The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-09-30
MANAGER HOLT
GOES TOO FAR
Editor WaIpoIe Exposes Scheme
Of Whiskey Manager
HAS CAUSED A CHANGE

Political Support Promised and Expenses
Paid to Attend Local Option Conven-
ton by the Whiskey Advocates
The editor of the Manatee Record
has let thn cat out Of the bag!!! He
was one of those respectable citizens
who favor local option" that received
a pressing invitation from Pleasant A.
Holt, the general manager of the
whiskey forces, to attend the local op.
ton meeting in Jacksonville last week.
He was given to understand that his
railroad fare and hotel bill at the Ara
gon would be paid from the whiskey
campaign fund, and he was invited to
send his photo and little personal his
tory of himself to appear in half doz-
en- of Florida's leading daily papers.
He was also informed that it was, the
intention of the whiskey forces to con-
troll the elections in Florida in the fu-
ture, and that he would be in line for
political preferment at their hands If
he would lend his name and influence
to the whiskey mems "local option"
cause.
Editor Walpole honestly believed that
local option would accomplish as much
good as Statewide prohibition. But he
was in favor of local option admins
tered by the temperance people of Flor
ida, and when the whiskey crowd be.
came the opponents of "local option
and the affairs placed in the hands of
Pleasant A. Holt, the whiskey manager,
he bolts the track, and declares for
State. Wide Prohibition. Listen to
what Editor Walpole of the Manatee
Record says:
"The local optionists held conven.
ton last week in Jacksonville. Ii one
is to believe the published reports a big
crowd was on hand, and why shouldn't
there have been, when, it is said, the
coin for each delegates expenses was
put up by the whiskey interests of the
state; and again, why shouldn't the
whiskey interests put up the expense
money? The success of the local option
directly benefits them. and Pleasant
Holt, the general manager, is smooth
enough to know that it was necessary
to put up the coin to get the crowd,
hence W. don't doubt for minute but
that each delegates expenses was paid
This much we do know; that it was the
plan to defray each delegates expenses
for it was put up to US that way. We
can see nothing particularly wrong
about this, because we feel that the
whiskey interests, being directed bene'
fitted, should bear the burden of the ex-
pense of the campaign. 1t is enough
for the delegates to add respectabllity
to the cause. However, the Record
Editor, although local optionist, didn't
bite, Notwithstanding he was urged to
become delegate and an executive
committee man, and was told great
prominence would be given him through
out the state, and his picture published
in numerous papers, to say nothing OF
future political preferment. ~,
"All this and more was put up to the
editor, hence we naturally conclude
that the same story was told others.
The picture gallery, prepared before
the convention met, and published sim
ultaneously in the large dailies IN the
state at least carry out this idea. We
must admit, however, that we were a
little disappointed in the picture, end OF
the scheme, which was tackled on to
give responsibility to the cause. We
were told that Ex-Governor Bloxham's
picture would be there, also Supreme
Court Justice Parkhill would furnish
his photo, but they didn't appear,
doubtless for the same reason that the
EDITORS didn't appear - that ne was a
local optionist from an entirely differ.
ent standpoint - not to boost or stand
sponsor for the saloons, but solely be-
cause he honestly didn't believe state
wide prohibition would or could accom-
plish anything more than local option;
IN other words, the editor is local
optionist in the interest of Temperance,
and we believe it worth more to the
cause of real temperance than state
wide prohibition as national laws now
stand. But the saddest thing done at
the convention was when they went
down in Marion county and got good old
"Uhcle" Henry Long, grey-haired and
tottering on the brink of the grave, to
come up to Jacksonville and accept the
workmanship of convention paid for
by the whiskey interests. This is the
straw chat breaks the camels back and
nuts the editor of The Record squarely
on the side of state wide prohibition.
u - So