The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-09-07
REPUBLICAN, AND DEMOCRATIC
RULE COMPARED.
SPEECH OF
- CHARLES E. DYKE.
Hancock and BIoxham Club Of Tallahassee
September 6, 1880.
lPRINTED By REQUEST OF THE CLUB
BEFORE THE

Four wears ago we were engaged in a
struggle in the result of which was in
rolyed, as events have since proved, the
material welfare of the people of our be-
loved State. But how different are the
circumstances by which we are now sur
rounded from what they were In 1875
Then the government was in the posses
sion Of what bitter experience had taught
Us was an unscrupulous party, whose lead
ers hesitated at no act to retain the power
they abused. On the other hand, we en-
tered upon the contest with a feeling of
desperation. If we succeeded at the polls
We had no assurance, in the character of
the men in power, that the votes would
be counted out of the ballot box as they
had been put in, or that the victory, if we
won IT, would be accorded to us. And
bow prophetic were the feelings of those
who thus doubted the integrity of Re
turning Board whose memory will be for
ever associated with one of the greatest
political crimes that ever disgraced Amer
lean history. | need not enter into the
PARTICULARS Of that great struggle or recall
the efforts made through Republican
court TO compel our rulers to respect the
popular will by declaring the result as ex-
pressed through the ballot box All these
things are remembered by the most of those
present You know that on one false pre-
text OF another the Board threw out l, ,SI7
Democratic votes in violation of law in
hve Democratic counties, the vote in two
of which counties, Clay and Manatee, was
thrown ont bodily. In this way they
elected Stearns Governor by a majority
IF 334, gave the electoral vote to HAYES
by s26 majority and declared Purman
elected TO Congress from the First Dis
trict over Davidson by majority of 295,
when the true vote showed, after giving
our opponents the benefit of all their con-
fessed frauds in Alachua and Leon, that
Drew had been elected by 572 majority,
that Tilden had carried the State by
majority of 95 and that Davidson had
beaten Purman by 597. You know that
the Supreme Court, after protracted and
hard contest, commanded the Board to
undo their fraudulent count, and it was
only after this battle had been fought and
won that George F. Drew was declared
Governor and Reform administration
Inaugurated.
PRESENT SITUATION ENCOURAGING.
Consider the more favorable circum-
stances under which we engage in this
campaign as compared with four years
ago: We go into it with hope of sue
cess at the very outset which we did
not feel then; it then was a feeling of des-
Peration rather-now it Is one of exulta-
tiOn. The whole election machinery is in
our hands-tben it was in the hands of
those who used it with unscrupulous vii
lainy, not to collect public sentiment but
as a means to defeat it. We feel the great
est confidence that if honestly successful
At the polls we shall receive the full bene-
1T Of our votes-then we were encouraged
by no such assurance and the result iusti-
fed our fears. Then we felt that the pre-
servation of what little the extravaganza
Of eight years of misrule had left us de-
pended upon driving the plunderers from
power-now we feel that to keep the gov
ernment from falling again under the
blighting control of imbecility and in
competency depends upon keeping the
rlunderers from getting back. View it as
We may, we enter upon this fight with
bright hopes and cheering prospects. We
start in it with the prestige of former
victory won under the greatest discour-
agements-with incentives to work as we
did in '76 strengthened by the encourag-
ing experience we have since had of the
difference between government admins
tered in the interest of those who most
feel its evils and its burdens and govern
ment run In the interest of those whose
only use for government at all is that they
may live off Of it. Everything is favora-
bic TO success. ALI right-thinking people
want good government, and no honest
man can say|I do not-care what his pol
itics are-that, as compared with the gov
ernme1t the Republicans gave us, Demo
cratic rule has not proved blessing to
Florida The hearts Of the people-the
prayers of the good and virtuous-the
wishes of the better class among the Re
politicians even-are with us, and we shall
deserve to be cursed with all sorts of
plundering rings if by over-conidence or
any other cause We permit ourselves to be
defeated.
WHY RESTORE REPUBLICAN RULE!
Have you ever asked yourselves, fel-
lOw-citizens, the question: Why should
the people of Florida restore the Republi-
cans to power? Was there anything in
their administration of the government
from 1868 to 1877 to commend them to
popular admiration and confidence? Did
they consider the necessities Of the peo-
pie and make the burdens Of government
fall as lightly and gently as the dews OF
heaven? Did they keep down debt and
taxes? Did they put good, intelligent
men in Office? Were they rigid IN en-
forcing the laws SO that life and property
we're safe Did they encourage kind feel
Ings between racesr Did they instruct
the blacks that the whites were their
friends and not enemies, and that their
rights wO4ld be Just - safe under Demo
cratic government as under any otherr
Did they discourage the formation OF
Plundering rings and protect the public
property from adventurers Did they
contribute nothing towards that sectional
hate which 10 the pabalnm on which the
Republican party feeds, and On which It
now relies TO continue them IN power, BY
slandering the spirit and temper Of our
pe0Pler Have their Hickses and their
Blsbees defended this people from the
talsehoods of Radical newspapers, kadi-
cal emiasaries and hireling scribblersr
Did they scrnpuloasly guard the ballot
box from being stuffed, punish the stpf-
fe1 when the crime was brought home to
them, and declare the result Of al cleo
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