The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-04-01

Congressional Candidates Speal,
The congressional candidates ad-
dressed the people of PalatHa on the
court house lawn Monday night. II
w&s Overcoat weather, but the crowd
WAS big and there were many ladies
present.
On the speakers stand were Chair
mar +. j. Fearnsidc Of the congress
Sional committee, Candidates Clark
Bars, Dougherty, Alexander and
Watson, and Hon. $. J. Hilburn,
who called the meeting to order and
introduced the speakers. Each Of
the candidates spoke for half an
hour, and the audience waited pa
tiently till the last. Then all scat
tered for home where all who had
not made up their minds for whom
to ballot probably settled the ques-
ton.
1t is not the purpose Of the News
20 reproduce the speeches of these
candidates. Those who heard them
know that they were simply per
sonal appeals for votes and in some
cases quite ingenious. Those whO.did
not hear them have missed nothing
by way Of statesmanlike discussion
of political principles, for how could
these be discussed when none are at
issue. This campaign is one i'll
which the personality of the candi-
date is the sole issue. The man who
eventually attracts til" largest per
sonal following will take the con-
gressional bun.
Walter p. Watson of Orlando was
the first speaker. Watson is II loco
motive engineer with an ambition to
climb down from the cab and soar
into the realms Of wind jaming state
craft. 1t is Il case of another good
man making all effort to go wrong.
But he made II clean, dignilled ad-
dress and had the sympathy of his
auditors from the start. He also
made votes, and where he will not
get votes he will get good will. He
left Palatka richer in votes and re-
spect.
Frank Clark was the next speaker
To be seen at his best Clark should
be heard on some subject other than
in all appeal for his own aggrandize-
ment But he made Il witty and elo-
quent appeal in behalf of his con-
gfessional ambition which will not
fail of its object. Clark was already
strong in Palatka and his following
has certainly been augmented by
reason of his Monday night appeal.
Bars reception was not marked by
that cordiality which induces conf
dence or establishes sympathetic
relations between the speaker and
his audience. On the contrary it
was frost bitten affair. The notion
that he was among the opponents of
Bob Davis was in the air, and thougl
Bars denied this, he found it inn
possible to remove the feeling. or
course Mr.. Bars is not openly fight
ing Mr.. Davis. No man could do
that and hope to win congressional
honOrs III this district But the I'M
preston obtains here, whether justly
or not, that Bars belongs to cote
rie of politicians who insist on giving
the impression that Mr.. Davis is II
corporation candidate. That sort of
thing don't go in Putnam county,
where Bob Davis is known to be II
people S man, and one that never had
either the support of the "corpo-
ration" or the politicians. Bars
talks swift and made good speech,
but his whole bearing was that of Il
man who has at sometime attended
Il seance and imagined he saw cor
poration spook with its craw filled
with farmers and other common
people, and who interpreted the
vision to mean a commission to go
out into all the second congressional
district of Florida, using the city at
tomey's office at Jacksonville as
headquarters, and proclaim to the
farmers that the spOoks were after
them and that their only means Of
escape was to elect him to congress
so that he could promote an abattoir
or slaughter pen in Washington for
corporation spooks. Mr. Bars is
bound to get some votes in Palatka, 4,
for he is Il good fellow despite his
halIucinations. 1t is doubtful, how
ever, if he added any to his follow
ing Monday night.
James f. Alexander, he OF the
broad eXpanse of immaculate shirt
front, followed Bars. When he
came to the front some admrer sent
him II huge boquet of roses. Alex
ander don't make o speech, he just
"tnllics, p" and he filled in his allow
ance of time at this work admirably.
He has spent a good deal of time
in Palatka and will get good vote
here. He is a gum shoe calnpatgner
and it is hard to say whether he
gained much by his speech.
Alexander was followed by EX-
Congressman Charles DOugherty,
who also received Il boquet He
made an excellent impression. Those
who knew Dougherty in the SOS
when he was recognized political
leader, say he has lost none of his
old time power. 1t is pretty certain
that he made friends by his Monday
nights speech, for it seems to be the
consentient street opinion that he
will be found one of the leaders
when the votes are counted.