22 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
in educational matters. Now, I am here 
to ask that you do something along that 
line. The Jacksonville Board of Trade 
has been trying to accomplish something, 
and I am in receipt of a telegram from 
Tallahassee telling me that a measure we 
wanted to get through is going to get 
through the House, but is meeting with 
considerable opposition in the Senate. The 
measure in question is one to help the pub¬ 
lic schools of Florida. I have no doubt 
that the same conditions must prevail to 
a greater or less extent in every part of 
the State. We find we can bond our 
county, if you please, to build good roads, 
to build public buildings, and for various 
other purposes, but we cannot bond our 
county to build good schools to give our 
children the education which is theirs by 
right. Now, the question is: Are you 
people of Florida going to stand for it? 
Are you going to stand up and fight for 
what is right? Are you going to make 
up your minds that you are going to bet¬ 
ter these conditions? The Board of 
Trade has pledged its support and we are 
going to send a delegation to Tallahassee, 
and I hope it is not out of place for me 
to ask that this Association take some ac¬ 
tion on the subject. It may not be a hor¬ 
ticultural subject, but nevertheless it is a 
subject which is more vital, perhaps, than 
one that is strictly horticultural, for your 
children are concerned, and you are 
doubtless as much interested in having 
good schools as you are in having your 
farms run properly. 
Another matter to which I want to call 
your attention, is the question of good 
roads. There are some people I have 
known who feel that good roads would 
benefit only the automobilists. It is true 
that the autoists would like good roads, 
but I maintain that we need good roads 
in Florida to help the farming industry, 
more than for any other reason. I main¬ 
tain that members of the Horticultural so¬ 
ciety are more interested in good roads 
throughout the State of Florida than are 
people who own automobiles in the large 
cities throughout the State, and it is be¬ 
cause of that fact, because I believe it 
will help the farming industries, that I 
want to see this society take a deep inter¬ 
est in the good roads movement. I favor 
the bonding of the State for the purpose 
of building a system of State highways. 
I believe that it should be done. 
If you make up your minds that you 
are in favor of good roads, write to your 
representatives about it, and there is 
bound to be something done. To illus¬ 
trate the need of good roads, take Duval 
county, for instance. This county has 
nothing, from an agricultural point of 
view. You people from the farming 
counties of the State know this is true. 
Now, I maintain that it is purely and 
simply because we have not a system of 
good roads. If the people in Duval 
county knew there was a network of good 
roads, so that after their foodstuff was 
raised they could bring it to market, the 
whole country would be materially bene¬ 
fited. 
I would like very much to see your 
society take some action on the good 
roads movement. I believe you have a 
speaker on that subject. There has been 
a bill introduced in the Legislature at Tal¬ 
lahassee with reference to this matter, 
and I trust you will all see the necessity 
of acting, both as a society and as indi¬ 
viduals. 
