The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-05-18
MR.. BuRR's iNsINUATIoN.

MI. uhdCA idhCS ~ 0S~N~N~~
my efforts as commissioner by in
timating that / made promises to the
people four years ago which | have
/ not carried out. speaking Of three
cent passenger rates. he and others
have stated that the Florida East
Coast railway and the Seaboard Air
Line railway voluntarily put into OPP
Grafton a three cent passenger fare,
and that deserved no credit for their
having done so; that if / had that
/ this was matter that could have
been done by legislative enactment
! Granting that the Legislature could
enact such a law, l have this to say.
I that in the season of the legislature
of 1901. L introduced such a bill and
succeeded in getting ii passed through
1.-THE house, but the senate, controlled
by men that received the endorsement
of Editor Harris, refused. by an over
whelning vote, To pass the bill in that
body.
Nor will the legislature ever pass
such a bin While such men as Editor
Frank Harris advocates constitute
majority Of that body. Thus it is
shown that Mr.. Frank Harris is not
ing the commission.
He says that tile legislature could
enact such a law. They had the OPP
portunity in 1901, yet the senate re-
fused to pass the law, but when that
Infamous divorce law which was in
troduced in behalf of Henry NJ. Flag
Ter came to a vote in that body that
| had refused to pass a three cent rail-
road bill, they passed it by something
like twO-thirds voter. Hudson
Burr's Ocala Speech.
| The impression Mr.. Burr seeks to
convey in the above remarks is that
the Florida legislature is purchasable
and that the editor of this paper is a
Iparticeps criminis to the election Of
men to the legislature that are pur
Ichasable. That is to say--that men like
lBlount, of Pensacola Rainey. of ITALIA
hassee. Grill. of Palatka Harris. Of
Key West and other men Of this stamp
/ Throughout this state, are purchasable
| Let's see how this is. Men who are
/ sent to the senate and the house of
Representative of Florida are elected
] by direct vote of the people the same
as the railway commissioners are
elected and at the same time. Now. If
the men composing the Legislature of
Florida are purchased and controlled
/ by the corporations Of this state, why
are not the men composing the rail
way commission alike purchasable by
/ the corporations?
! The legislature of Florida is COM
posed of an hundred members and 10
control this body the corporations
would be compelled to bride more than
half of this number while the railway
commission is composed Of only three
members and to control this body the
corporations would only have To bride
two. and it is certainly easier To bride
TWO than fifty
Mr. Burr in his extemporaneOus re-
marks made in this city, said that as
+. a member of the railway commission,
iirr>Ihis efforts TO benefit the people he
was very often in the minority, and,
afterwards amended this by saying
that he was more often in the minority
than otherwise. throwing out the inn
preston that the subtitle influence of
the corporations was felt in the rail
way commission the same as in the
! Legislature
1t seems TO us that Mr.. Burr has
lost faith in the people and believes
that every public body. however exaIt-
he is about the only honest man left.
| How are these evils. or what Mr..
Burr regards as evils, to be corrected?
The men composing these bodies are
elected. not only by the people, but arc
detected only after being nominated by
the people in a primary election
To remedy what he regards as SO
great an evil, what other method does
he propose?
But We believe that Mr.. Burr is suf-
fering from a severe nervous tension.
We have not lost our faith in the peO-
pie. We do not believe that Florida's
Legislature, her railway commission
and her courts are controlled by the
corporations like mere shuttlecocks.
When one goes about exposing a
badge labelled. 81 am holier than thou"
YOU may safely put IL down as q fact
that when he takes his eyes away
from himself that the world looks dis
torted and deformed and all out of
shape.
1t is a delusion harmless in the pri-
vate citizen. but harmful in the pub
/ lie servant
The popular quartet from the state