The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-11-04
Local Option VS..
Statewide Prohibition


A. Nj. williamson in Jacksonville Floridian.
The whiskey men have been openly
defying the law in qualifying the most
dangerous element of the negro race TO
vote against this amendment in the COM
ing campaign. The negro knows the
law has been thus broken, and he knows
il is the rich whiskey man that's violated
it. He also knows that ii is no less a
crime to rob and TO steal.
Now, who is responsible for this con-
dition?
Everyone knows il 10 be the whiskey
men.
We know also that their conduct Is
only the elimination OF the dastardly
threat OF two years ago TO punish the
decent men and women of Florida be.
cause their chosen Representatives at
Tallahassee saw fiji to submit this ques-
ton of statewide prohibition to the
voters OF the State for ratification or re-
lection.
II they are not afraid of the decision
OF Florida's WHITE MEN, WHAT
HAVE THEY BEEN QUALIFYING
THESE NEGROES FORi
We who have fought for so long to
rid our country OF this class of citizen
ship are not going to take ii on again
without struggle. Especially when we
know beforehand that il is preordained
TO be guided by an element ten times
worse than the "carpetbaggers" OF re.
construction days.
Condone or countenance such con-
duct, and we invite burglary, incendi-
aryism and murder.
We have come in contact with some
pretty tough characters in our lives, but
confess that we have never witnessed
such brazen and insolent effrontery.
Now, we cannot overlook the fact that
the last census shows more than five
thousand more negroes in Duval Coun-
ty than whites.
of about FIVE THOUSAND in this
county. We can only naturally assume
that liberal proportion OF this registra-
ton is composed of negro voters. Now,
add to this, the THREE THOUSAND
NEGRO VOTERS whom we have told
you have paid their poll taxes for this
year, and you can readily see what we
are "up against"
THEY OPENLY AND DEFLANTLY
THREATEN TO STEAL THE ELEC-
T1ON. But do you know that these
kind of thieves sometimes GET
CAUGHT STEALINGi
Now, just let US ask you one little
question:-Suppose, in your intense and
insatiate greed to STEAL this election
in Duval county with your majority of
THREE THOUSAND NEGROES and
other hirelings not quite SO respectable,
that you get caught with the goods"
and the VOTE OF DUVAL COUNTY
is THROWN OUT! Then, what are
you going to do?
You know, every bar-keeper who can
successfully STEAL from a drunken
negro, can't hope to get away with
whole ELECTION.
The MIND and MORALS of the
are against them. And even If
some little so by 4" hireling attempts to
help them, the STATE COURTS are
still here, and may yet come in and
VlTIATE the election in Duval County.
All of which means that you can't
steal this election. Ask US why, and We
tell you that you haven't sense enough
in the first place, and we are NOT
GOING TO LET YOU, in the second.
Go on and try il all you please, and
you'll find ii still another of the tissues
Of bad blunders you have made from
start to finish in this campaign.
If you hadn't persisted in doing what
we asked you not to do and brought the
most venal of the negro race back into
politics, we would not fight you. In
doing this you have proven the weak
ness of your cause. You have shown
Us that you could only hope TO win
of your nefarious traffic by
The bribery and debauchery sought
through your authorized agents, Holt,
Price and your "Singularly Pure"
You have brought together horde OF
humbugs and hypocrites, the like OF
whom were never assembled together
before.
You have had your daily newspapers
advertise them TO disguised and truly
public as your hirelings and
lenchmen.
You have paid their railroad fares and
hotel bills, and God Almighty only
Knows how many other bills you have
been forced TO pay for this band OF
buns" and "bleeds" you have brought
lere under the guise OF your own hypo-
,risy, and forced decent papers TO ex-
,ose and denounce as your "Singularly
Pure"