The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-06-17
GOV. BLOXHAM'S REPLY.
HE ANSWERS THE CHARGES
MADE BY GOV. DREW.
The Personal Relations Between the
TwO---The Circumstances Leading
to BIOxham's Nomination in
18SO---The jacksonville
Conference,
TALLAHASSEE, FLA, June 18th, 1894.

To the Editor of the TINES UNION:
In accordance with my telegram to
you of June 18th, I will now answer
Governor Drew's ''interview" as pub
lished in your issue Of that date. make
it over my own signature, in order that
there shall be no doubt as to my reply.
Governor Drew says: "Gentlemen in
Mr.. Bloxhams interest came here to me,
and no doubt forming a shrewd guess
from my personal relations to Mr.. Biloxi
ham, asked me the question direct, IF
would support Mr.. BlOxham, if nOmi-
mated ?" Governor Drew answered them
that he would not support me if | were
nominated. This is the first intimatiOn
that could notice that Governor Drew's
personal relations with myself were not
pleasant. A portion of Governor Drew's
family have been my welcome guests
since / have been Governor. He has fire.
quently extended to myself and family
cordial invitations to visit his home and
family since that time. We have fire.
quently met and extended to each other
friendly personal greetings. received
from him as late as the 18th day of last
April, being less than two months ago, a
most kind and cordial letter. Hence |
can but express my great surprise and as
tonishment when he announces substan-
TALLY that our ''personol relations" are
such as he indicates.
He states that gentlemen approached
him in my interest to secure from him
the declaration that he would not sup
port me, and then used his reply against
him. If any gentlemen approached
Governor Drew in my interest it was
without my knowledge. But as they
doubtless reside in Jacksonville, they can
peak for themselves. SO far as my in
formation goes, this statement of Gov
ernOr Drew's is entirely incorrect.
Governor Drew also makes the follow
ing statement: "SOme time after this
there appeared in the Savannah Morning
gews an interview had between Mr..
BloXham and a reporter Of that paper in
which Mr.. BlOxham was made to say
that he would never consent to become a
candidate for Governor while my name
was in the field. He came into my office
bringing the paper, and handing it to
me, asked what thought of the article.
l said: Governor, you put it pretty
strong" He struck quite an attitude,
drew his hand across his forehead. and
said, 'lngratitude shall never be written
on my brow; I will suffer my right arm
to be cut off before l win allow my name
to be used against yours.
1t is fact, and one well known to my
most intimate friends of that period, that
| did not desire to be a candidate for
Governor in 1880; but I preferred, if l
was to hold any office, that it should be
that of Secretary Of State. 1t is not true
that | went in Governor Drew's office
with a copy of the Savannah News, as
stated by him. Nor is it true that
made the remarks which he attributes to
me as having been made on that Occa-
sion. While unwilling for any one to
of that naturally kind feeling which any
gentleman, occupying the position which
L did in the democratic party, would
have for one occupying the relation
which Governor Drew then held to the
same party, for the office he appointed
me to, felt then, and still feel, that such
appointment was attributable far more
to the position held by me in that party.
on account of a lifelong membership
and services to it, than any personal pre-
ference of Governor Drew for me. | do
not maan to say that others have not
served the party as faithfully and well
as have, or were not more worthy of
the position; but the kind feeling Of that
party towards me, on account of my ser
vices, had been previously, and has been
subsequently manifested in the most un-
questionable manner; and l hold that
appointments to office are properly made
qualifications being COnsidered) i'll recog-
milton of services, and not as gratifica-
tior for personal preference and that no
tN'."'-' dppOlhbcu NIlItcI SUCH ClTculR-
stanc'& owes any trammeling debts of
gratitude to the person appointing.
Governor Drew says: There were
statements going about the country that
Mr.. BloXham, nevertheless, would he a
candidate; a prominent citizen Of Madi-
son county had just written me to assure
me that this was 50. | wrote in reDIv.
Just after this interview, that it was i'm
possible, and repeated some of the state
ments Mr.. Bloxham had Just made to
me. My correspondent wrote in reply
that Bloxham's assertions were wholly
false, as Captain Dyke and others of his
friends at Tallahassee had just written
letters to citizens there that Bloxham's
name would be presented to the conven-
ton"
As to what Captain Dyke and others
OF my friends wrote 1 never knew.