The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-01-27
BLouNT OR BRYAN
TO the Editor Ocala Banner:


or Mr.. Blount respecting the placing
of certain commodities in the tariff,
Il as well as to one or two other matters
| in their respective platforms, and be
| ing convinced that the primary sys-
ITEM in Florida is being used in the
i sole interest of a few politicians, es
Ipecially of Jacksonville, and that the
people have little voice in selecting
their public officials, felt until re
GENTLY no special interest in the re
suit of the final outcome of the pres
ent senatorial contest. This feeling
being brought about, / must say, il
part by the reflection that the ambi
ton that the south once possessed and
exercised successfully. of sending hel
ablest statesmen, men ripe in. expe
irience, and educated in the knowledge
of government, to the senate of the
United States-by all odds the great
est legislative body in the world
seemingly has passed away. BY rea
son of the intellectual strength of hel
senators, the south ruled this country
for seventy years, up to the civil war
So soon as the whites could do SO af
ter the close of that war they contin.
ued this policy for twenty years. Dur
| ing this latter period we had such men
las Hill, Lamar, Beck, Hampton, T. c.
McCreery, Carlisle, Vest, Mills, White
(present chief justice of the supreme
COURT, Andrew Johnson, Isham G..
Harris. Daniels, Bayard, Charles w.
Jones, etc., and most of them were
kept there by the legislatures until
they died. They we're men who were
able, by reason of intellect and years
of study of public questions, to discuss
the deep questions of state, and COM
mand the attention of their adversar-
les and the nation. One does not
need all the fingers of one hand to
count the men of the class here re-
ferred to now from the south in that
body What hope have we, SO long as
we pursue the present course, to ever
again be force in this government?
The power of senator does not stop
at his one vote if he possesses the
qualifications that serve to influence
others; and IA no other body does
brains count for so much as in the
United States senate.
Looking at the present situation in
this particular, / must say that felt
somewhat dispirited, and possibly
might not so much as have voted. But
after hearing Messrs. Bryan and
Blount, reading their literature and
seeing them, feel that word or two
from so humble member of the dem
ocratic party as myself might not be
thought presumptuous; and especially
word of warning and advice to our
young men,
AS these gentlemen agree in their
views of what is democratic doctrine,
the only question for the people to de-
termine is, which can and will serve
the people of this state and nation
most efficiently?. / have no personal
acquaintance with either, save a mere
passing introduction, and | take it
that such is the case of the great ma
jority of the voters. Mr.. Bryan is a
gentleman of about So years of age, a.
good lawyer, personally respected by
all who know him, and evidently ambi-
tious to attain a high mark in life; all
of which is commendatory. He has
had no legislative experience and has
held no position in public life that
would educate him in public affairs.
1t would seem that instead of climbing
the ladder of fame he is attempting to
jump from the ground to the topmost
rung at one leap. His speech that /
heard at Ocala on Saturday last was
to the effect that he was friend of
the people; his opponent, though an
able and honest man, had been an at
torney at law representing the Louis
vile and Nashville railroad for twen-
Ity-five years. hence would be unable
from force of circumstances to take an
impartial view of a question in which
the peoples and the corporations in
|terest diverged; that his opponent had
been of assistance to Judge Swayne
in the latter's impeachment case, and
had caused man to be jailed for con-
tempt of court; that he had represent
ed the Shotter interest before a con-
gressional committee concerning tur-
pentine. Strange to say, ne did not
tell US what his opponent did in either
case, so that we might judge the mat
ter for ourselves. And, again, that
Mr.. Blount had written something
about shaking hands with individuals.