The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-06-12

would be so eager TO learn about that
corruption fund. l have. however. a
fairly good memory, and can trust 1t
to reproduce the paper in every es-
sential detail; so here goes: l was n
the office Of my friend. Mr.. A. H.
King, on the afternoon Of Friday. MAJ
p, 1908, with Mr. ". Frazier Jones
and Mr.. Stevens, president of the An
ti-SalOOn League of Florida. Some
what later We were joined by A. W.
Cockrell, Esq. But before he found
time to speak with us, Mr.. en-
tered the room, and after some con-
versatiOn ne asked: Have you gen
tlemen learned the amount sent into
Florida by the distillers and brewers
OF the United States to influence the
pending electiOn?" We answered in
the negative, though we were entirely
satisfied that it was a very large sum.
We had heard the names of those who
had been sent, or at least had gone
from Florida on that benevolent and
patriotic mission And 30 our friend.
after first telling Us how he had OBJ
tanned this information 1.-THE matter
was entirely honorable. and the IN
formation was very definite and relia-
bic, as it seemed to u.s., said the az
gregate was $360,0OO, or about that.
None Of us were at all surprised. but
all of us believed our friend to have
sufficient evidence for what he had
said. He i sknOwn 20 US and to the
whole city as man of intelligence.
integrity and Christian faith. none of
us expressed any doubt, and as for
myself ! felt as sure then, and so feel
now, as if l had received the infor-
nation at first hand; or, for that mat
ter, as if l had added up the columns
of figures, and had thus ascertained
the sum total; knew the gentleman. |
YOU see, Friend LaFOntisee, and II
trusted him exactly as every honest
and sensible person in Jacksonville
does.
You Will observe, Mr.. LaFOntisee, /
that our friend had said nothing what
ever about General Gilchrist person
ally. Nor did anybody else speak Of
him just then. Indeed, | do not now
recall any mention of him in our con-
versation. But anybody with half an
eye" could see how this bribery fund
was related to him. And when gave
my paper to Mr.. Bigham l saw the
logical and necessary connection be-
tween him and it, because | had then
in my pocket copy of a letter from
certain liquor house in Jacksonville
TO a certain citizen of Macclenny, |
Fla. | had seen the original of this let !
ter, and of my own knowledge identi-
fed the correctness of the copy now
lying on my table. 1t informed this |
man in Macclenny that a gallon of !
whiskey had been shipped to him, eek |
press prepaid and it requested him |
to use the whiskey to help in the cleo
ton of Gen. Gilchrist" That was
enough. 1t made little difference to |
me after that how many thousands 0r |
hundreds of thousands of bribery and |
corruption money had been sent into
Florida. My honored friend might |
possibly have been mistaken as to the |
sum mentioned by him; yes, possibly, |
but not probably; the number of dol |
lars was minor question then
But you have failed to connect our /
candidate with that whiskey. have
you not? Did he know it was sent . |
the man in Macclenny?" Let us see. |
The matter has been for days bruited |
about this city and state. l have been
credibly informed what the head Of |!
that whiskey house has said about the |
ues made of that letter, but, this IS |
the Clincher, General Gilchrist, how !
ever good he may be in other respects |
land | wish to detract nothing what |
ever from all the good alleged of him |
in other matters)-Gen Gilchrist. ! |
say, nor yet you, Mr.. LaFOntisee, his /
representative, as you have informed !
me: neither of you singly, nor both |
of you together have yet held up your !
hands in horror and Indignation at the !
fact that his name, hitherto hOnOred |
in Florida, has been thus publicly |
connected with an effort to corrupt |
the ballot box of his native state. No. |
sir; you and he have done nothing of
this kind.
The ballot box is to Anglo Saxon
liberty and government very much
what the sacred ark was to ancient
Israel; to corrupt, that is to corrupt
all. To degrade and ruin that is to
degrade and ruin all. AS see things,
this is the heart and soul of the pend
ing issue. Stockton is as nothing.
Gilchrist is as nothing But a clean