The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1902-06-19
The Palatka News
and Advertiser


The picnic and political rally given
by the fun-Ioying people Of Bostwick
in a grove one mile south Of that
place last Friday was bowling sue
cess morally, socially, politically,
intellectually, physically and CASTRO
nomically. There were fully 800
people present and all unite in sum
ming the day up az zone good time"
Judge VI. /. Coke was master of
ceremonies. and he kindly gave Mr..
Wall Of putuam Hall the privileges
Of opening and closing the debate.
Mr. Wall got to his feet with rush
when his maine was called, and he
was not long in warming to his fav-
Orite tOpIc-the dispensary. He told
what a beautiful thing it would be,
what a moral reform movement it
was. and what it would accomplish
in saving the youth Of the land from
the blind sLaggers. Mr.. Wall got
real warm. but he made good
speech, and quite a few in the au-
dience felt sorry that he should al
low himself to get 80 excited on a
warm day with no dispensary near
to relieve him.
The Hon James NJ. Chcsser, Of
Holli-ter, followed Mr.. Wall. Now
Mr.. Chesscr is none Of your high-
falutin' dude orators. bat one Of
them kind o fellers wat gifts rite
down to tie meat on the bone" His
words came fast and he bit off his
sentences in Il quick, let 'er 20 Cali
CHER kind Of way, that put him in
Immediate favor with his audience.
He chased the dispensary up tree
and threw hogs after it in such quick
succession as 10 keep his audience in
perpetual laughter at his antics. At
last he hit the frightened dispensary
with the jawbone Of a ham and il
came down with a fiutter. hit the
earth and died. The Hon. Jim got
personal. but 10 one took Otfense.
On the contrary he made some votes
and convinced his hearers that when
there il need for real thing orator
one who combines pathOS with wind
huInor with hog. and elOquence with
burning zeal for any cause, real or
fancied, they need look no further
than the man behind the whiskers.
Mr.. J. H. Wylie, Of IntrrEchen
came next. Wylie was serious. and
in brief, busincss-like way stated
his position. He was opposed to the
dispensary - opposed to the state
monopoly Of the whisky traffic. He
also stated his position to be in OF
position to the no fence law" and
refuted in convincing manner the
contrary charges that had been made
against him. be made a decidedly
favorable impression.
DR.. Frank McRae. of Melrose. was
the next speaker. He said he was
there 10 account for his stewardship:
that he had served as Il representa-
tive and had made some mistakes
That when a man first went to thu
Legislature he was like "A fish out o.
water. for there are scores Of schem-
ers and slick politicians continually
on the lookout trying to force bill
through that are not for the Interests
of the people, and that he had sue
ceoded while there in killing tw,
such bills. He did not believe there
was any danger OF dispensary Law
at present; that he favored local
option dispensary, and he would like
to see county dispensary in those
counties whore the people wished it,
but not as a state law.
Then Mr. Wall made the final ora
tion, after which a bountiiul rcpast
was served on long tables under the
oaks. The dinner was superb and
everything was there to tempt the
appetite. Dinner over, the young
people started in to dance, excellenI
music being furnished by the Bost.
wick string band. The older people
talked until the shadows of evening
came, then went home, leaving the
field to the young.
1t was on the whole one of tn,
most enjoyable political picnics ever
held in the county.