The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-09-09
TIMES-UNION COURTESY.

10 wonder why Inc quartet has not bet
ter press agent. For the past two months
week after week, state newspapers have
turned up with the same old story, which
began like this: Zone of the mos
unique public attractions in connection
with the discussion of any live issue be
I, re the public has been hit upon" and
SO on. Everywhere the boys have gone
they have been pleasantly received, and
many newspapers have gone into ccstaC
les over the wonderful oratory" and
the magnificent" presentation OF the
argument for prohibition. That the
four youths excel Henry Clay in his
prime is practically claimed by some of
the enthusiastic prohibition paperS-but
the unprejudiCcd may not have been SO
cxtravagant. The boys are telling, in a
more or less mechanical way, just what
they have been told to tell That they
are hired and paid by the Indiana cor
poration called the Anti-Saloon League,
through its Florida branch, is admitted
and that double discounts any good
that might otherwise have come of such
trip and such bursts OF amateur oratory.
Florida Times Union.
Now isn't that dirty, diScourtcous
slap; and at four of the clcancSt, clcarcst-
headed, most unoflcnding young men
in the state of Florida.
And it is from the Florida Times
Union! In another editorial in the same
issue Sept 2d) of that paper appears the
following:
"With a personal knowledge of the
editorial page of the Times Union OK
tending back nearly twenty years we
cannot recall an instance in which this
paper failed 10 treat opponents courteous
ly except where they first rcSortcd TO
disCourtcSy."
Will the TimesUn kindly point
out wherein these young men have
treated il disCourteously?
1t is true that the youthful quartcttc is
undcr the direction of the Florida Anti
Saloon League; that this organization,
acting as press agent for the young men,
has sent out advance press notices, one
OF which begins, as quoted by the
Times Union-"One OF the most unique
public attractions in connection with
the discussion, etc. but that is no
reflection on the boys, nor on the
League bCCauSe-it is true.
Editors to whom these press notices
were sent were not under obligations 10
publish them; they were privileged 10
announce the coming of the quartctte in
their own language.
Some OF them did. Others, in telling
of the visit OF the young men, went into
obstacles over them, ii is true, but not
in the wild and cxtravagant manner
charged by the Times Union. For in
stance, here is one of the quartcttc' S
notices, taken from the Bradford Coun-
ty Telegraph, edited by one of the big
gcst Drained men in Florida, Hon. Z. S.
Matthew'S He says;
"ThoSc who went up to the court
house Tuesday evening TO hear the tenn
pcranCc orators from Stctson University
were agreeable surprised al the manner
in which the cntertainmcnt-for such it
was-waS conducted. Instead OF some
wild.cycd fanatics dcnouncing the
demon rum, its makers, sellers and
users, they found four c-poSScSsing
young men, who stood up and sang. 1t
was not a song of the Father, dear
father" persuasion, but one OF exquisite
melody, faultlcsSIy rendered. More
songs and chants followed, after which
Mr.. a. Y. Milan, OF Jacksonville, spoke
More songs followed, and then Mr.
yNf N,I
They made no attempt al oratory, there
were no eyes raised 10 heaven and
voices trembling with fCigned emotion,
which SO many temperance speakers as
sumo; the speaking was logical and con
vincng, the statistics telling, the quota
tons used were the opinions given by
supreme court justices and other emil
ncnt men. The liquor question was re
viewed in all its aspects in such master
ly agreeable manner that every word
went TO the hearts, and the arguments
were so convincing that they were
bound 10 accomplish their purpose.
With no intention TO appear diScour-
tcouS to the Times Union, the News
wishes TO say that il does not believe
any Florida editor has ever practically
claimed that the four youths excel Hen
ny Clay in his prime" That would
have been cXtrayagant.
But the real discourtcSy OF the Times
Union, its dirticst slap, is contained in
this sentence: "Thc boys are likely
telling, in a more or less mechanical
way, Just what they have been told to
tell.
The Times Union would convey the
impression that these young men are in
capable of doing their own thinking;
that they are mere parrots, who repeat
what they are told.
Well, that is untrue. They arc young
men of brains, who know how to use
them. One OF these young men-Frank
Acknowledgment the colleges of
Florida at the anniversary exercises of
the battle of Gettysburg this summer.
He was one Of the orators, and-onc of
the prize winners 1t is presumed that
he got the information from which his
Grafton was constructed from reading
OF history, and that in a way he stated
nothing new. But isn't that true with
all public speakers and writers, except,
perhaps, the editor of the Times Union,
who is alone privileged TO draw upon
his Imagination for facts?
The next discourtesy of the Times
Union is addressed to the Florida Anti
Saloon League, which it calls an Indi-
ana corporation with the purpose of
arouSing state prejudice.
That may be true. But all corporate
,,r,r,, ,f.,ot;n,e ,t-b,tb ~ for Tho pNrCoJ Of