The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-06-25
GROSS MISREPRESENTATION.

ttlll''I IN|s MINUS N''N = N''NN' i''
page of the last issue of our local con-
temporary, THE tribune is taken to
task for its position on the pineapple
situation. The article is succession
Of misrepresentation, and is written
in that childish manner Of argument
which is entirely unbecomming news
paper, especially when discussing a
great question.
The first statement in the article re-
felred to is that THE TRIBUNE has
come to the defense Of the railroad.
This is untrue in every particular and
published by our contemporary for the
purpose of misleading the growers and
to assist the News in its game of play
ing double, which they have engaged
in since entering newspaperdom.
We have offered no defense Of the
railroad. They are big enough to de-
fend themselves. We have never stat
cd that "it is perfectly right and just
that the road should haul Cuban pines
from Knights Key to Jacksonville
cheaper and quicker than it will haul
Florida pines from Fort Pierce to Jack
sonville," as claimed by the News.
Neither did we state THAT the growers
are entirely at fault and don't deserve
any better service than they are get
ting Both of the statements are the
blacklist of falsehoods, and are pub
lished to prejudice the growers against
The TRIBUNE -- but few will be deceived
thereby,
Here is what The TRIBUNE has said
about the discrimination against our
growers: THAT our growers are being
Disseminated against cannot be denied,
but the discrimination is not so great
as the News would lead one to be-
lievc" the rate from Knights Key to
Cincinnati being 572 cents instead Of
~ cents as the News has persistently
published to excite the growers. "Our
groves should organize and fight this
freight rate q,' .",.H out before the
Interstate Commerce Commission
Evidently the discrimination against
the Florida pineapple grower in rates
AID service and the lack of a protective
tariff is killing the goose that lays the
golden egg" Do these sentiments in
dictate defense Of the railroad COM
pany?
Ihs statement made by Mr.. Kirkland
Of the freight department of the rail-
road hi as not been denied or contradict
ed by anyone in a position to know
what they are talking about The re-
cords of the railroads, which are open
to any shipper, will show whether they
are or not, correct and the mere asser-
lions by an irresponsible newspaper
that they don't believe it," counts
for nothing.
But the greatest display of ignorance
ia the whole comment Of the News is
contained in the following: The TRI-
BUNE COnlradicts statement made by
the News" about a mail train being
si1etracked at Eldred for the Cuban
pineapple train. The TRIBUNE has
never denied or contradicted any such
statement, and therein lies another
Talsehood by the News, but this time
it is q falschood of ignorance. We did
not state that the Cuban pineapple
train had been exploded nor that FL
dred or the Sidetrack had been exploded
We stated that the "bugaboo' had
been exploded. Webster teaches us
that bugaboo means: "A scarecrow;
something used to excite needless fear"
The other half of the paragraph print
ed by The TRIBUNE, but omitted by
the News, to deceive, stated how the
bugaboo had been exploded or destroyed
Because nearly every night the mail
train is held in Fort Pierce to await
the arrival of the pickup train" "a
second class freight.
The TRIBUNE has no reason to doubt
that the train was held as stated, be.
cause on May 2Sth, when this editor
was returning home from Paatka to
Fort Pierce the passenger train was
twice sidetracted to allow freight to
pass; once between Palatka and Day.
iona and the second time near Eau Gallie