The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1902-07-10
OFFICE is TOO DIGNIFIED.
Mr.. Alfred Deprecates Mud
Singing, But is Forced to
Explain His Relations
With Mr.. Carter.
Palatka, Fla, July 3, 1902.


Palatka, Fla, July 3, 1902.
To THE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS OF
THE 9TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF
FLORIDA:
Inotice in the Palatka papers to-
day an open letter of sgd l.. Carter
addressed as abOve-and which
presume will be published through
out the circuit. The whole tone of
the letter is so undignified and so
small that at first | hardly deemed
it necessary to reply to it, but realiZ-
ing that both of us were strangers TO
large number of voters in the cir
cult / deem it only fair TO myself and
70 the people that the matter should
be replied to.
will say in the first place that the
reference of Mr.. Carter to his dis
charged clerk" must be directed to
me as am his only opponent, though
| have never been his clerk. | stud
led law for two years in Ocala, earn
ing enough TO give me course in
Washington Il Lee University
Law School, and then studied
for over Il year under Judge
w. A. Hooker, and was admitted
to the bar and practicing attor-
ney when | first knew Mr.. Carter.
On accodnt of Mr.. Carter's poor
health and at his earnest solicitation
| acted as assistant and acting
states attorney of this circuit for
about three years, without cOmpensa-
ton, upon his promise and assurance
that he did not intend to occupy the
office after the expiration of his then
present term. ana that he would sup
port and assist me in my efforts to
secure the office when his term eX-
pired At the expiration of his for
mer term and while | was doing his
work in the courts he circulated a
petition for his own re-appointment,
and secured the position for the pres
ent term. Having secured sufficient
gEatures TO his petition TO get the
appointment, in this manner he pro-
cured my withdrawal of claim for
appointment as against him at that
time, and my signature to his pc
titiOn, upon promise OF employ
ment, at .air cOmpensatiO /, rs aSsiS-
tant state attorney. This employ
ment he continued for about six
months when he made an arrange
ln6ul WIKI Es W. DdNlS Vi OCdids
upon a promise similar. to the one
he first made me, and which he has
broken in like manner.
The records of the courts in each
county of this circuit bear evidence
as to my labOrs in this Office and of
the capacity in which appear, and
believe the good people of the cir
cult who have served with me in the
courts will bear evidence as to how
those labOrs We're performed.
| do not know whether the per-
centage of convictions in tried cases
has increased since | ceased to do
the work for which the people have
paid Mr.. Carter, but | do know that
the percentage of cases NOT TRIED,
NOL PRESSED and sQUASHED has in
creased since that time.
AS to the claim made by Mr.. Car
ter to superior ability over two such
well-known men as the late Judge
VIM. H. Wigg and Hon. VIM. A.
Hooker, his predecessor; | can only
say that the people of this circuit are
better able to pass on t Iat question
than | am. AS for myself, while
| can make no such claim, shall, if
nominated, give to the people of this
circuit a clean, fair, honest and sober
administration of their criminal
laws, fairly and impa-tially, as God
gives me light to see my duty and to
do it.
/ have not invited or brought on
this controversy, but desire rather a
clean, honest, fair campaign upon
the relative merits of the candidates
and needs of the people of this cir
cult, without STOPPING to persOnali-
ties, believing the position too high
and the people too well informed on
the condition of public business in
our courts, to make mud-slinging
campaign either necessary to me or
profitable TO my opponent.
Very respectfully,
NrTT NJ ArTprn