The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-07-23
SENATOR CALLS "LETTER.o

tor Gall puDllSneS IelleI o"ei WV
columns in length. Leaving out the per-
sonalities, the object of the letter appears
to be to notify the public that he has
prepared pamphlet which he Will pub
lish for the people to read. tie gives
notice that he will discuss a number OF
positions, and offer an abundance OF
proof; but, as his language is vague
generaizing on platitudes-we will be
compelled to await Redistribution OF the
pamphlet before discussing his positions.
If the pamphlet contains no more speclhc
evidence than his " letter." it will only be
in keeping with the many speeches he has
made upon our public land system, and
again demonstrate his utter incapaclty to
compre bend the question.
We would here close our remarks with
reference to the +" letter." had the Senator
not seen fit to denounce the FLoRIDlAN by
name as having made " defamatory at
tacks on his personal character" What
are the facts? Senator Call having, by
letter to the Interior Department at
Washington. postponed for four years
the patentinc of lands which belong to
the State, under the act of Congress Of
September IS, 1850, sought to get reso-
luton passed over Governor Fleming's
veto instructing himself, as Senator, to
have the matter again investigated. This,
too, in face of the fact that the United
States Senate Committee had only last
fall made a unanimous report, concurred
in by Democrats and Republicans, that
the Senator's charges were unfounded,
and that the State of Florida could and
would protect her settlers, without the
interference of the General Government.
After thorough investigation of the
subject, we saw that Governor Fleming
was right, and his position sustained by
the United States Supreme Court, the
Interior Department, the Land Commit
tee of the United States Senate, and every
State administration that had ever taken
action on the question. AS public jour
nalist, desiring to inform the people, and
looking to the welfare Of the people and
the State, we felt it our duty to give the
facts to the public. We gave the unani-
nous report of the United States Senate
Committee, and an able and exhaustive
communication to that committee, signed
by Governor Perry, Comptroller Barnes,
Attorney General Cooper, Commissioner
Mitchell and Treasurer Grill, constituting
at that time the Internal Improvement
Board of Florida; we gave decisions of
the highest court OF the land, and the
action of the Executive Department Of
the Federal Governments They all tortl-
fed the position OF Governor Fleming,
and overwhelmingly demonstrated that
Senator Call was wrong. This array Of
authority was 50 strong that the Sena-
tors only answer is tia, We are all
" bnoIicr-," making dp!amat ory at
tacks . on bis character Was there ever
a greater ah,urlity:
The Senator seems to think that the
publication Of the Il, cisiCn Of the Interior
Department against his homestead claim
was malicious. Does he not know shat
every decision OF the Interior Department
on contested land cases is sent over the
entire country by the Associated Press,
and published in all the leading journals
as news? Did not the FINEST Mon first
receive the dispatch and publish it? Did
not the same paper contain a similar
dispatch Of g Curry's Cash Entry Multi
fed" in the very issue that contained
Senator Calls "ietter Why should
his case be exempt while all others are
daily given to the public? We simply
gave the facts, copied from the New York
World, without comment. We propose
to make none at present, but await the
full text Of the Secretary's decision. Sen
ator Call has peculiar ideas Of all decs-
ions against him, and says of this:
Il consrue it that it is the duty OF citizen
not TO resort to HE law and the courts but that
he must take his gun and fight it out, the man
that can kill or drive the others of having, rs the
Secretary decides, The best righ."
AS to the Senator's transaction with
the Norfolk Exchange Bank, we must
confess We regret, for his own sake, that
| ne felt it necessary to explain that. In