The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-12-11
Written for the FoKIDAN.l
The COMafffn aIan nna Mr. Ailaon.

A~C OVMStatataOA 0n0 MT. BAhHsOAs
Mr.. Hilton SAYS he did the work that produced
the decision rendering the roads built prior to
the war subject 10 taxation Modest man ! The
Monticello Constitution, Is we see from the
Truce Union. claim. that Mr. Hilton furnished
the brains. The idea of Mr.. Hilton furnishing
brains to General Perry IL 90 remarkably absurd
as 10 create a laugh wheaever it Is mentioned.
Mr.. Hilton is considered by many worthy of
judging Is mere secondclass lawyer With not
enough practice in q year to keep Justice of the
Peace busy for q week He had no moro to do
with the decision than any member of the Legis-
lature who voted for the resolution to test the
question. Had he have been appointed under
the resolution his we'll known cranks would have
led him of on some of his hobbies, and eight
chances to ten he would have lost the case The
case was first tested under Governor Drew's ad-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AIRY resolution. Our Cir
| cult Court and Supreme Court both decided that
these particular railroads were exempt under
their charters after the adverse decision of our
Supreme Court the State, OF course could not ap.
peal TO the U. s. Supreme Court.
With the lights before them then eur Supreme
Court gave their decision inthe Gonzalez Sui
| livan case adverse to the Stae After that decis-
ion however, the Supreme Court OF the United
States decided the case Of Wilson VS.. Gaines
which, of course added fore. to the position of
the Slate, for our Supreme Curt says that they
are not prepared to say with absolute certainty
that the case of Wilson vs.. Gsines decided since
the case of Gonzalez vs.. Sullivan does not con
troll this case" Hence the case was allowed to 60
to the U. s. Supreme CoIfGp The determination
had already been reached to again test the case,
and the resolution of the Legislature only con-
frmed what had already been determined on
SO where is the great glory?
As for Mr. Hilton he has always been nsted by
many, in his political course, as q crank-even
from the time he asked the Legislature to change
his name from Smith TO Hilton-which they did.
When the Democracy came in after the war,
his first hobby was to repudiate the State debt.
He had circulars printed and circulated among
the members and laid en- their tables, giving ex-
preston TO his crude financial ideas, and it is said
that it required considerable persuasion TO prevent
prominent Democratic Senator from introduce
ing resolution in the Senate condemnng him
and his repudialing theories.
His next great financial idea was that the peo-
pie or State was more prosperous with its scrip
basis. He never seemed TO think (for he is q
"one-idead mani that to have a deprecated
scrip we must have more out than can be taken
up for taxes and that the overplus out, growing
yearly greater, would sooner or later have to be
funded in interest bearing bond, which the
people would have eventually to pay, both prin-
cipal and interest, repudiate-ths exact policy
that the radicals pursued which has given us a
large interest tax 10 pay every year.
Now look further. He says in the Economist
OF December that the present Constitution
| though rejected was declared ratified" and that
ii was wisely permitted by Providence. though
| it was hard to think SO at the time" We ask if
any would for one moment suppose that the au-
thor of such sentiments actually used his infu-
| ence, and, some assert voted for this Consttu-
| ton yes. this very Constitution, which Mr..
| Hilton denounces as such an outrage, and which
the democracy of Leon tried to defeat at the polls
| preierring military rule: Mr.. Hilton advo-
| Gated then and used his influence 10 have it
| adopted. He deserted the democracy OF Leon to
| put on our shoulders what he now denOunces as an
what an attitude does he occupy, He talks about
and paradcs before the public his great political
| service. Where was be in 1858? Joining with
| the Radicals to force an outrageous Censtitu ton
| upon us. Where was he in November and De-
| cember 1868, when Barnes was a candidate for
| Congress: Never heard from even in his own
| county Where he 1870, when Bloxham
| and Niblack first carried the State democratic :?
| We do not remember to have heard from him in
| that canvass. Where was he in the great Presi-
Dental struggle of 1872: Where was he in the
Congressional race of 1874. Doing nothing. In
| 1876 he was made Presidential elector, and we
| suppose did his duty. But ever since he has
| given the public rehash q his having to Dor
| row money to pay his own expenses Oh that
canvass. Why, don't most Of the men who can
vass do it? We can point TO a number of gen.
| tlemeu who have canvassed and worked for the
democracy and paid their own expenses year Of
| ter year, and never whine.i before the public
| about it,
Where was he in the canvass OF 1878. Was
| he ever heard from outside Of few precinct
| speecl es in his own county? We believe it is
true that in the canvass OF 1880 he went to Tay-
record up to the time of his deserving the demo-
cratic ranks, and the political firm Of Kittens"
| was soon after formed, and the EcOn0mist
launched Ever since the Hiltons have tried to
break up the Democratic party, and beast that
the Independent party was the creature of one
of the firm. The same boast WAS made of start
| ing the Spectator, paper that supported McKin-
non during the canvass They also published
during the same campaign the Patriot that sup
ported the Radical nominee, Skinner, for Con-
| gress against Davidson. Look through the files
Of the Economist during Davidson's last Canvass,
and show us An editorial tending to his election
| He was running on the Democratic ticket as
their regular nominee for Federal Office, in no
way connected with State affairs-still The Hill
| ions threw cold water ON his canvass and in
many instances the Spectator the pronounced
supporter Of MckinnOn, copied its editorials for
its own candidate and vice versa. Was not the
| Economist used on the stump by the Indepen-
dents who fought Davidson. Ii WAS their or
gan TO all intents and purposes to work Tor the
| defeat OF the Democratic nominee. At the CON-
vention that met in Tallahassee to nominate Da-
| wilson Mr.. Hilton, instead of giving encourage
ment, caucussed with WOLF Of the Commercial,
and other Independents TO compass the defeat
of the democracy. We could quote sentence
| after sentence from the columns of the Ecouo.