Now, as I say, if all of that can be done with just Picture Post Cards,
what do you suppose could have been done if the Newspapers of our State
had thought to have said something in praise of our Climate? So, Fellow
Old Timers, if we can get the grand State of Iowa out here on a Picture
Post Card of an Orange Tree, what could we do with some of these other
States if we really devoted a little of our time to it!
Why, Oranges are a small time commodity with us. We raise more Beans on
one farm here without Irrigating than we do Oranges in the whole State.
If we had Picture Post Cards of Bean Fields instead of Orange Fields
we could get the whole of Boston here the same as we did with Iowa.
You will do even better with Boston than you did with Iowa because
everybody there likes Beans. So let’s get busy and let them know what
we are doing in the Bean line.
Take the case of Oil. You all know we struck Oil here in Southern
California. But did you let anybody else know it? No, you didn’t say
a word about it, and as a consequence, a man can’t even find a place
to buy an Oil Stock. Now there are lots of People would buy shares and
Units, but no, you are so darn MODEST you won’t let the World know what
we have.
I would like to have seen what Delaware would have done if they had
found this much Oil. They would have sold so much Stock that if the
Pacific Ocean had been Oil it wouldn’t have paid back the Buyers.
Look at Real Estate. Here we have the greatest Land and Lots that ever
laid out of doors, but do we do anything with them? No! We just set
here. We never advertise them; we never boost them. I wish you could
see what the State of Delaware would do if they had the same class of
lots that we have here. Why they would have Sub-Divisions all over
the place. They would have Barbecues, and Drawings, and Scream Stars
personally appearing, and men under umbrellas selling each lot. But
no, we are too conservative; we like to sit here and let the stuff
speak for itself. But I tell you, Fellow Old Timers, you can’t do that
nowadays. It’s all right for a State to build up a Reputation for
Modesty and be known as always having a good word to say for the other
place, but I tell you we have carried it too far for our own good.
Of course I can appreciate you other old Timers’ feelings in the
matter. You have been here and helped build it to what it even is
today, and you resent these Johnny Newcomers coming in and spoiling all
of our old customs and Traditions. I know it is hard to change with the
Times. We old Timers who have seen this place grow from what it was 2
and a half years ago to what it is today, must realize these stacks of
young fellows coming in here the last two weeks must have the right
idea, and we must begin to realize that after all it is the general
welfare of the entire community we are after.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account