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Nothing Wrong With The Eastern Shore
Colborn Gives Some Facts and
Figures to^Refute H. L.
Mencken's Charges.
Most replies to the recent article by H. L. Mencken, have been in the nature of attacks on Mencken himself, and did not refute the charges brought by the iconoclast. However, this week, George W. Colborn, Jr., Princess Anne business man, former president of the Maryland Pharmaceutical Association and president of the Maryland Firemen's Association, Ro-tarian, etc., etc., took "time out" from his activities long enough to present facts and figures which effectually disprove any, and all of Mencken's (Gosh, what a name for an American (?) to bear!) charges.
Mencken charge that the peninsula is "cut off" from easy contact with the rest of the State"; is "poverty stricken", and that "its best citizens have moved out"
Answering, Mr. Colborn says, and presents Government statistics to bear him out:
"It (the p-lunula) produces more foodstuff's than any other section of like area, in the world. Crisfield, in Somerset county, is the world's largest seafood market. The two largest canning factories in the world are located on the Shore, one at Cambridge, and one at Cheriton. Somerset County produces more strawberries than any other like area in the world, and the 1931 crop amounted to $2,500,000.
"The Eastern Shore^ has one mile of hard surface road for less than four miles of territory served. This is greater than any other area in the country.
The Atlantic Coastal Highway and Peninsula and Pennsylvania ferries to the south, plus a trunk line railroad, and four major bus lines running from Main to
Florida; and with ferry service from Claiborne and Matapeke to Annagplis and Washington, make the peninsula one of the highest advertised territories in the Middle Atlantic States.
"Estimated figures show that tourist traffic through the Peninsula is more than $10,000,000. It is one of the very few sections of the country that is self-sustaining. According to the last census the nine Eastern Shore counties of Maryland raised .four-fifths of the State's total in tomatoes, one-half clover, six-sevenths of lima beans, two-thirds of cantaloupe, five-sixths of asparagus, five-sixths of wheat, nearly one-half of white potatoes and seven-eighths of the sweet potatoes.
"Accomac and Northampton counties In what Mencken terms "flea-bitten Virginia" largely control the potato market of the country, being the largest producers of potatoes in the world. The two Virginia Shore counties are the richest agriculturally, per capita, of any in America.
"Our Peninsula has not really felt the depression as other sections. We have no soup or bread lines. Our people are capable of caring for unfortunates without outside aid, and our Community Fund campaign has been oversubscribed from 25 to 40 percent.
"We really feel that we are capable of running our own af- ! fairs."
And that's that!
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