The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-07-13
Prom the Times Union
TOM SAWYER WRITES ANOTHER
LETTER
He Is Slightly Puzzled Over the Differ
ent County Appointments.


The next state convention of the
democratic party in Florida will be
called on to perform an unpleasant
dCty. When the delegates come to-
gether they should not so much con-
slider their respective counties as they
should have regard for the welfare of
the party, and incidentlly of the state.
The first important matter to be set
tied will be the question of apportion-
ment, or representation, and it should
have the most careful consideration of
our wisest statesmen. 1t is generally
considered that the statement of this
matter will give trouble, and some
beg that the question be not sprung,
that the decision of the executive
committee be acquiesced in, but is
that possible? It will be infinitely
better to settle controversy at the next
convention than 10 wait until there is
a general contest for the entire list of
officers. We are going to need har
mony and unity in 1896, and now is
the time TO insure it.
will not pretend to take issue with
that small representation of the state
executive committee, which recently
met at Tampa, and called the conven-
ton. / have heard their action on
the question of apportionment criti-
cised, but they were governed by the
returns of the last election, which
they had no authority to question, and
what else could they do? The con-
vention, when in simple mass-meet-
ing, will exercise its sovereign author
iiy and organize as it may deem best.
Then the work Of the executive com
mittee will end.
No sooner shall the convention come
together than Alachua county will be
curious TO know why her 2,3s6 white
men over q years of age have no
more voice in democratic councils
than the $50 white men of Leon
county, and at the same time she will
Offset Icons 2,7s0 negroes with $500
of her own. Alachua county demo-
Gratis declare that they will want an
explanation. Then Marion and Santa
Rosa with 4,9lI whites will ask how
the $50 o. Icons vote equal to them
in convention. 1t can, probably, be
explained satisfactorily all around,
but an understanding will have to be
reached. Next we shall see Liberty,
Levy and Platinum put forward the
claim Of their 3, 200 lily white voters,
and wondering how Leon did it, while
Sumter, Suwanee and Washington,
with 1896, will have to wrestle with
that same $40 men who live under the
shadow of the state capitol. And,
again, when Lafayette, Manatee, Os-
ceola, Taylor and Walton, whose 81
269 crackers have stood by the party
year after year see themselves abso-
lutely outrated in convention by the
stately Leon there will be some more
trouble.
Escambia county has 3,058 white
men, and twenty-One votes i'm conven-
ton are not extravaganza, nor are
twenty-eight votes impossible for
Hillsborough, with 1892 white men,
but some of our Tampa friends will,
probably, stand appalled, at their own
moderation. Orange county should
have done better with her 2,S63 white
voters. Jackson did her level best,
scoring ~ points out of a possible
1863; while Monroe with 1854 men,
not negroes, comes limping along with
four votes What Jeff Browne
meant by such laches is dark and
bloody mystery. Lake county, with
her ,s0l stalwarts, including the bold,
bad man from Tavares, will cast
eleven solid votes, as they say. in con-
yer ton, while Gadsden drops from
fifteen to six Where in the dickens
was Jim Broome?) Polk county, with
l,709 fair-skinned voters, including
Frank Clark, in company with the 81
400, not counting Mitchell and Cor
bett, Of Duval, can just nicely see-saw
with J-J-J-J-J-effer
You must excuse me-. please, if /
display little trepidation in mention
ing jefferson, hut il is really the only
county could find on the list capa-
bic Of making, with $50 white voters,
an exact balance to the $3.50 fair
skinned suffragans Of Duval and Polk.
Yes. In common with all men who
ever have anything to do with con-
ventions, l approach Jefferson with
becoming reverence. take off my
hat in the presence of jefferson. The
brave old county stands alone and
unapproaehable Whoever may be
second, Jefferson must be first. We
all admire the genius which holds in
solid phalanx her unterrifled democ-
racy, and we stand dumb in the pres
ence OF the skill which can work a
sum in political arithmetic which de-
fies imitation or competition.
A good-natured friend in Leon said
20 me the other day; 1--WE always con-
sidered the rivalry between Jefferson
and Leon a generous rivalry, and had
We known in 1852 that the boys over
there were going to aim so high, we
would have given the democracy a
vote TO be forever proud of. We con-
slider that they came the giraffe over
u.s."
Said South Florida man recently
in discussing this question: Watch
my county come up with thirty
votes next tlme.p 1t usually has
less than ten.
The democratic party can win IN
Florida without any questionable
methods IL ii will be true To itself ana