The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-10-26

4
/ beg you viii allow me space in
your valuable paper for brief COM
inunication. Since the election I must
confess that have not been in very
happy frame of mind, not so much on
account Of the result of the election
as the means used to accomplish these
results.
1t was my intention to have written
sooner, but was Frustrated with dem
que fever, which. by the way, makes
ores bones ache bad enough, but does
not make the heart ache like the
wholesale oppression which is going
on in our land. No, in my experience
there is no comparison between the
two. Mans inhumanity to man
makes countless thousands mourn. y
What would like to protest against
is the law which makes it possible for
the tax collector or registration officer,
whether by neglect of duty or direc-
ton of party, TO practically disfran-
/ chise citizen who should have as
good right to vote as any in the land.
To my mind there is no more tyran-
ny than this, and ia freet p country
| too, which boasts the best government
| the world ever saw! Taxation with
out representation is just what caused
our forefathers to rebel against the
mother country. We are certainly q
long suffering people, and slow to an
ger, but the Anglo-Saxon spirit is still
here, and a spark may kindle it into
o flame which will make tyrants
quake as it did then. deprecate rev
olution, and for this reason consider
tampering with the franchise a very
serious matter, indeed; and if this
law which is made to discri inmate
against citizens not belonging to the
party in power is not repealed, it is
most likely that sooner or later it will
recoil like a boomerang against the
party which enacted it. History
shows that this what generally hap
pens to parties responsible for partial
and unjust laws.
/ have been brought up in the be-
lief that the right of franchise was a
sacred trust, and went TO che polls to
cast my ballot in the same prayerful
spirit that would go to the altar. /
have lived in Marion county all my
life, and have been voter about
twenty years, and now / ana told that
must produce two poll tax receipts
or cannot vote. / have never fell
more Inundated in my life; not truly
at any crime that have committed
for / have committed none, but at
the conspiracy which now realize
exist against my liberty and against
every citizens liberty. 1t is true thai
did not have the receipts, although ]
could not recollect ever having failed
to pay my poll tax, personal tax, land
tax and every other tax which was de-
manded of me. have also obeyed al
of the laws so far as know them, and
have used what influence / could te
get others to do the same, by precepi
as well as by example. and yet | am
not allowed to vote.
| Now, Mr.. Editor, would like to ask
some one in position to know what
must I do to be reinstated? Must
take some quieting dose to my con
science and allow it to gently slumbel
and promise solemnly that in the flu
future / will vote the democratic ticket
the whole democratic ticket, and
nothing but the democratic tiket, pro
vided, of course, have not the poll
tax receipts with me?
| If this is to requisite of Florida's
franchise muststill remain disfran.
chiscd citizen.
Yours, respectfully and truly,
r. J. WILLIAMS, M. ID.