The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-04-09

man; to those who sided with the cor
porations, it was told that these men
were behind him and were pushing his
claims.
Mr.. Carlisle had come out late in
the race. He had made no canvass and
many of his warmest friends, those
who fully shared his political views,
had already pledged their support to
Mr.. Mays.
This was the condition of affairs
when the capital was reached. The
conclusion was quickly reached that if
his selection was allowed to go uncOn-
tested it would be heralded as VIC
tory for the gold corporationists. So
it was proposed to pit Mr.. Carlisle
against him, draw out these facts and
force an expression from Mr.. Mays.
The plan was adopted and worked like
a charm. MIR. Frank w. Pope was Sc
lected for the execution of the work.
His speech was a masterpiece. His
words were so many Scithian blades
and every thrust struck vital point.
Brave, clean-cut and incisive, he laid
bare the situation. For the personal
standing and high character of Mr..
Mays he expressed profound admira-
ton, but he added that it was an old
and true saying that "a man is judged
by the company he keeps" That be-
hind Mr.. Mays were arrayed all the
corporate and gold forces of the state,
and as these forces were never actuat-
ed by sentiment, but were "always out
for the dough-" they were making
puppets of Mr.. Mays and his friends.
He said that it had been brought to
his attention that when the silver res
olution was introduced in the legisla-
ture two years ago, Mr.. Mays voted
against it. "Shall a man." said Mr..
Pope, "be judged by his professions or
his deeds?" 'There were men in Du-
val county," he continued, "who were
loud in their professions for free silver
and the declarations of the Chicago
platform, but on every test vote always
voted against their professions" Mr..
Pope also said that it had been
brought to his attention that
when the railroad commission
bill was before the last legis-
lature Mr.. Mays vote was recorded
against it, or at least he evaded it.
Uuder these circumstances, said he,
ought legislator be bound by the
pledge given Mr.. Mays or the pledge
he had given his constituents? He
pointed out the great Importance of
| the organization of the house, their re-
sponsibility to the people of the state
| in the performance of the trust COM
| mitted to them, that the corporate
forces were not lodged behind Mr.
James A. Carlisle, and there was no
whisper or suspicion as to how he
stood on these questions that mostly
concerned the people of Florida.
Mr.. Pope's remarks elected the most
| profound attention; many marveled
at his courage, and his logic was in
| yincible and convincing.
| AS soon as he finished, Mr. Aver, of
| Marion, arose and said that he was
one on whose cOrns the speaker had
trodder that he had pledged his vote
to Mr.. Mays under representations
made to him that he was Il farmer, as
he was; that he was on record as hav-
ing voted for railroad commission
bill: that he was an original free silver
man and stood flat-footed and square
toed on the Chicago platform. That il
these representations were true, he
would be loyal to his pledge and would
vote for him; but, on the contrary, il
they wer not true-if he had been de-
ceived, tEen he would be true to the
pledge given his people and would
vote against him.
The "leaven" was at work.
Mir. Mays rose promptly to his feet,
and in a splendid and impassioned eff
fort, avowed that when given an op-
portunity to join the profess
ion of law he voluntarily cast
his lot with the tillers of the
soil; that their interests were his in
terests, and he favored every measure
that helped, and opposed every meas
ure that was hurtful to them; that h'
was an original free silver man, ant
was elected on free silver platform
that he stood on that platform no
alone because his people favored it, bu
because he favored it from an earnest
sincere and deep-seated conviction
that he did not vote for the free silve
resolution introduced at the last ses
7 sion of the legislature because he wa
! unfortunately absent at the time, bu