St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-05-02
Letter from Florida.
POLITICS..

the "Solid South" and seem to admit,
as an established fact which admits of
no argument, that all of the late rebel
states will go for the Democratic can-
didate. | presume that this may be
true, with the exception of Florida. l
believe that, to-day, with fair cleo
ton and fair count, Florida would
give il majority for the Republican can
didate. The emigration of ofNOrtherners
to this state has been and is, large, and
will continue so. Nine-tenths of the
immigrants are Republican, and the
negro is sure TO vote right if he has any
leaders. In the other Southern states
the party leaders were Northern men
and Federal office holders. When some
lost the state office they held, and the
others were prevented 10y the Presi-
dents order from taking an active part
in politics, they nearly all went back
North, leaving the party without lead
ers, and then the negro vote was easily
suppressed, or brought oven to the
other side; mostly suppressed, think.
Here 1T is different. TO begin with,
the Governor, although IL Democrat, is
Northern man, (from Maine). Then
most of the settlers came here for their
health or to engage i'll fruit raising,
without any particular thought OF, or
connection with, politics. The change
of state administration in 1876 did not
send them home, but they nearly all
remain here, and keep up the party
organization. L think the Republicans
nave gained in votes, since 1876, and
ut the election last fall, cast the most
votes but it was the other party that
counted them. Bisbee was elected to
Congress, oveI Hall, fair enough, but
the frauds i'll Brevard County, where IL
county with about fifty voters gave
Hall two hundred majority, gave Hall
an apparent majority in the district.
| These frauds were afterwards proven
and the perpetrators were sentenced to
fine and imprisonment, except Hall,
who was admitted to his seat in the
House, us any other procedure would
have destroyed their majority.
In this county, the Republican can
didate for the Legislature (Kirby) had
sir majority over Judge Patchen the
Democratic one, but after the election
Patchen contested it, and proving that
eight negroes (Republicans) had been
convicted before Justice of stealing
chickens or something like that, and us
he claimed they were disfranchised
thereby, the House threw out Kirby
and admitted Patchen, not thinking it
worth while to take notice of the fact
that several of those who voted for him
Fwere under Indictment for murder. AT
this precinct, (Potter's Store) one
darkey's vote was rejected by the in
spectors, Northern meu) because he
| lived in another precinct, although reg
istered in this, and the line ran within
a rod OF his dwelling place, and he sup
posed he WAS right. Iii nearly every
voting place there will be more or less
OF these disputed cases, making enough
throughout the state to turn the cleo
ton. So you see, it depends good
deal upon who counts. This precinct
went Democratic i'll 1876, and Republi-
can at the city election two weeks ago
and jacksonville is always SO.
FRUIT, ETC.
| Hawkins is now shipping about $50
quarts of strawberries per week To New
York. He has sent so far about 800
quarts and expects to ship as many
more. The last lot that he has heard
from sold for 80 cents there. have
about an acre of hammock land that is
now cleared which intend to set out
TO these berries this fall. | think this
helps more to deUeLOp Florida than hall
IL dozen men sitting around the hotels
IN Jacksonville and saying that one can
make $4,000 from one acre of bananas,
and never making tree or IL seed grow
IN all their lives. 1t goes great deal
farther to tell what one has done, than
to tell what one can do. Orange and
lemon trees are growing finely, and
promise good crop this year, although
it is very dry just now not much rain
for four weeks, and this sandy, thirsty
| soil nanIS nftan Nh.
regular every year unless something
extraordinary prevents, and is not lik.
the apple, having an ''off year.
Guavas were frozen down last winter
so that there will not be many this
year. Every one says that the fruit
and jelly are very nice, super-extra
but that the taste for them has to be
acquired. My Scuppernong Grape vines
promise to hang full. Mulberries are
past, nearly, but blackberries are Just
coming on, and hackleberrles will soou
be ripe. We had quite little frost
The morning Of April 5th, which nippeG
my beans, corn and potatoes some, buI
dld not Kill them. We had some new
potatoes two weeks ago, and some
parties have shipped few north.
The ponds are settling some under
the influence of the sun and wind. bnt
the little round one in front of the
Hopkins & Mason house is still dee,
enough to drown IA horse, l think. Tht
other day | drove into it to water. and
the bank being sleeper than l thought