The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-06-22

lance Of eIeebfng men TO the legisla-
ture Of Florida neither in the pay or
under the influence Of the corpora
tiOns.
The Citizen, q Jacksonville news
papers, immediately styled the men
signing the address, feformers." It
now has the audacity to say that they
styled themselves g refOfmers.
Along in the early stages of its crit
icisms the Citizen stated that there
was nothing in the address that all
good democrats did not approve Of,
and made the still further statement
that the railroads themselves favored
the creation Of railroad commission.
1t has since nightly changed its tune
and now says !" the reform movement
was inaugurated to overthrow the
democratic party Of Florida"
Speaking to its democratic readers
the Tallallassecan says: (" DO you re-
alize that the reformers in their adj
dress arraigDed your party organiza-
ton as corrupt and unworthy of con-
| fidence.n
The Pensacola News, not to be out
done by either the Citizen or the Tai
lahasseean, pretending to quote from
the address of the gentlemen the cor
poration press refers to as "reformers,n
says: 1.-THE address of the reform
ers stated that Florida was being
ruined by railroads.
TO show our readers the naked alb
surdity of these statements we repro
duce the address. Search it through
from beginning to end and you will
nowhere find that these gentleman
style themselves reformers.u You
will nowhere find that the address
was issued for the purpose of over
throwing the democratic party You
will nowhere find that it "arraigns
the democratic party as corrupt and
unworthy of confidence Nor will
you find the statement that 6 Florida
is being ruined by railroads.
Why, in the very beginning of this
address the gentlemen signing it say:
We earnestly discfaim, at the outset any an
tagonisIn TO railroads other interpretations or
any desire or purpose to prevent capital from Sc
curing just and liberal remuneration for its
investments we insist that sound public policy
would encourage the formation Of corporations
in, and invite capital to, this state with view to
our transportation and industrial development,
but maintaining the duty of the people to pro
tect the rights of capital and labor alike we sub
init to you this address and ask for il your careful
aud conscientious consideration.
What did the democratic party say
in its platform adopted at Tampa? 1t
said this:
Transportation being means of exchange
and public necessity, the government should
control the railroads in the interests of the state
This has notbeen done; but, instead,
a bill looking in this direction was de-
feated. Is it sin, is it disloyal for a
number of democtats to put democrats
on guard to see TO it that the next leg
islature will not defeat law of this
kind? What makes it disloyal? Is
the insistance bydemocrats that party
pledges shall be enacted into laws
violation of democratic fealty? Is it
possible for such an insist ance to over
whelm the democratic organization?
What medicine is this that these cor
poration organs doth dose us on?
The gentleman issuing this address
among other charges made the follow
ing:
We charge that they have assumed through
their owners and officers the right to determine
who shall be appointed or elected to offices in this
state, and that through their attorneys and rep
resentatives they have sought to turn over to
their nonresident overs the right to name dem
ocratic officials in Florida; and upon this we APP
peal TO the democratic people
Mr.. S. NJ. Sparkman is the chair
man of the democratic state executive
committee and is also attorney for the
Plant system, so when his cousin, G.
B. Sparkman, was seeking the office
of collector of customs at the port of
Tampa, he wrote the following letter
to Mr.. Cleveland's private secretary:
| PERSONAL
WASHINGTON, Nov. IS, 1893.
| Hon. H. B. Tlmrber, Executive Mansion, wash.
ingtofi, ID. c.:
DEAR SIR:-Since writing you last week, /
have had talk with Mr.. H. b. Plant, in relation
| to the Office of collector Of customs at Tampa,
Fla, who expressed himself as very favorable to
| the appointment of Mr. G. b. Sparkman, and
authorized me to say that his appointment
would be perfectly satisfactory TO him. He will,
should it become necessary, make the same
statement and may call some time during the
present week to see you in regard to the matter.
| have not had an opportunity of commune
eating with Colonel Duval of the F. c, s. p, but
company is friendly to Mr.. Sparkman. In fact,
the attorneys of the company, Judge j. B. Wall
and P. o. Knight have endorsed him, as the
papers on file with the secretary of the treasury
will show. thought it best to communicate the
| above TO you, as in our conversation last week
| you manifested desire to know how Mr. Plant
and Colonel Duval stood with reference to the APP
pointment of Mr. Sparkman
Very respectfully,
lSigned) s. nj. SpARKMAN,
| Chairman State Executive Committee
Don't this look like this charge is
sustained? Mr.. Duval is non resi-
dent, Mr.. Plant is nonresident and
republican, so why should the chair
man of the state executive committee
of the democratic party of Florida