The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-04-15
STOCKTON STANDS SILENT.


John G. Stockton, who yearns for
the position now so ably filled by
Senator Taliferro, has been accused
of many things showing his utter I'M
fitness for the high place to which he
aspires, but he has thus far stood ST.
lent while these charges have been
circulating in large number of the
state newspapers, contenting him
self with denouncing those newspa-
pers as subsidized, and tacitly ad-
hitting the truth of the accusations
BIZ failing to show that they are I'M
true.
Among these charges are the fol-
lowing: That while enjoying a repu-
tation as a churchman and a builder
of churches, he has wilfully and per-
sistently borne false witness against
the man whose place he covets, and
when confronted with the evidence
of the falsity of his allegation, in
stead of acknowledging his error and
making reparatiOn, has brazenly
reiterated his falsehood; that while
engaged in leading revolt against
the duly constituted party authority
of his county he declared his con-
tempt for the binding force of party
platforms, and advised his compan-
ions and followers in revolt to
''preach primary, but vote conven-
tion;" that he and his partners in
political iniquity, Bars and Brow
ard, have been for years the leaders
of an insurrectionary faction in Du-
val county whose purpose was to
overthrow the organized Democracy,
and when they failed in such pur-
pose they repeatedly bolted conven-
lions and nominations regularly held
and made under party authority, in
the course of at least one of such re-
volts, he, Stockton, was elected to
the state legislature, by the aid of
republican votes, as an avowed in
dependent, after having declared,
when accused of being an indepen-
dent that he "loved the word;" that
in company with j. NJ. Bars, he Tor
his proxy, X. Hudson Bnrr), re
manned and acted as members of the
State Executive committee i'll open
defiance and direct violation of the
state statue forbidding candidates to
participate in the party work as such
members; that posing as a friend OF
the people and an enemy to corpora
tions, he has always been connected
as a stakeholder or officer, or both.
with corporations; that claiming to
be devoted to the primary system be
aids and abets j. NJ. Bars in en-
deavoring to prevent the democratic
voters from exercising their right, in
the primary, to vote for the holding
of necessary state convention to
adopt party platform in perpetual
ton of the party organization.
THE STATE CONVENTION.
Although it now appears to be
reasonably certain that a majority
of the democrats of Florida intend
to vote for the calling of state con-
vention, there still may be some who
may be influenced by the frantic APP
peals of Mr.. J. NJ. Bars (who seems
to be almost if not quite alone in ac-
tive opposition to the project)
These few, if any such there be, may
find in the following extracts from
an excellent article recently pub
lished in the Palm Beach News
abundant food for thought on the
subject:
"Whenever it comes to be fact
that on account of the so-called pri-
mary system the democratic people
of the state can not meet in conven-
ton lest, peTchance, some innocent
minded citizen, not a politician nor
a candidate for office, but a patriot
and philanthropist, should seek to
correct fundamental error of the
system, or II fault in the working of
its machinery, then, indeed, will the
political grafters become the masters
and the people the victims and de-
fenseless slaves.
"Whenever it becomes a fact that
the democratic party dare not meet
together TO declare their convictions
upon questions, national and state,
the public veal lest, per-
when so assembled, the pet
policies of certain manipulators
might be defeated, then, indeed, are
the interests of the people in the
hands of set of eXperimenters, and
good and safe government is merely
a matter of chance.
1.-THE object of the proposed con-
vention is that the people may do
those necessary things which, in ]