The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-05-03
A Ouack from n .sDeaa Duck ,,

ida, b out In d Report" addressed To the
Republicans OF the State, upon the election held
November Q. 1884," l. Is ptin,ed In Washing
ton and b being circulated 10 aid the cause OF
the Stalwarts or bloody-shirters, who do not
seem to be all dead yet by good deal, and partcu-
larry 10 exc out support for Bisbee in his contest
against General Finley. The Report is re-
markable only for iis perversions and misrepre
sentations II repeats the old charges of fraud in
the election Of 1880, as well as in all previous
elections but offers not one word of proof True
indictments have been found In the u s. Court
against Democrats, but we can recall but two
instances previous to the election last year in
which convictions were had and punishment fol-
lowed. One Of these was in the case Of Lee for
frauds in BTevard in 1878 and the other was in
the case Of Van Balsam for fraud at Yellow
Bluff in 1870. In this case, which was a Repub-
lican fraud against Republicans, the proof tended
TO show that The fraud committed in Senator
Osb0rn's room in Jacksonville but it is noticeable
that in his citations of ballot-box stufing the
Report ignores this remarkable example. 1t
will be remembered that in this " Yellow Bluff"
case Horatio jenkins, Jr.. was an independent
running against w. Fl. Christie, regular Repub-
lican nominee. The poll in jacksonville was
kept open until or 10 o'clock at night, while
the poll at Yellow Bluff was kept open all night
that is to say, the return of the vote Of Yellow
Bluff was not made until after it passed through
an inspection in Osborn's room and was there
proved, in q subsequent trial before Judge
Frazer, 10 have been doctored to the extent of
219 votes, which was the exact amount of the
= & -of.~ - Il. ID
we anticipate. The allegations of fraud in the
late election are made for effect. Osborn has no
idea, neither has any one else, that the charges
will be sustained on a trial, if trials are
ever had. IN fact, it is doubtful if indict
ments found on perjured testimony will ever
be tried. Courts and jures are beginning
to understand that a few cents paid to
certain class of witnesses will procure indict-
ments in political cases by the wholesale, and no
respectable Republican takes for granted that
charges of fraud are true until after due trial and
upon unpurchased, unprejudced testimony.
The Report makes this veracous statement,
among others:
At no time since the reconstruction acts were
passed, in 1887, has the Democratic party carried
the State of Florida by majority vote of the
gle State officer, nor by the vote of the people
has it once given the Democratic candidate for
President the electoral vote.
So far fro m this being true, the Democrats
have carried every election since 1867, except
possibly that of 1872, and were swindled out of
their victory by the notorious Jacksonville ring,
of which this same Osborn was the head. The
first regular election under the reconstruction acts
was for Governor &C., in 1853, at which there
were two Republican candidates for Governor
representing two Republican decentralization
Reed and Sam. Walker. The Democratic can
didate was Col. G. w. Scott That Scott was
fairly elected by plurality there never was
shadow Of doubt, though the so-called returns
showed different result 1t is a remarkable
fact, however, that these returns" were never
made matter Of record. They never saw the
light except through the columns of the Union
then edited by Mr.. E. NJ. Cheney, and all the
circumstances tended 10 convince honest people
that they had been doctored to secure the triumph
of the conspirators 1t was at this election that
balIot-box stufing was for the first time practiced
in Florida In this county and in Madison it
was resorted TO in the most unblushng manner
The fraud was afterw ards ventilated and proved,
but without effect except TO give Osborn in
creased prominence for the Senate TO which he
was elected soon AFTER While the campaign
was going on, it was the boast of the Radical
leaders that no matter how many votes Scott
might receive, Reed would be elected Said one
these, Scott may poll FIVE votes to Reeds one,
throughout the State, and Reed rM be elected
We've got the whole thing in our hands-the
ballot-boxes, the registrars, the mail agents. and
all :" And the result proved that Knight knew
what he was talking about They counted :"
to suit themselves. as they did in all subsequent
elections.
As everybody knows, Osborn and his ring
were not satisfied with the man they had de-
clared elected, for in less than six months after
Reed was inaugurated they sought to get rid Of
him by impeachment; and while the matter W las
pending Reed disclosed the true inwardness Of
the hostile movement against him. According
TO him, II grew out of his refusal to join Gleason
and Osborn in a scheme to swindle the State In
q speech made in Jacksonville in 1868, published
in the Union of December Q, Reed said
l found that Senator Osborn. the man whom
had helped into the United States Senate and
who had always protested to be q Republican
ever since he first came 10 this State as United
States officer at the head Of the Freedmen's Bu-
| reau-that this man was at The head of con-
spiracy TO seize upon the government, and he de-
| clared that he would either control the govern
ment or he would break me down.
The Legislature had authorized the Issue of
bonds TO the amount of $500, 900, and they were
anxious TO control these bonds Gleason went
70 Washington and arranged the following pro-
| gramme with party there. This party was to
take all the bonds at 20 cents-or rather they
were TO be pledged to him In advance at that
| price then he was TO buy up State scrip at so or
90 cents or a. low as he could get 1t aud pay for
| the bonds In this scrip. In this way he would
actually get the bonds at about 80 cents on the
| dollar making an immense profit out of the
Transaction and Gleason proposed to me that the
bonds should be disposed of in this way and that
the profits should be divided between u.s. re-
fused to sanction such robbery upon the peo-
pie. And how had offended Senator Osborn i?
had refused 10 make appointments at his dicta-
ton and % allow him 10 control the State, re-
CARELESS OF my own judgment, but worse than
this, had blocked one OF his schemes for plum
der. Senator Osborn proposed to me that we
should obtain from the U. 8. Governments the
| grant of Q large tract Of land at Pensacola for
| the State, and that should then influence the
Surveyor General so that this land might be sold
| at Q mere nominal figure to Senator Osborn.
refused to countenance the scheme and 80 must
be removed that more plant tool might take
my place, and the ring might plumber to its
hearts content.
| II Reed told the truth, land 1t is fact that
his charges were never denied) Osborn was a
mere ADVENTURE seeking gain by plundering