The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-08-05
BETTER Be CAREFUL
SAYS THE FLORIDIAN

IN the various political games played
in this state, the negro has long since
) lapsed into a state of "inocuous desul'
tude.
While we have never known just eX'
actly what that means and have never
met anyone who really did, we do Know
that the negro had no more showing III
the game than a rabbit, and it takes
us to tell you that the whiskey people
are making a serious mistake in again
qualifying him to vote.
Whiskey sa far more damnable curse
to the negro than to the white man.
1t is daily dragging him down in the
depths of degradation. And ninety per
cent Of the bad conduct of the negro is
directly traceabe to the bad booze OF
.nt white man.
The better element Of the negro race
SNOW this, and while the whlskey men
are enlistiuG for their cause horde of
booze.tlsoaNed negroes, they may be
alternating the friendship Of the best Of
roth races.
We only take limited amount of stock
in this twaddle about handling our
money over to the booze merchants to
build up towns.
We make the positive statement that
the whiskey men of Jacksonville are
now putting up the two-dolar bills in
the hands of negroes to qualify them to
vote against the prohibition amendment
to be ratified or rejected in next No
vember'S election.
The editor of this paper has never be-
layed in prohibition, and we too, have
said it Gid not prohibit in Georgia.
Law has been defined b. Mr. Black
stone as "a rule of conduct prescribed
bv the highest authority Of commun-
ty or state, regulating that which is
right and prohibiting that which is
wrong.
Now. when we ask ourselves what is
this highest authority, we are forced
to answer that it is the people of that
community or state.
Now. "a hint to the wise is sufficient"
In again bringing the negro into politics
in Florida, the whiskey men will find
this is not contest between finance
and fanatcism, but fight to the finish
between decency on the one side and
degradation on the other.
The lat census shows more than five
thousand more negroes in Duval county
than white people.
We have lived in such community
in another state.
We want to live in peoce We want
to see both negro and white man edu-
Gated and living in Gods own image.
each knowing and respecting the rights
of one another.
Tie negro is becoming educated and
he is thereby becoming better and
more useful being and we are proud of
the progress he has made.
If it were possible at this moment to
clothe this class Of the negro race with
the right of franchise. we would gladly
do it. But we too well know he is not
the kind of voter the saloon hopes to
make in the payment of these polItaxes.
1t is not the educated negro, but the
bar-room bum that these saloon men
are trying to hand the ballot and the
relns of government.
This threat was made in our presence
Immediately after the passage of this
resolution. and we then and there gave
1 the men who made it. our opinion of
such course.
f, If they prefer the support of drunk
en- negroes and irresponsible beasts to
the fair-minded and intelligent citizens
of both races, then let them draw the
line.
But let us tell you right now that if
it is against the law to sell whskey in
Florida after next November's election
and the legisla tive enactments in con-
formity herewith, Florida will be no
jungle for blind tigers.
And the man who is thus deceived
may find himself in the same jail with
the poor fool negro he has thus delud-
ed. Jacksonville Floridian.