The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-03-15
SIMPLE JUSTICE TO
GOVERNOR JENNINGS.
Tampa Times.)

Frank Walpole Of the Manatee Rec
ord thinks that the organization of
the million dollar bank in Jacksonville
will prove mighty factor in the polit-
ical campaign next year., which is an
ugly fling at Ex-Governor Jennings. A
million dollar bank is no disgrace upon
the fair name of Florida, Frank. It
Is but a step forward in the marcn of
progress, and If you have political as
pirations you should be broad enough
to thoroughly comprehend this fact
Tropical Sun.
Just how the Records utterances
can be twisted into fling at the ex-
governor, can't be figured out. Ger
tainly no fling was intended; we are
more disposed to compliment him. It
Is not every governor who can go
into Office broke, serve four years at
$500 year, spend 81, 900 a year, and
come out able to take nice slice of
stock in a million dollar bank. No,
Brother Sun no fling was intended;
even the convict lease system was not
entioned.-Manatee Record.
The Times has no desire to chip in
in any special respect, but it can hard
ly forego the opportunity to drop what
1t deems word in season into the
current discussion of events. 1t is not
in any sense an admirer or partisan
OF Ex-Governor Jennings, but is dis
posed to accord him justice, and Incl
dentally to call attention to the usual
style of opposition papers in COM
menting on public men in Florida.
The Record assumes that the ex-gov-
ernor went into office broke, spent
$500 year more than his salary, AMI
came out able to take a nice slice
OF stock in a million dollar bank"
The plain inference is that the reader
is requested to believe that the COVER
nor made some money corTuptly while
in office, and there are many vulgar
minds ready to snap at the conclu-
sion.
The Record does not know that the
governor went into Office broke, if
does not know how much he spent
while holding the place, nor does IL
know whether he took "a nice slice"
in the million dollar bank, or Just the
single share of stock nominally neces.
sary to enable him to be chosen a di-
rector. All the suspicious raised and
cultivated by the Record are purely
baseless so far as any facts are shown.
Let us look at the other side of the
picture. The governor may have had
some money left after the gubernator-
ial campaign, being man of modest
and inexpensive habits he may not
have spent all of the liberal salary at
tached to the Office, and he may not
have been overwhelmed with debt
when he retired. He had some very
tangible assets when he left the exec
utive chair. He had made a good
governor, by the admission Of the men
who opposed his being chosen and to-
the intense approval of his partisans
and friends. He established a reputa-
ton as a business man of high rank,
he was already lawyer of successful
practice, he had an almost universal
acquaintance with the people OF the
state, he lacked nothing of being such
a man as a million dollar corporation
would be out looking for on account
Of the honest service he could render
it. To us it seems as il Governor Jen-
nings' position in that corporation mad
been fairly won by those qualities and
that strength which should win such
places.
The conclusion to be drawn from
the presentation of matter in which
the Times has no personal interest is
That it Is cruel and unfair position
to assume that public man cannot
make an honest dollar of his own, that
graft is the only method by which he
can swell his bank account. We pro-
test against such a low and depraved
view of men and affairs, and we wish
to put the protest on record.