The morning news., 1897-02-05
FLORIDA REpUBLlcAN FACTIONS.
They Are Always SquabbIlng Over
the SpOiIs of once.

the spOils of once.
st. Augustine, Feb At seems i'm
possible for the republicans of St. Angus
tine to receive fair treatment by the Flor
ida press" said a prominent republican to
the Morning News correspondent to-day.
How so?"
"Well, one Jacksonville newspaper said
the st. Johns (white) Republican Club
would meet last Monday night to consider
the claims of it's members for the national
patronage postmaster and collectorships
for St. Augustine and that they would
introduce new blood. Another newspa-
per said yesterday that w. w, Dewhurst
had been indorsed by the club for the
United States district attorney Neither
statement is true, nor do 1 believe such
was reported to the latter paper
"Why do YOU say sop
printing republican meetings and sur
misses, that one of the two papers is pledg-
ed to the Long -Egan faction in re-
turn for its helping the stralghtouts 10
turn out the antis."
Long-Lee- -Egan crowd are being boosted
by the democrats of the Straightout fac
tion; and they will find out that their
work in voting the democratic ticket to
defeat the republicans on the state, coun-
ty and local tickets won't help them TO
dictate to the Washington people in dis
tributing the Offices"
us it not best for republicans to vote
in democrats instead of trying to return
the state to carpetbag and negro ruler
Sure. But the white republicans had
neither carpetbaggers or negroes on their
1"Didn't that aid in defeating the repub-
| lican tickets by the loss of negro votes
and carpet-bag influence over the negro
"By no means. The respectable repub-
licans, white and colored, are disgusted at
the way the arrogated bosses, Long, Lee
and Egan, have for years past made re-
spectacle republicans almost ashamed to
acknowledge that they were republicans
of Florida's machine stamp, for the bosses
have traded negro votes TO and from the
straightouts and antis of Duval 80 long
that the crowd is rotten. and neither DEM
ocrats, antis or republicans know where
the Long-Lee- Egan crowd belongs until,
as machine, they seek to give out offices
for their alleged influence"
"They do influence them?"
"They have no influence except to keep
themselves a minority at the bid of this or
that democratic faction"
"But they had delegates from nearly ev-
cry county at the Long-Lee-Egan pow
woo i'm Jacksonville on Tuesday,?
"De;;eegates." (D ch'med in IN bunch h. OF
III tell you. Take st. Johns county,
fair example. In ward No. the negroes
can elect delegates of their color which
is correct. In no other ward in st. Au-
gustine or precinct in the county are their
negroes enough TO elect a single delegate
to the county conventions; and what do
YOU as a newspaper man see at the con-
ventions and executive committee meet
ings?"
negro chairman, a white (silver reDub-
ican secretary, about four white republi-
cans. and the balance negroes"
Don't know how they were made del
egatesP Well The bosses tell the negro
bosses how many delegates are necessary,
and the Fourth ward furnished them. In
Variably the faction elects Judge Long
chairman of the county delegates to the
state convention, and back him up with
a majority of negro adherents, and shuttle
in a sort of a white republican TO show
the delegation can safely leave the town
bargain is made with some corporation for
passes Just TO hold them, subject to the
command of either the straightouts or
antis as needs be- They went back on the
pass givers last fine and turned the anti
railroad commission crowd out, and in
stalled the straightouts. The tricks of
the Long-Isee-E faction are well un-
derstood by the national republi-
can committee. so are the factions
big bluff game Of Tuesday i'm assembling
the alleged delegates, FOR they don't rep
resent the republican party Of Florida,
because the state never had a republican
party until the late campaigns. Owing
to the dlsgraceful methods OF the faction
the white republicans were forced to or
the ST. Johns county white republican
club has done. IL has some 200 of the
leading business men OF the county on
the rolls, and their strength and stand
ing has, from the first, been commended
by the democrats and owing to the free
silver agitation, the club succeeding in
electng u. II. Reynolds county superin-
tendent OF public instruction., and David
Carter to the legislature and came within
GA votes of getting the sheriff, something
unheard Of IN st. Johns except when the
democrats were stampeded by the yellow
fever panic eight years ago. This club
did not, and doubtless viii not, ndorse
any man for office; at the same time thoy
will not submit to the domination of the
Lee -Egan trading machine Here.
after every precinct will send delegates
of the color Of the majority OF voters
therein. And as 20 the negro voters. IL
is positively known that the Long-Leo.
Egan machine doesn't speak for any but
the 81 a head negroes, whom respectable
colored people are as much ashamed or
as are the great majority of the white
republicans are disgusted with the alleged
republican spOls-bartering machine
crowd. The Morning News reaches every
precinct in Florida and will not suppress
facts, so give Il this true statement"
The Morning News correspondent knows
Judge Long 20 be an honest aud truthful
gentleman. and la business and social
matters he shows none Of the political
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