The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-03-20
THE EXPLANATION THAT FAILED

Under the heading. "The Letter that
Failed" the Tallahassee Sun attempts
to explain that letter which we pub
lished few weeks ago from Hon. J.
n. c. Stockton to Mr.. H. NJ. Flagler.
and in which the writer showed him
self very anxious to please the Stand
ard Oil Magnate. We know very lit
tie about the Times-Union and its
affairs, but if we are to take the facts
which We have at hand, we are forced
to the conclusion that the Sun manu-
featured its explanation out of the
whole cloth and it should have been
headed The Explanation that Failed"
The Sun says:
I'm the first place, it was a business
letter, not a friendly letter. not a polit-
cal letter. 1t was written by Mr..
Stockton to Mr.. Flagler, when Mr..
Flagler had succeeded in putting Mr..
Stockton out of the newspaper bust
ness by using his millions TO make
good the losses on a newspaper which
he established in Jacksonville for the
express purpose of killing out Mr..
StOcktOn's paper. After buCking Mr..
Flagler and his millions for three or
four years, Mr.. Stockton had to Quit,
because he did not have a war chest
out Of which to make the fight, and
Mr.. Flagler had one that was inexaust-
able. Now when Mr.. Stockton decided
TO quit the only thing left for him 10
do was TO make the best terms he
could with Mr.. Flagler for a sale.
There were bonds out on the Times
Union by the Stocktons when they
were making this fight, to furnish the
money for it.
Mr.. Flagler made it condition that
Mr.. Stockton should gather a certain
of these bonds and turn them
over to him. Mr.. Stockton was try
ing to get these bonds or get an option
on them so that he could conform to
the condition laid down by Mr.. Flag
Ter when be wrote that letter which
the Punta Gorda man is making so
much of now. II was also necessary
for Mr.. Sockton TO scure a majority of
the outstanding stock Of the Times
Union corporation. so that he could
turn it over to Mr.. Flagler. and this
is what he referred tO-his efforts to
secure this StOck-when he used the
words which Mr.. Jordan displays in
heavy, black-faced type, which words
are, and trust in the future that you
will have no cause to complain of our
management The words that pre-
cede these words are: We have al
ready secured a large portion of the
stock. and hope soon to
complete the financial agreement en-
tered into with you last March Now,
when Mr.. Stockton says in the letter
to Mr.. Flagler that he hopes in the
future that Mr.. F1agler. will have no
cause to complain about his manage
A4C4I VI N1c "DETAILS VI luNa ScRlS Oh L0c
Times-Union stock to Mr.: Flagier. He
could have not meant anything else,
because he clearly states that be is
working to complete the financial ar
made with Mr.. Fiagler last
March, which was the purchase by
Mr.. Flagler Of the Times-Union,"
This letter was written to Mr., Flag
Ter on June Is. 1892. The Times-Un,
ion and Citizen were consolidated on
September 9. 1897. viii the Sun pre-
tend to say that it took five years,
two months and twenty-five days for
Mp. Stockton to get that stock to-
gether. II Mr.. Flagler bought the
Times-Unlon of Mr.. Stockton in March
1892, as the Sun says, why did he
wait FIVE and One-half years to con-
sOlidate it with his other paper, the
Citizen-Wauchula Telegram.