Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1926-01-02
Speech OF F. P. Adkins
AT The Eastern Shore
Peninsula Conference

WHICH, al CCIthlu SGdSOuS lS turning
toward the sea and bays and water
ways in ever increasing numbers.
/ speak of this because our country
resort and waterfront possibilities are
perhaps the least appreciated nation
ally; and for the additional reason
that more general appreciation of
the reserve facilities which We pos
sess in such abundant measure would
minister to the prosperity of every
farmer, every banker, every manufac-
turer and every store-keeper thruout
the entire range Of our Eastern Shore
Peninsula.
We are extraordinarily fortunate in
that our ocean frontage is immediate
ly contiguous to a highly productive
agricultural hinter land. What this
means Is that we can bring into the
Peninsula few of the caravans of
tourists which now annually drift in
other directions, we will inevitably
create an ever larger market for our
own products at our very doors.
I allude to this phase Of our gener-
al problem because have long been
convinced in my own mind that the
reason the Eastern Shore is not today
one of the most widely known and
generally appreciated resort sections
in the United States is because we
have not seen to it that the people of
the nation as a whole were informed
concerning what we have to offer
them. !,
The same general situation APP
plies so far as our other resources are
concerned. I do not know how many
people there are on the Peninsula who
realize that neither California nor
Florida shave anything on us" so far
as our growing season is concerned.
Our season ranges from 1876 to 210
days. There are scarcely half q dog
en- states in the United States which
can claim anything like that. Such q
growing season means that we are in
the sunshine belt. Practically every
section Of the Peninsula sees the sun
ut least sometime during 800 days in
each year. That means a possible
as days of gloomy weather. People
who have been there have told me
that it sometimes rains that long in
California without stopping.
To our sunshine and our climate we
add-LAND. Make no mistake, our
land resources are an asset of increas
ing value. For five decades we have
witnessed the rush from the rural
districts into the cities. The pendu-
lum is now beginning to swing in the
opposite direction. Thousands upon
thousands of skilled and unskilled la
borers, and SO called "white-collar
workers" as well, disillusioned by
their city experiences, are seeking
way out. It is this class which is go
ing to come into the market for one
man farms. It is this class also which
is coming into the market for a tract
Of land upon which to build part
time vacation home. There is no Sec
ton of the country which can appeal
to this type more confidently. than we
for we are close to them by rail
and motor roads, and what we have
to offer is as sound as it is attractive.
But it is not my purpose to make
an argument to fortify our common
conviction that the Eatern Shore is a
land of unrealized possibilities. Our
business here today is to canvas the
present situation and to consider the
means by which we can, through or
ganized effort, tell the story of the
Eastern Shore as we know it to the
millions who know practically moth
ing about it. I take it for granted
that no single Eastern Shore Com
munity would find it possible at the
present time to conduct a national,
continuous advertising and publicity
campaign; I also take it for granted
that if, acting together We should
take the Eastern Shore into the ma
tional advertising field, many Of our
communities would support the gen.
eral effort which specially appeals to
their own.
If We could once turn the tide of
travel in our direction, we could con-
fidently leave the question of where
the travellers stopped to local initia-
tive. The main thing is to start the
tides Of migration sweeping our way.
That is something which we can do if
We stand together and work together
but we will be a long time doing it
through intermittent local effort. Our
problem is to carry the story of East
ern Shore to a national audience. We
want to promote the migration of
people and the inflow of capital and
then we want to keep them.
But there is more to our problem