them; and brick roads was built all
over Florida, which is as smooth and
nice as any roads anywhere. but the
people that built them had the idea
that they wouldn't be nobody to use
them only the Florida people. and
Florida people is generally always so
stuck on their home town that they
don't never go nowheres else only
when they have to. So it was ma
tural to figure that they wouldn't
never be more than one motorist use
ing the roads the same day. So the
roads was built for this one guy and
he had them all to himself, that is.
until the northern Fords became mi
gratory birds.
Now motoring in Florida is a diff
ferent game and people with chicken
hearts is advised to stay out Of it.
The 3 foot bouievartis is o. X. as
long as you don't meet nobody, but
when you do, you have got to do one
or three things. either run into them
and take chance that they will get
the worse of it, or else move off the
road, or else cancel your arrange
ments for the day and back up to
wherever you started from.
Florida automobiles has all. most
all Of them, got plate inscribed
with the name Of the town where they
come from, so if they happen to meet
another car that won't give ground
why the survivor will know where to
mail the parts. They have also got
their weight stamped on their license
plate which is done as a kind Of a
alibi for whatever happens to them
in collision. like for instance, sup