The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-12-02
REPLY TO an UEFRIEE0LY cRfT-
IcISA

( iowa
read the article entitled - The
Solid South. = in your issue of Novem-
Der 18th q copy Of which was sent
me by a friendl with some degree Of
: interest.
Speaking of this section you say
we content ourselves with annually
warming over the dying embers OF
anre-beIum prejudices and are left 70
flock 10 ourselves menace no Ion
ger 10 anybody but our friends.
Well. II this pIeases u, Why should
/ II give the least concern TO Others?
But are your statements justified
By the plain logic Of facts?
Have not We Of this section proffer-
ed 70 your section, time and time
again. the olive branch Of peace?
Was II ever accepted?
A. far back a. 1872 We made Hor-
ace Greeley our political leader.
Was there q more ardent abolition
ist in all the land? Had any man
done more for the manumissiOn of
the slave? Was any man more in favor
Of the policyof protection? Did any
man fight harder against the green
back theory" which was about to
sweep over your state? Did any man
do more for the resumption of spe-
Gle pavments.'' which eventually led
to the adoption OF the gold stand
ard?''
Many Of Us at the south were OPP
posed TO these policies, yet, in order
to clasp hands across the bloody
chasm.'' we placed Mr.. Greeley at
the head Of our political organiza-
ton.
For the purpose Of bridging that
chasm. and as an acknowledgment
that the war was over, would your
section. a. represented by the repub-
Iican party, have accepted jefferson
Davis and put him at the head Of
your national organization?
Al a later period, the south accept
cd Winfield Scott Hancock, a cheva-
Tier Of your section, who had worn
the uniform Of the United States ar
my. and fought CALAMITY against the
armies Of the Confederacy.
Would your section have accepted
Robert Z. Lee?
Why, you forget now that the war
is over, and while the world points to
Lee as a military genius second only
10 the great Napoleon, you want even
to deny him a place il the Hall of
Fame.
The civil war has now been over
nearly forty years, yet, if tomorrow
the democratic party were to nomi-
nate a candidate for the presidency
who had worn the capabilities Of the
Confederacy, it would throw your
section into the widest sort of a
spasm.
The boot of sectional prejudice is
on your leg-not ours.
What is our offense that calls forth
such maledictions as your article con-
tains?
We vote the democratic ticket.
Well. hav'nt we a right to vote it?
Ale we to be coerced and forced to
vote contrary to the dictates of our
own consciences?
Do you not periodically vote the re-
publican ticket? Has Iowa voted any
other way since the close of the civil
war?
Do we rip and snort and kick our
heels in the air and rave about it like
madmen and say all manner of evil
things about you for doing it?
We down here have reached that
degree of tolerance and enlighten-
ment which teaches US to recognize the
fact that a person has the right to
vote as he pleases, for whom he
pleases and it is nobody else's bust
ness.
We are not making any fuss over
the fact that you have excluded the
Chinaman from our shores, although we
badly need his labor in our households
and cotton fields. If you don't want
him he~p. and don't want him to eat