The Pensacola journal., 1906-05-20
PENSACOLA FLORIDA SUN DAY MORNING MAY 20. 1906
The "Florida News Bureaus
Sole Defender.

The Ocala Banner seems to be about
the only paper in the state that feels
itseE called upon to take up the de-
tense Of the now generally repudiated
FLORIDA News Bureau" The Banner
has gone so far as TO contend that il
does not matter who is putting up the
money for the support OF the news
bureaus" educational work, so long as
the argument" is good. The Journal
suggested that the Banner was taking
the same position that the defenders
OF tie corrupt politics of 1896, 1901
and 1904 took when they excused the
acceptance by the republican party Of
gigantic campaign contributions on the
ground that-what did it matter IL the
Party's argument" was good? To
this our Ocala contemporary replies:
It seems to us it makes a vast diff
ference. The insurance companies,
for instance, were using other
peoples money" without their consent,
and the money so used was not for the
purpose of establishing news bureaus
and Offering legitimate arguments, but
on the contrary was used for other
ana entirely different purposes. No
man is corrupted by a pertinent, fair
and Intelligent argument
But in the case OF Mr.. ChOate he
tells who ii is that is paying for the
establishment Of his bureau and what
be is doing is done in the open.
II were Just as pertinent TO ask who
Is paving Governor BrOward's eX-
penses in his canvass for his drainage
scheme. He is going from place to
place discussing II, and Il costs some
thing TO ride on railroads and stop at
first class hotels, Who is footing the
bills? The drainage of the everglades
is not an individual scheme Of his and
il Is not TO be supposed that he is pay
ing this money out Of his own pockets.
II is as pertinent to ask, who is doing
it?
The Ocala Banner is different from
other newspapers. Most newspapers
make il a rule to publish no article
unless il is accompanied by the name
Of the writer as a matter Of good faith.
The Ocala Banner holds that if the
matter itself is important and worthy
Of publication that the name Of the
writer Is of small consequence.
The Banner is a very artfm dodger.
but in addition to having the distinc-
ton of being the only paper in the
state that defends the Florida News
Bureaus" ambush campaign and the
only democratic paper We know Of
anywhere that excuses the "educa-
tionaI'' metho0s employed by the re-
publican party in the past three presi-
Dental campaigns. it now seeks to
change the subject by wanting to
know "who is paying Governor Brow
ards expenses"
The Journal is not in a position to
speak for Governor Broward. but The
Journal knows and the Ocala Banner
knows and every man of ordinary in
5euigence in the state knows WHO is
NOT paying Governor Broward's ex-
penses. He is no doubt paying his
own expenses just as any honest man
in his position would do. and the Ban
ner knows it without asking the ques-
tion.
The fact remains that neither Col.
Choate's news bureau" nor its sole
defender, the Ocsla Banner, has yet
answered The Journals question as to
who is paying its expenses. Under the
circumstances, IL is not surprising
that very few papers in the state are
using any OF the news bureau"
stun.