The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-09-23
LOCAL OPTIONS
Big CONVENTION
Just a Clever Fake Planned by
Pleas. Holt, Whisky's Cam
paign Manager.
Great Gathering of Prominent Men
Failed to Gather.

Failed to Gather.
Tally one for Pleas. Holt-or, perhaps
it's several.
The big local option convention in
Jacksonville on Thursday of last week
was "fake" gathering.
Instead of monster convention of
the prominent men from all parts of the
state, "men of exalted character and
splendid intellectual endowment, -
hundreds of them-as represented by
the Times Union and the Metropolis,
there wasn't more than IS all told, who
were delegates taking part. By actual
count there were exactly 1903 men pres
ent, many of whom were spectators,
and some of whom are for the amend
ment.
The meeting was held in the lobby Of
the Aragon Hotel, and was open to the
public. A dozen men, some of whom
are, or have been, prominent, did all
the business. The work was all planned
in advance, and it didn't take but little
more than an hour TO complete the busi
ness in hand.
Hear the Times Union:
"Tbe meeting was unqueStionably the
largest, most successful and altogether
most notable gathering of a political
nature ever held in the state"
OF course! That big convention that
nominated Geo. f. Drew for governor
was only small precinct caucus in COM
parison. The last State Democratic
Convention-the one that nominated
VIM. S. Jennings for governor, was
another small affair.
The few men who did gather in Jack
Sonville last Thursday did not cause
any noticeable increase from the usual
noon crowd in the lobby of the Ara
gon.
But the Times Union printed a list of
the delegates. So did the Metropolis
Not one-third of those whose names
were printed in the list OF delegates
were present
The list, together with the pictures of
the delegates and the short biographical
sketches of their careers, was all pre-
pared-arranged form advance by
Pleasant A. Holt, manager of the local
option campaign which was organized
and is being paid for by the organized
whisky interests of the state.
That is the truth.
L Hc lUlcS- Union Induc oOulc HIS
takes in its list of delegates. Here is
one that was corrected in that paper last
Tuesday:
Editor Times Union: | notice in
your Thursday paper you have my name
as one of the delegates in favor of local
option. ! will ask you TO correct this
error, as my name was just taken from
the register book at the Aragon hotel,
and will ask you to state in your paper
that am statewide prohibitioniSt, and
expect to do what can to dry the state
of Florida. Respectfully yours,
81. w. KIMBROUGH,"
Webster, Fla.
The News has nothing TO say regard
ing the Standing of these men. Several
of them are we'll known in the state,
but the bulk of them mentioned as be-
ing prominent are scarcely known
outside their own precincts.
Some of them honestly believe in To-
cal option as the best manner of dealing
with the liquor evil.
Some of them don't even believe that
liquor is an evil.
Some don't care rap whether it is or
are willing to give it their
support provided they are paid literally
for doing it.
Some three or four of those named as
being present are Said TO have been in
favor of "drying" their home county.
But the great body of them are for the
licensed saloon at home and everywhere |
else.
The strange thing about that alleged
is that PROFESSEDLG |
reputable newspapers like the Times
Union and the Metropolis would lend,
or sell, themselves 10 Pleas. Holt and
his organization of whisky dealers TO as
SiSt in misleading the people of Florida.
If these papers deny that they partici-
pated knowingly in this "fake," then
their managers should be with their
kind in an asylum for the simple minded.
They are either knavcS or f too
easy" for metropolitan journalists.