The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-10-24


the idea that Skinner ever pretended 10 b. 4 Re-
publioan b pFeposterous "Tn 1e7s,n said he
MR ROwley told me that Il the Democracy
carried the State. would have % leave here. I
told him that could not see why, a. pas. and
had always been Democrat" Nov, Skinner
claims % be 6talwart Of The B,afwarts. and
himself and friends pEate loudly and much of
liberty and equality iOr the nero. When did
he ever do anything for the coioreJ man and
brothers When he voted for Cobb for the Legis-
lature in 1873, and scratched colored mans
name from the ticket, We suppose.
Perhaps, Of al the claims urged in Ekiuner's
favor, the one that he is The working mans
friend and advocate is the most absurd. For
practical exposition Of Skinner a. q laborine
mans friend, lei rs look at his rules for en-
ployees found posted over his once door. They
are short, but decidedly TO the point, to-wit:
Rule 1st sets forth the usual penalty for being
five minutes late. Rule 3nd. any employee alb
sent from his work without giving due notlee
viii be charged tor The time 50 absent 1t the rate
Of his wages. Rule 3L relates to the making up
Of employees account. Rule 4th forhids the
clerks from giving credit to any employee without
his (SkinneTs) consent Rule 5th, Not more
than one-half Of any employees wages sciR Be
paid IN edsh, except at the option of the proprie-
tor. Rule 9th, Any employee quitting his work
without giving one weeks notice, forfeits the
whole amount of his wages that be due him.
Rule 7th, All employees are expected to do their
trading at the company store The full signif-
canoe of rules5 and is better understood when
it is known, as may be known by any one who
will investigate the matter, that the necessaries
of life are sold 10 the store Of this poor-man's
friend At from 35 to 40 per cent. above Pensa-
cola prices, only nine miles away. Rule 9th,
All employees are understood in having to agree
to these rules. When we remember that at least
iwo-thirds of the laborers hired by him are un
able to read, and also that the attention of ap-
plicants is never called to these rules at the time
of employing. the real drift of them is very ap-
parent. Was there ever a more perfect system
of chiselingl And there are instances which can
be substantiated of burly colored men, who hav-
ing been refused settlement on account of not
having given weeks notice of their intention
TO quit, have, on pleading their inability TO read
these rules, been cooly told by this great stick
ler for the rights of the colored man and the la
boring man generally that it was not his (Skin-
ner's) fault that the negro could not read When
once we consider what power these rules give
him over the labor he employees, and the use
that power is put to- it cannot be denied that
there is some show of credence for the report of
his vast riches The Democratic independent is
told that he should cast aside all partizanism,
and vote for Mr.. Skinner; his Democratic ante
cedents are urged; "herc, Mr. Independent
Democrat" say his whippers-in, is the chance
you have been waiting for. We have nominated
white man, one who, not having been in politics,
there can be no political reasons for you voting
against Now is you time to come over"
There are doubtless some dissatisfied Demo
Gratis in the Disirict-men who think they have
good reasons 6Or changing their votes-but of
one thing they should be assured, Skinner will
not do to change on surly and irritable, over
flowing with selfimportance and conceii, rarely
ever speaking well of Southern men or institu-
tions, he has made but few friends here, and il
is where he is best known that the lightness of
his vote will be most apparent How he Sc
cured the nomination is not very well known or
understood, even in the rank and file of the Re-
pubIicans here, and charges are freely made that
the nomination was gotten by free use of the
filthy lucre The affair certainly has peculiar look,
SINCE it is something unheard of in politics to
take up man hitherto unknown and nominate
him on the first ballot, and SINNERS confident
assurance of the nomination for over a week
before he left for the convention would scarcely
help to alay the suspicion that money was at
the bottom of it, Be this as it may, however.
one thing certain in choosing candidate odraw
on the Independent vote, the Republicans have
made a signal failure.
AN EscAMBIA INDEPENDENT.