The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-05-07
THE sAyr,Ea A TusL.; sEgETA:-3a.
.ks Article shai 5rsrsht Legislative cs-'
sure % this Paper Two Years aga.

sure CO his Paper Two Iears aga
fxorn Twelve DAYS before this article wcs
printed the Tallahassee correspondent r tht
Limes-r nion prfuted the data upon WhiSh q
uas based. and which passed wneontradicted
when the Banners artiSle appeared u promptly
net With legislative censufe. Two years have
pfoduced q wonderful change IN public senii-
msnf. The railroad com mission hili passrd the
house ~ Only three dissenting votes. The Ban
nef feeis fully vindicated
From ocnia Danaer May ). 1875
More than anything else In this
world, the Banter wants to have
. name that will place it beside
H0ward's, and Wilberforce's and Gil
rard's, and Peter Cooper's. and Pea
body's, and Montifiero's, the few men
In these latter ages, outside Of field
and cabinet, who have added nobility
70 the type Of man.
With frozen groves. closed mines,
broken bank, and bare pocket-bOok,
how can II do this? U0dei these dis
tresslng conditions, how can II man
age In q large measure 10 benefit its
stricken fellow-cItizensa and cause them
on the streets, In public gatherings
and In their homes, TO call IL blessed?
II n can be an humble instrument
In the hands 81 providence In causing
another % distribute a cornucOpia of
blessings on our people that will more
than repair the damage done Wy the
freeze. the closing Of the mines, the
failure Of banks. and the adoption Of
the ''slngle gold standard" will not
the name Of this paper go sounding
down the ages" rs one Of the worlds
greatest philanthropists?
This, felIow-citizens. II intends to do.
Armed with facts as potent as the
forces Of nature, and truth as bright
- the glIstening rays Of the simmer
sun. Il shall address itself 10 the high
task.
In the field Of romance wild play
may be given the Imagination; the
gray matter Of the mind may run riot
In weaving = web Of thrilling moth
ingness. and IL will excite high praise;
addressing from the stump what the
single "gold standard gentry are
pleased 10 term the rabble-lhe COM
mon people-the man running down
an ONCE or uphOlding political party
may freely deal In adcaptaKd,sl state
ments and be applauded n tae echo
by his polIlical aaherenis; bu, in .
body Of lawmskers, the man singled
out among all others and h0nOrsd a.
Its chief officer, Is expected to uphold
the dignity Of his position, and make
no statement he would not be willing
20 stand by, even II il should utterly
bankrupt those behind him furnish
Ing the sinews Of war for the fight,
and really responsible for his state
ments.
SO when the speaker Of the house Of
representatives Of the Florida legisla-
ture vaeates his chair aud takes his
place as q member Of the floor for the
purpose Of making statement, it is to
be presumed that the dignity of mis-
once lends weight TO his utterances;
the importance of the subject matter
In hand eompels him to the task of
leadership, and that on an important
occasion like this he would say moth
Ing not warranted by the facts-noth-
Ing without careful preparatiOn-noih-
Ing boastfully or for barefaced bluR
The day was last Friday-a day
memorable In the annals OF our chris
tian world; the subject matter under
discussion was the railroad commission
bill--a measure 90 which the demo-
cratic party In this state has been COM
mitted by the almost unanimous decla-
ration Of more than ue-tenths OF
the conventions Of the punties: the
lobbyists are on the alert and active;
the opposing forces are arrayed against
each other for decisive struggle to he
memorable in the history Of the dem
ocratic party OF Florida and 10 be
fraught with much good or evil in lis
far-reaching consequences to the peo-
pie OF the state; the battle wakes
warm; the opposing forces must be
met by strategy OF movement; il is
then the speaker leaves his seat and
descends 10 the floor, and like the 20.
iitical sling Of David, he carries
weapon In his hand that attracts at
tention and invokes sublime silence,
and with triumph sparkling in his
eye, he says that for every nickle that
can be shown TO him saved 10 the
people Of this state by the late rail
road commission he will give ten
dollar bill, and draws attention to his
bold utteranee OF speech by holding
aloft between his shapely fingers a
crisp ten dollar note, thus giving ac-
centuation and the appearance of cam
dor 20 his statement and the pro-
nounced ability to back il up by cold
cash!
Ten dollars for every nicklel There
are twenty nickles in every dollar and
ten dollars for every nIckle would be
two hundred dollars for every dollar
saved 10 the people Of the state!
Now, 10 our task. Let us show how
many dollars were saved TO the people
Of Florida by the late railroad COM
mission.
Against Mr.. Speaker Jennings we
shall first introduce Mr.. Congressman