The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-03-26
x'LEoD AND THE MISSIONARY.
10 the Democrats Of District !, and incidental
Of the County:

| ". thc iact tuAt the selection
OF Mr. Mcleod for county commits.
sioner for District No. does not meet
the enthusiastic approval of the mis-
sionary who has patriotically left his
nome and undertaken to run the
pohtics OF this people; who tried to
crowd out the Ocala correspondents
OF the Times-Union and the Citizen.
one on the ground that he is a common
typo and the other an invalid; who is
al present editing the Star, and Incl.
dentally lecturing the democratic
committee and our people generally on
morals, ethics, politics and religion: I
say, inasmuch as my political behay.
ior does not seem to meet the enthusi-
astic endorsement of this self.imposed
censor, again venture to state that in
naming MIR. Mcleod and not naming
Mr.. league for county commissioner
Tor district l, / was acting solely in
the discharge of a political duty and
not satisfying personal obligation.
Under the operation of our laws the
board of county commissioners is a
political body. The whole election
machinery is lodged in its hands. This
being true, and acting for and in be-
nalf OF the democrats of district l. I
felt that 1 could not be faithful to the
trust that had been committed to me
except by the selection of loyai DEM
ocrat for the place.
In thus acting, fellow-democrats
have / committed a political sin?
Have been false to the trust you re-
posed in me? My conscience tells me
that / have not. Indeed, am satis-
isfied that my action meets your cor
dial approval.
Personally, / have very high re-
gard for Mr.. league, and my action
has not disturbed our friendship.
In the last campaign the democrats
of this district honored him by elect
| ing him vice-president of their club.
Quickly after the holding of the Indi-
annapolis convention he promptly ten
dered his resignation, on the ground
that he was opposed to the platform of
principles adopted at Chicago and the
nominees there selected, and joined
the local Palmer and Buckner organi-
cation and signed paper pledging his
support to that ticket.
am not criticising MIR. league for
doing this. 1t was his privilege and
his right. But having done so--hav-
| ing seeded from the regular democ-
racy-I do not feel, and do not think
he or his friends feel, however much
he is personally esteemed, that he is
entitled to immediate recognition at
the hands of the organized democracy
of the district.
This is the platform have erected,
and 1 am willing to go down standing
on it. Mr.. Bryan has delivered a re-
cent utterance in line with it, and 1
believe it will meet the cordial ap-
proval of his followers.
The charge that L entered into a
"deal' or compact" with Mr.. Me-
Leod, or Mr.. Carney, or Mr.. William
son, or any other person recommended
for member of the board, for printing
the tax list, is a willful, barefaced fab
ricatiOn. f. E. HARRIS.
Judge Walter Clark and the Railroads.
In this issue of the Banner we pub
lish an interesting article from the pen
of Judge Walter Clark, of the supreme
bench of North Carolina.
Judge Clark is one of the most pro-
life, clear-headed and able of our
southern writers, and one of our most
eminent jurists. He has always been
democrat, and writes from the stand
point of democrat. 1t is mistaken
idea that ali men who battle for the
cause of the people are populists,
but the corporation press wants this
idea to prevail in order to throw sus-
picion and distrust on these men and
thus weaken their influence and argu-
| ments.
Judge Clark was elected to the cir
cult bench in 1855 and was soon pro-
noted to the supreme bench, being
nominated and elected each time as q
democrat. In 1894 he was nominated
| for the eight years term on the su-
preme bench by his party, but having
made such an exceptionally clean rec
ord, he received the endorsements of all
parties and was elected without oppo-
sition. 1t was compliment bestowed
on no other man in North Carolina
before or since that time.
In 1896 Judge Clark was rendered
the democratic nomination for gov
ernor, but declined the great honor.
| After his declination, the democratic
| state convention unanimously in
strncted its delegates to present his
name for vice-president at the Chi
cago convention. His name was ac-
ceptable to that convention, and it is
| believed he would have been nomi-
| mated, but it is said that at a private
caucus of the leaders the night after
Mr.. Bryan's nomination it was unfor-
tunately decided that, as Mr.. Bryan
was so pronounced in the views he
entertained, it would strengthun the
ticket and conciliate the north and
east by taking an eastern man of
large wealth for the second place on
the ticket. We all know how badly
the plan worked.
No man more than Judge Clark en-
joys the confidence of the democracy
of his state, and what he says on any
subject carries with 1t great weight.
We hope the democrats of Florida
will read and ponder what he says on
the railroad issue, and be governed by
his weighty and timely utterances.