Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1925-09-29
The Back Wash
and More

AAAA AVAOA
If there was one half the uni
versal excitement about Georgi;
as there is about Florida, thi
State would not have an untitled
farm within its borders, Charlie
Barrett, president Of the Nation
al Farmers Union declares.
In his estimation, Georgia vii
reap decidedly 4more than ;
''back-wash >. from the Fiorid;
movement, for recently in ;
statement, Mr.. Barrett said:
"Our world of today is filled
with people who are thinking
more of living than we used to.
The commercial and business side
of life used to be mans first con-
sideration. Today we are turn
ing more to health, comforts,
beauty and those things which
make life enjoyable to US.
1.-The great influx of people
into Florida at this time illus
trates better than anything else
can the turning of our first
thought to living l don't know
that Florida is in a real danger of
becoming overpeopIed because an
almost unprecedented tide of hui
manity has turned that way, but
| do know the rush to Florida is
because of the human desire to
have comforts, to see the beau
ties of nature, to enjoy health
and happiness in Gods sunshine.
And yet, Georgia has all Florida
can possibly offer a comfort
seeking humanity, and more. In
deed, there is but one Georgia
in all this great universe. No one
of the great Western States can
claim the oneness Georgia can;
everyone of them has duplicate
somewhere. Florida is not alone,
in all it wonders.
"Tf there was one-half the hu-
man excitement about Georgia
there is about Florida this State
wouldn't have a vacant acre, not
a vacant lot or farm.
"Florida is semi-tropical
country, and the same semi-tropi-
cal scenery found in Florida is
to be found in Georgia. Down
in Florida they figure that the
real Florida starts about Orlan-
do and runs down to the end Of
the peninsular. They do not
count from Orlando up their
Florida That upper part of
the State is, in way, rather look
ed upon as an extension of Geor-
gia. The great development; the
grand rush for million dollar
homes; for water-frontage es-
tates and all that kind of thing
is below Orlando.
Georgia has more of what
those people are trying to find
than Florida itself has. In South
Georgia oranges grow as well as
they do in Florida; in North
Georgia are grown the apples
Florida can't grow, and in all the
intervening space between the
oranges and the apples Georgia
grows everything else.
Il do not believe there is ever
coming any big break in Flor
ida. Florida as it is today is
there to stay. Hundreds of mil
lions are being invested in inn
provements, in developments, ana
that investment makes sure there
is no danger of any going back
ward. The investment itself sets
up the necessity that Florida Of
today and tomorrow stick. They
have their great highways, peo-
pie are building costly homes,
wonderful groves are being culti-
waited, and those things can't be
taken away. They have got to
stay there for somebody, and
somebody has got to have and to
keep them. There may be a pause
or halt may be called by some
circumstance, but Florida de-
velOped is permanency.
at is not going to be because
the State becomes overpeopled
that Georgia will catch the back
wash Oh, of course, some PEG.
pie who go down there and DOM
find just what they want for
what they are going to turn back
and settle down elsewhere, but
the consideration which will
bring most people here is differ.
ent. 1t is because what Georgia
has to offer seeking humanity i.
better and there is more of it
81 have been into every STATE
in the United Stase5, and into ev.
very part of every State. l have
Travelled in my capacity a little
more than a million, six hundred
thousands miles in this country
of ours, and in my travels have