The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-06-03
TALENTED MUD-SLINGER
DtCtlVlNG THE VOTERS

tIe part of the time, bat yon can't fool
al the people all the time"
lhls aphorism, quoted of Abraham
Lincoln, Is apropos to the political dis
c0SS'onS Of Congressman Frank Clark
VINO Is not only untrue to party princi-
PIES, but who relies not upop ruth in
Polt'cal argument. But We feel that
'he VlIeneSs Of this man Clark will he
fruitful of good, for the reason that
the people will catch On to the fact
mat his only stock in trade is bis yitu-
perative tongue, aud his mastery abil-
''S 70 mlsrepre5ent. vilfy or Iambast
everything and everybody rot in accord
with him. The people will come to
know that his reprehensible trade, in
which he is past master, is wanting in
the elements that are essential in the
makeup Of a statesman that facts.
truth, sincerity and justice are the in.
gradients that need enter into the COM
position of a Congressman who would
accomplish lasting good for a State and
| Nation.
This reflection came to US while
reading wonderful speech delivered
IN Tampa by Congressman Clark in his
stump.speaking campaign of the State
in the interest of Senator Taliaferro.
He, Clark, started out by saying that
ne wouldn't do what he was charged
with doing and that is, descend to the
low level of personal attack" If he
had further said that he wouldn't fur
ther degrade himself by misrepresenta-
ton and had stuck to that assertion,
his discourse would have been as much
blank as the defense of his own rec
ord.
He admitted that he had committed
great many political sins, but avered
that he regarded the one objectionable
political sin of his life was in aiding
and abetting in the nomination of Gov.
w. S. Jennings. And this was the
juicy mOrsel that he started out with
to point moral or adorn tale, and
to make good his point of misrepresen-
tation, he had to charcature the man
who is as far above him as heaven is of
hell, as a midget, and this he did by re-
marking that 'if a Judge or lawyer
should start out with a double barreled
shotgun hunting lawyers, he would
pass this man Jennings on the broad
highway an hundred times and wouldn't
even cock his gun on him. This said
to discourage the idea that Governor
Jennings, whom the members of the |.
|. Board deemed the most competent
attorney in the State of Florida to
handle the intricate proposition of saw
ing to the people of Florida, as Cover
nor Broward proposed, the vast area
known as the Everglades, was an i'm
pOrtant parsonage.
Next, this would'be cIean-moutneo
prohigate wrung IN the name OF kopt.
w. Davis, and followed up MS tale OF
Misrepresentation by saying that Gov.
Broward had said that If ne capt
Davis, was elected Governor me- DAVIS
N.,
would steal the lands ana give them 10
the railroads. eve wonder II there
was single man IN the audience VINO
believed this untruthD
Then the vile peNerFer oi the tru'h
went on to assert 'hat bFo"ard o'u"
keep his promise - save every 1901 Oh
lands to the people he a'dn I tell ms
audience that he, Clark, IN unison with
"thar lo,yyers mad asserted that Brow
.J oo,,ld ,o,e, saya q fnot of the lands
''' 49, naon,o If tba State as the lands
.,t III haor daaded bv the legislatures
'''. y" ,a;,,n,a,. ha didn't tell those he