The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-01-06
WHY VOTE rob W. A. BLouNT
FOR UNITED STATES
SENATOR
To the Editor Ocala Banner:

10 the EuItOI OCdid DdnnOL
l. The basic unit OF our govern
ment is individual sovereignty, and
in order to keep firm and indestructi-
BILE this basic element it is the duty,
not the right, of every voter before
casting his vote, not to- forget the oath
he took or subscribed to when he be-
came voter.
2. A part of said oath being that
you would support and defend the con-
stitution of the United States and the
constitution of the stale OF Florida.
These constitutions, among other
things, grant you liberty land the free
dom of elections, and these can only
be continued and perpetuated by the
honest and conscientious performance
of such duty by each individual voter
when casting his ballot.
3. Remembering that you are un-
der oath, and in the act of voting,
you are occupying the position of both
Judge and jury You should vote for
no man for love, fear, favor, affection
reward, or the hope thereof, nor
should you vote against any man for
lenvy, hatred, malice, prejudice or
passion, for it has been truly said that
eloquence, oratory and music may
bring forth the tear of compassion,
reason, logic and sound argument may
produce an upright judgment, but
there is nothing that can move vthe
heart and brain that is steeled with
prejudice.
4. The voter should remember
also, that he is not voting for himself
alone, but that his vote affects every
man, woman and child in Florida. and
the United States. The writer is not
personally acquainted with Mr. Blount
nor has he any assurance, present or
remote, that he ever will have this
pleasure, but he has knowledge of
his character, capacity and competen-
cy, sufficient to say that Mr.. Blount
approaches nearer the maximum stan
dard in honor, integrity and ability re-
quired for the office of United States
senator than anyone offering for the
place within the past twenty-five
years. This is not saying that the pre-
decessors and present opponents of
Mr.. Blount are without honor, integ-
rity and ability
5. But it is alleged that Mr.. Blount
is corporation attorney" Here
common sense, common honesty, fair
dealing and eternal justice makes a
melancholy pause, to shudder at the
depravity of man, and drops the tear
of pity on the advertised self-debase-
ment of those who make this charge.
When one votes against Mr.. Blount
because he is a corporation attor-
ney," the implied but true accusation
that such voter brings against him
self in thus voting is as much as say
poration attorney" or an employee of
a corporation and was elected to Of
fee that he could be bribed and cor
rupted, and displays want of under
standing of that high moral sense.
which should govern every voter. He
further puts himself with that class of
latter day saints and statesmen who
publicly declaim that if there is any
stealing to be done, he wants his
share" and in addition to this gives
his consent that his candidate, if
elected, is at liberty to convert and
use his office and his official influence
as a profit-making asset in his private
business, in utter disregard of the
rights and interests of his constitu-
ents and the public at large
6. Each voter should remember
that the state of Florida is a corpora
ton, each county in the state a cor
poration, and that every mercantile
establishment, grocery establishment,
turpentine industry, phosphate indus
try, orange industry are all corpora
tons, and the most of them employ
attorneys, and, forsooth, all these at
torneys are scoundrels, for the only
reason that they are corporation at
torneys. LLOYD
Inverness, Fla, Jan. 2, 1911.