The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-09-18
REPUBLICAN COUNTY CONvEN
THON.


ODDS AND ENDs-BoB SMITH. THE BRIGHT
LEGISLATIVE JEwEL-IT ENDS IN BIG
FIGHT.
As per announcement the Republicans of
Leon county met in Convention in the ITALIA
hassee Ooera House at IL 30 A. NJ on last Sat
uriay. f. &. Weeks, Chairman OF the Repub
can County Executive Committee called the
Convention 10 order and stated the object oil the
meeting. Mack Davis and H. c. Wyche were
placed in nomination for temporary chairman
ship and w. F.Thompson and L. ~ Blake were
called upon the platform AS teiers. upon the
roll being called Wvche received 80 votes aud
Davis % j. w Mitchell moved that commit
tee of two be appointed TO escort Wyche to the
chair: carried Mitchell and jackson were ap-
pointed as such committee and Wyche was es-
cOrted 10 the platform. He thanked the Con-
ventiou for the honor conferred upon him and IN
few very sensible words requested that every
man in the house behave he should avoid
all wrangling and help him to maintain order.
(Cheers.) A. r Edwards was chosen as tempo
porary secretary by reclamation. On motion.
Rev. H. G. Bailey was escorted TO the platform
and asked divine blessing upon The Convention
and over their deliberations. General w. Viii
ams was then elected as assistant secretary.
J. W Mitchell moved that committee of seven
on credentials be appointed Mccall offered as
an amendment TO tins that the committee con-
sist oil one member from each precinct not con
tested and that each precincts delegation select
its member of the committee. The amendment
was carried, the roll called, committee
nounced, and they were instructed TO retire TO
Mitchelrs office where all coniesting delegations
would appear before them and be heard.
w F. Thompson mounted the platform and
stated that he understood that " Governor "
Shipman Judge Goss and Josiah I. Walls were
in the city, and he moved that committee of
three be appointed to wait upon them and re-
quest them 10 speak 10 the Convention while the
i.le dplihorafinn
The chair announced the motion as being that
Governor Perry address the Convention. Cries
of Nor NO" us don't want him" Us
wants Mr. Chitley," put de motion" change
dat ting etc. Confusion, disorder and loud
talking rcigned supreme for many minutes, dur
ing which the committee WAS appointed and
went after the speakers.
They soon returned with Shipman, Goss, Walls,
Caro- and John McDougalI, and As they mounted
The platform they were received with deaienny
applause W. + Thompson introduced '. J.
Shipman, Republican nominee for Governor as
the first speaker Shipman is an overgrown
mountain of flesh and rs he waddlcd To the front
the platform tremblcd under his 800 pounds Of
avoiriupois He made schoolbOys bow and
began: Gentlemen, | am no RiUroad Laryer,
therefore you must not expect much of a speech.
In inviting me here YOU no doubt felt some curl
nsily To see your Barnum's white elephant.
Well, am here He spoke in a random
way for sometime referred to The tail of the
Republican party, meaning, we suppose, the col
ored vote, and said that he did not mean that
the tail should wag the dog but that on his
Journey TO the Capitol they would have to bring
up the rear. Gentlemen, said he, "climate
has much TO do with politics 4 friend of mine,
q Western man, tells this story In Michigan il
is cold, and there the majority Of voters are Re
publican. He started South. In Iowa he found
it warmer, and there the Democrats had the ma
joritv When he reached Texas il was deviIish
hot MI 10 fhs IF he Demo-
cratic. Therefore gentlemen you will see that
climate has much to do with politics. In hell
everything is unanimously Democratic. [Cheers
Ii has been hot in Florida for the past few years
and for that reason there were more Democratic
voters and they carried everything, but il is get
ting cooler in Florida now and we Republicans
have some chance of election. He then spoke of
the new constitution, In reference To registration
and election laws and stated that the county
officers being elected hy the people would bene-
fit the lRepubllcan party in this Stale for that
now all the milk and mater Republicans who had
heretofore kept in the background and let 10
one know whether they belonged to the one party
or the other, would come to the front, in the hope
of getting reward by being elected to county
Offices. As he said this he turned and bowed 10
one of this class who was seated upon the plat
form. He then told his experience With quaran
tine officers in jackson county, trying OF course
to make political capital of ii. In closing his
speech he tackled The tariff and weakly illus
trated As follows Now, gentlemen, will at
tempt to make the workings of tariff pro-
lection plain to you. Jefferson county, your
neighbor raises quantities of watermelons-so
does Leon. Now, suppose the laborers Of JEFF
erson get only 50 cents day for labor while
you of Leon get 81 day. Now, don't you see
that Jefferson could bring melons here and sell
them cheaper than you could But suppose
you put protective tariff on Jefferson's melons
and make her pay 3 on every hundred that she
brings to Leon, then you would have the drop
on them and could make more on your melons
than Jefferson could. That's the way protec-
| ton works, you get your 81 day and make
money, while Jefferson continues working At
50 cents day and don't lose by what you gain"
Cries Of OATS so ~ Oh, dat watcrmillion,"
etc.
Judge Goss, a long legged, water eyed middle
aged citizen OF Marion county, and nominee on
tn: Republican ticket for Associate Justice OF
the Supreme Court, was the next speaker He
reviewed all of the old war laws Of Florida
classed them as Democratic iniquities" spout
ed about his being Southern man, and spoke
Tor some time IN such dry manner that it
seemed TO be quite q relief to the several
hundred colored men who constituted the audi.
ence when he wiped the perspiration from his
brow aud sal down.
General Josiah T. Walls, prominent colored
Republican OF Alachua, was the next speaker
lie said that he was not a candidate that he was
not seeking any office just now that his time
would come later that he just simply
"Gorla" He advised the coored Republicans
OF Leon To use poicy in their nominations that
day; to make their ticket crAite, the whittier the
better; that il was not time yet for the colored
voters 10 demand the offices and if they wanted
to succeed they must make their ticket ,ehite.
cerY nAite.
little scrap OF fellow, with very dark com.
piexi"n, evidently OF foreign importation intro
duced as MIR. Caro-, WAS the next speaker He
danced to the front OF the PLATFORM cut up n few
monkey shines and said that he was part Span
ISL, part Cuban. part Porlugee aud the other part
raccoon; that he was missionary. seeking not
Tor sinners but for Republican votes He said
he was gong To sing little song and wanted all
To JOIN in the words Oi the song were: ON
Lord It's all want, ITS a little more votes for
Shlpman.' The chorus of The song was: RI
meoer sell ont no more :" He began singing and
The whole Convention joined in Now boys"
SAID he, remember that song. You've been do
ing H. but now you must never sell out no more ~
Tie then told astory of tanner who was at a loss
to md sign for his business, but he finally hi,
upon onc-Le bored hole in plank and stuck
calls tail through it, One day a philosopher
came along and stopped and looked at the call's
Tall hanging out through the hole Hour after
hour passed and still he stood there looking at
that tail. Finally the tanner come out and
asked why he was looking so long and an xiously
at his sign. The philosopher replied that he
was wondering how the calf had gotten through
that hole and LETT his TAIL tightly fastened, hang
ing on the outside This" said Caro-, ais the
way its going to be if Mr.. Shipman gets elected
and takes his seat in the Capitol-the tail of the
Republican party is going to wonder how he goe
there and left them on the outside" The ta,l
OF The party (colored voters) didn't seem TO like
these reDeaed assertions that thew yoro .,,,;,,, a.,