The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-10-15

18th, that " some visiting statesmen from
Massachusetts, have arrived in that city,
whose mission is to participate in the POI
litical canvass, now going on in Florida,
in behalf Of the Republican party. If
these be, in fact, as we presume, men OF
culture and character-in q word, men
fit to represent the intelligence and re-
spectability of the Republican party OF
the renowned commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts, we bid them welcome to Flor
ida, and speak for them respectful hear
ing from the people of the State.
We regret, however, to see that they
propose to con6ne themselves strictlv to
national politics. 1t viii be impossible
for them to appreciate the position of the
Democratic party in Florida without in
quiring into the administration Of our
State affairs as carried on during the
eight years. reign of the carpetbaggers
and negroes; men who at once go back
into power in the event that the pseudo
Republican party of this State carry the
election in November. Of the character
of these men, disgracing the name Repst6-
licdn while Haunting its banner, our visl-
tors ought to know something With their
fellow Republicans in South Carolina
the soOrM has been made acquainted
through the writings of well-known N ORTIZ
ern Republicans, such men as the Hon.
James S. Pike, "a former member of Con-
gress from the State of Maine and Minis
ter to the Hague under appointment of
Mr. Lincoln. and DIR. Redfeld, the we'll
known correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial The former of these, Mr.
Pike, an original abolitionist, by-the-bye,
in a book called The PROSTATE State of
South Carolina written in the hey-day
of Radical misrule there, used this lam
guage: "The rule of South Carolina
"should not be dignifed with the name
of government. 1t is the institution of
ga huge system of brigandage. The men
who have had it in control are the
"picked villains of the community. They
"are protested legislative robbers They
1" ar. men who have studied and practiced
"the art Of legalzed theft. They are in
81 no sense different from or better than
"the men who fill the penitentiaries of the
"world. They are in fact precisely that
"class, only more daring and audacious."
So much for Mr.. Pixies testimony Lis
ten now to that Of DR.. Redfeld in letter
to the Cincinnati Commercial: "Cross-
ing from Georgia into South Carolina at
Augusta, you see the baneful effect of
negro rule before you have penetrated
mile into this wretched State, The
Legislature is den of thieves. Take the
convicts in the Ohio penitentiary, organ
ize them into body, call 1T the Legisla-
ture, and you have better body of men
than any Legislature which South Caro-
lima has had since 1868" More might be
enough.
1t is nothing to the purpose for these
gentlemen from Massachusetts to per
suade US that Republicanism as known in
the administration of their government
would be good thing for Florida. That
some of us might be willing to admit in
advance. They must convince US that
Republicanism as known in the admins
trations of South Carolina, louisiana
and Florida from 1868 to 1870 would be
blessed thing for this State for the next
four years. If they can convince us of
that their mission will be a political sue
cess, otherwise let them not be disap-
pointed should it prove failure.
Nor will it be possible for these gentle
men to secure the vote of Florida for the
Republican candidates for the Presidency
and Vice-Presidency without bringing
into power here the same men, or men of
the same class, as those who despoiled this
State during the long years of plumber and
misrule through which we passed from
1868 to '76. We venture to say they would
not themselves, as a matter of choice, live
unueF Sucn NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. as uuIiuS
these years held sway in the three States
above mentioned, unless indeed. which
we will not insult them by believing them
capable Of being, they themselves were to
be participants in the distribution and en-
joyment Of the ill-gotten spoils. We ask
them to put themselves in our places, and
not seek to establish over us what they
would not willingly submit to themselves.
Since the foregoing was written the let
ter of our Jacksonville correspondent,
"Twice a Week. shows that our Massa
chusetts visitors have placed themselves
in utilization with the worst element of
Florida Radicalism. This is all we'll
This will give them the best possible OPP
portunity for ascertaining the truth of all
that we have above set forth.
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