The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-04-08

| the once potent but now moribund
doctrines of "Callism." Its aban-
donment by it's own distinguished
author furnishes abundant and con-
vincing evidence of Mr.. Stockton's
error. Mr.. Call will doubtless Sc
cure from former friends and sup
porters many votes which might
otherwise have been cast in behalf
of Mr.. Stockton or Governor Jen-
nings.
The official record of Mr. Stock
toms public services has not
been much in evidence. He has
been q member of the State Legisla-
ture, elected as an independent with
the aid of republican votes. A for
mer president of a bank, he now full
inmates against the tyranny of capt.
tai; a former railroad president, he
now poses as the champion of the
people against the corporations; a
frequent bolter of democratic con-
ventions and nominations, and a
seeker and holder of office as an in
dependent, he now claims to be eli
gible, as an organized democrat, to
the highest office in the gift of the
Florida democracy. Can the dem
Ocratic people of Florida afford to
elevate such a one to the Senate of
the United States?
Governor Jennings has twice rep
resented his county in the legisla-
ture, serving one term as speaker of
the House. His nomination to the
office he now holds, but does not fill,
was the result of compromise be-
tween the adherents of two other
much more prominent candidates.
His record" as put forth in elabo-
rate detail by himself, deals chiefly
with his acts as governor, and makes
the most absurd and fanciful claims
of credit for things done by others
and for conditions entirely remote
from his official acts. His candida
cy has been shown to be utterly vio-
latlve of the spirit of the state con-
stitution. His pretense of devotion
to the interests of the people has
been exposed by the showing that as
a legislator he opposed the enact
ment of railroad commission law,
and that as governor he opposed the
payment to the school fund of inter-
est on amounts due the fund from
the proceeds of the Indian war
claims. His perfunctory declara-
ton, in Il message, that "a state
official, to discharge properly the du-,
ties and functions of his Office, is not
only required to give every possible
moment of his time, but his best at
tention, and cannot give any atten-
ton to private business matters"
is grotesquely cOntradicted by his
present practice of spending the
greater portion of his time away
from his post of duty while engaged
IN an elaborate canvass of the state
for votes. His official insincerity
and Inconsistency have been demon
strated by his veto of the very-ap-
preparations for public institution
buildings which he had recommend
ed in his message to the Legislature;
credit for which he now claims as a
saving of the amounts thus vetoed
to the tax payers. He has juggled
with and openly violated the COM
mands of the party platform in max
ing vacancy appointments. He dis
graced himself, his party, his state
and its people by advocating the es-
tablishment of the atrocious dispen-
sary system. He has insulted the
sacred memory of the lamented
Gordon by using his portrait as a
campaign document. His inOrdinate
vanity impelled him to have his
name inscribed in three different
places upon the rebuilt State Capitol.
Tortured with visions of the certain
defeat which is in store for him, he
rushed into print with 'open letters"
addressed to his successful compete.
tor, Senator Taliaferro, who imme-
the official records of Congress in a
weak attempt to assault the Sena-
tors record. Upon this somewhat
extraordinary record the Cover
nor will ask in vain for the support
of truth-loving and self-respecting
democrats.
Senator Taliaferro's record, as an
active and loyal democrat, and as a
devoted and successful public SER
want is an open book. Recognizing
the right of the people whom he has
so ably represented at Washington
to have an account of his steward
ship, he and his supporters early
presented to the pnblic cOmpre-
hensive review of his services and
achievements. This record notwith-
standing its brilliancy and effective
ness, or because thereof, was vicious
ly yet vainly assailed by his Compel
itors but it stands now, as it did at
the beginning of the campaign, alb
solutely impregnable. His two
principle opponents have sought,
with an almost vindictive ingenuity,
to induce the public to believe in
their counter assertions, but with
the greatest ease the senator has
not only successfully and overwhel-
mingly reputed their slanderous i'm
but has conclusively con-
victed one of them of misquoting
and classifying the official records of
Congress, and the other of actual
guilt of the very thing with which
he had charged the Senator. Taunt-
ed, while absent from the state at
his post of duty, with disposition |
to avoid meeting his opponents in |
public debate, and reputed to lack |
the forensic powers which they as
sumed to possess, the Senator |
from his official engage
ments one or two brief opportunities
to confront them, and fairly demol- |
ished their contentious In a fair and |
open tournament of discussion in the |
presence of large crowds of delighted |
fellow democrats. Supported at the
of his campaign by only
81 of the political newspapers of the
state, the list of those whose editors
and managers now advocate his
cause has grown to more than go.
unknown at the begin
ming of the campaign to a very large
of the democrats of Flor
da, his name, his history. his
and his features are
now familiar to quite as large a
number as were formerly unac-
luainted with him. He has RECENTLY