The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-06-15

4 JGdia was Also lDuDu diObS Ills lily
which remark caused broad ane
knowning grin TO diffuse the eoilnte
nances of the audience.
He spoke of legislation and the
pledges of legislators, ard the infu.
ence ihe swarm of railroad lobbyists
had on the law makers; that enthusi-
astic railroad C mnission senators
! twenty-four hours aft the advent OF
| the lobby voted sno.n He said there
were various ways Of influencing men,
that he knew in PLAYING gamts OF
p ,ker the lobbyists lost large sums to
Legislators, and their votes strongly in
timated the cause of conversion.
The Major was quite severe on SEN
ator Marks, of Orange, also the Sena-
tor from Volusia, Bristol, for the man
ner in which they failed to stand by
the railroad commission bill, and did
not forget to touch the chairman of
the state democratic committe and
other members, who rushed to Talla-
hassee, not to uphold the hands of the
legislators and urge them to make
good their promises to the democratic
party, but instead to assist the lobbists.
He paid his compliments 10 Plant,
Cutting an' Flagler. He called them
the railroad triumvirate of The state.
Remarked they were all good republi-
cans, while the managers Of their
lines are staunch democrats, but so
pulled the wires that their interests in
the state did not suffer.
He referred to the fact aud with
/ pride that Mr.. Flagler had became a
Florida cracker. To see how So,
| 100000 crackers assets woGld affect
the revenue of st. Johns county be
applied to see what property was as
sessed. He learned it was only $40,
600 His hopes We're dashed to the
ground, for instead of Flagler con.
rributing $25, 900 in taxes 10 the state
aud county it had dwIndl,d into d
mere boggatelle.
Inquiry ELECTED the fact which in
duced Mr.. Fla ,ler to transfer his e. IL
zenship from New York to Floridf.
Flagler had been assessed on two ant
half million of personal property il.
New York and to escape that amount
of taxation made his residence il
Florida and returned $4,000
The Major said he had no objection
to the parties named owning the
railroads of Florida, but did seriously
object to 10 millions of taxed property
virtually own and control 80 millions
of taxation. If they insisted on own.
ing and controlling everything, why
! then let them pay all the taxes.
| He did not forget the late organiza.
tion of the employees Of the railroads
and fol what purpose they had been
created-to fight for their employer.
and their candidates
He showed the Injustice and in
equality of such acts that the demo-
cratic party of Jefferson county had
imposed on the democratic party OF
| the state and believed railroad domi-
nation was responsible for it.
He said Jefferson, with only 700 reg
istered voters and those who paid the
poll-tax had piled up at the late elec-
| ton $500 votes and in the coming
convention had been granted "a dele
gates, while his county, with 2,05C
paid poll-tax and Marion with lar
ger number, were only entitled to II
delegates each.
Such paipable and rank fraud could
not go unnoticed. The democratic
party could not afford it and he warn
ed them of the whirIwind that they
would be sure to reap if they did not
correct such fagrant abuses, and the
imperative duty Of the party to re-
deem all its pledges to the people and
create for them a just and equitable
railroad commission to stem the tide
of the monopolistic userpation and
power, forif they did not, the creature,
1 NhCduy hAolO lOII4iIudUIc anu 6oScItlFt
than the creator, would rob them OF
their labor and their liberties.
This synopsis does not do justice tc
the able effort, but it is the best we
can present with the time and space
I at our command. =.
The speech was we'll received and
made many converts. and when he
said he was democrat and would re-
main one and fight within the ranks
for reform and redress, he was 10 udy
| applauded.
The court house was filed with pee
| pie and at the close of Abrams speech
many were standing. Had definate
arrangements been made and the
country people known that he would
speak big crowd would have been
present.
Unbiased persons say the meeting
was success and will do good.
Overland from North Carolina.
Messrs. j. III. Wade, A. r. Morrison
aud w. G. Dcberry, left Rockingham
n. O., April 3rd, for Florida, their
mode of transportation being two
horse wagon, on which is set the old
style conastoga bed, with bows and
cover. In this they slept and jour.
neyed and met with no mishaps or al.
ventures until they struck Augusta,
Ca, where they invested in keg oi
Mountain Dew" as a present tc