The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1907-11-11
ALLAN ROGERS ANSWERS
Congressman Ciark's jacksonville
Speech and Shows the Faiiacies
Of that Recent Convert TO
Prohibition
Jacksonville Metropolis. s,hD

The speech OF the Hon. Frank Clark.
delivered at the foot Of Main street on
Tuesday night Of last Week. was by
far the ablest effort made by any "u-
so far on behalf Of the "drys" III.
Clark is fluent and interesting talk
CT, and had evidently studied his sub
ject well. II was not, however, equal
TO other speeches that / have listened
to from Dir. Clark.
The meeting was somewhat ma-reG
at the very beginning by the temper
OF Mr.. Erwin, who lost his patience
when a street car loaded with lot OF
children rolled up at the intersection
OF Main and Bay, and the little ones
began to laugh and cheer. Mr.. Erwin
declared he would not proceed until
that 'rabble" was stopped, and on
second time referred 10 the little ones
as a rabble. This may be just a prohi-
bition pet name for those who innO-
Gently OF otherwise interfere with a
hobby that is senseleSs if not insane.
The fathers and mothers Of those little
ones on board the car Tuesday night
might open the dictionary and turn to
the word "rabble" and decide whether
or not this word, even from the mouth
of a prohibitionist, applies 10 their
little ones.
A number Of comparisons made by
Mr.. Clark as between wet and dry
towns for Instance were very misleai-
ing. and really have no foundation in
fact. He compared Gainesville. a dry
town. To Apalachicola. a Vet town, and
then declared that the ring of the ham
ha Of no
heard all over Gainesville, while the
town of APalachiCola w&s dead. The
comparison would have been better,
perhaps. had he also included Sop
choppy. a dry town. Mr.. Clark attrib-
uted all the prosperity Of Gainesville
to this dry condition, and the lack of
Improvement in Apalachicola to the
fact that the place is wet. He en-
tirely overlooked the fact that the city
of Jacksonville is making more sub
stantial Improvements than every 9TH
er incorporated town in the state OF
Florida combined, with plenty Of wet
goods on the side.
The Comparisons
Mr.. Clark also forgot in his COMPARE
sons to say anything of Lake City,
which was dry long before Gainesville
was. 1t would have been more reason
able if the Hon. Frank, who has lived
in both places. had said that when he
moved away from Lake City it just
had to stop growing, and when he
alighted flat-footed in Gainesville she
bloomed as a bright red rose kissed by
the dews of a May day morning.
But the real cause OF this growing
~ RI
cry other man with a half grain OF
sense in the state of Florida knows,
was the beautiful notes put into the
music by $4,000 appropriated by the
state Of Florida to locate the Univer-
Sity of Florida in that town. Turn
loose S575. OOO in the jungles of Africa,
and the SPOT where You turned it loose
would certainly get lively; $4,000
would create a prohibition revolution
in any one of the Central American
republics and headed by a prohibition
Blanco would hang every man in the
country that claimed the right to take
a drink of whisky.
L don't know why the Hon. Frank
left OFT So2choppy. for he is at least
a good judge of Sop. having voted for
the salary grab bill in the last ses-
sion Of the national Congress. Speak
ing Of Mr.. Clarks record in this Con-
gress reminds me that he had lots To
say against the federal government is
suing revenue license for the sale Of
liquor in dry communities. He would
have a national law prohibiting the
Interstate shipping Of jugs OF whisky
into dry places. but Senator Beverage
is authority for the statement that
when Tennessee passed a law prohibit
ing the working of little children in
factories that the factory owners Of
South Carolina sent their agents into
Tennessee and shipped those little
white slaves by the carload into Caro-
lima. and Mr.. Clark on this kind Of
shipment was a deaf and dumb as an
oyster.
Door of Society
Mr.. Clark spoke Of the door of So
ciety being closed against the wife and
daughters Of the saloon men. and that
it was his friendship for the saloon
men and for those afflicted by his bus
mess that made him DESTROYS Of put
ting him ont Of business. But Mr.
Clark and all Of his kind seem tn
forget that the Wife Of the honest