The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-09-07

they put !" "illiterate, incapa1e men and
men wanting in integrity, ? in ohl.e :, ~. A..
words of the old Sentinel they enfc,.sd ss.i
the criminal laws SO ineficiently t6.
property, especially in the "black belt >
where the bulk of the Republican vote is
found, was so VIGOROUSLY insecure that
the people almost gave up in despair the
hope of raising their own subsistence ::
they compacted the negroes into a solid
body by oaths and other cunning devices
and filled their minds with distrust and
hate OF the white people, teaching them
that Democratic success in elections
means deprivation ofrights and their re-en-
slavement, and they are to-day encourag-
| ing them to remain solid by hopes of ne
| gro supremacy in the State through the
Republican party; they engaged in all
sorts of plundering rings for absorbing the
public lands, until our vast public do
main had been all conceded" away except
less than three millions of acres they
have done everything they could to fo-
ment the war of sectionalism by defamfng
the disposition of the people through their
newspapers and on the stump; they have
stuffed ballot boxes, robbed the people of
their choice of officers by robbing the
mails as they did in 1870 and assisted to
steal the Presidency as they did in 1875;
they have rewarded perjured election Off
cials instead of furnishing them, as in the
case of Bowes who stuffed the ballot box
in Leon, and Black and Vance, who did
the same thing in Alachua, and hesitated
not to call for and employ armed soldiers
when IL suited their nurnose
All these things and many more, which
it would weary your patience to recapitu-
late, 60 to make up such record against
said, "they mean all manner of mischief,
sand seek by all means and at every haz-
ard plunder-they combine for no pur-
"pose but gain, they quarrel over nothing
but spoilS," that from their possession
of the government again we should de-
voutly pray, Good Lord, deliver u.s."
"sICK YANKEES" AND IMMIGRATION.
They, themselves, so far as | am able
to learn, put forth but two reasons why
the government should be given up to
them one is that immigration will not
flow into the State unless Conover is
elected Governor-the other, that {" sick
i
giving climate and the patronage of our
hotels fall off in consequence if Bloxham
and not Conover should happen to be the
choice of the people You need not laugh
at such arguments, or suppose that am
joking in stating them, for they have ac-
tually been urged by the Sem and Press
and reiterated by Conover himself, ex-
cept perhaps that extraordinarily lumi-
nous one with respect to l" sick Yankees "
for whatever else he may be deficient
! in, Conover has sense enough to know that
persons who are "sick," whether " Yam
KEGS " or what not, will not be deferred
from seeking the benefit of our climate
because the government is Democratic
In fact it is said that more people, sick
and we'll, have visited Florida within the
last three years than in any former period
of her history of the same length of time;
and suspect they will continue to come,
no matter what may be the character of
the government, for SO long as disease
prevails will the afflicted hunt places
where their sufferings may be alleviated
and life prolonged. All that man hath
will he give for his life" The other argu-
ment-that immigration will not flow into
the State as freely under De emocratic as
under Republican rule-is equally as
senseless. 1t is based upon the false as
sumption that the immigrants who have
come to Florida and those who desire to
come are Republicans. We know this to
be untrue Many of those who emigrate
hither from the North and West are Dem
ocrats, while quite all of those who come
from the South and the Southwest were
Democrats in their old homes and remain
such when they reach here, for they see
nothing in Florida Republicanism to com
mend it to their judgments or consciences;
and the same is true with respect to
large majority of the immigrants from
the North who are Republicans when
they arrive among us. They soon dis
cover the character Of Florida Republi-
canism and vote with the Democrats as
they did in '76 and as they will do in this
election. They see that it is mainly com
posed of mass of ignorance and super
stition and made the ladder on which
demagogues and corrupt men climb into
Office, and self-interest, if no higher
motive, prompts them to ally themselves
with the intelligence of the State and aid
in placing the local government In the
keeping of those whose interest it is to
administer it honestly and with due re-
gard to economy. So far from Democratic
rule being detrimental to immigration its
influence is the other way. 1t may be
safely assumed, / take it, that two things
at least have their influence in inducing
immigration-frst, the taxes the immi-
grant will be called upon to contribute to
support the government and secondly,
the vigor with which the laws for the pro-
lection Of life and property are enforced.
Does any one suppose that the enormous
taxes imposed by the Republicans, with
the waste and extravagance which have
characterized their rule wherever and
whenever they have obtained foothold
in the South, would be more conducive to
immigration than the comparatively light
taxes and the strict regard to economy
imposed and practiced by the Democrats!
or that there was anything to attract
immigrants In the notorious insecurity TO
property under Republican government,
while the better security which now pre-
yaiIs and will continue TO prevail under
Democratic rule will repel immigration
But need not discuss this point further.
There il q significant fact connected WITH
;mrnioration TO Florida, which i this:
Whatsyer may be the politics OF inni-
orants. as . general thing they refnse 70
ee...I.. = counties where the Repubhcan