The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-02-03
An Appeal to Voters.

them, for which purpose they had quail
fled the black people; now they will
give them some of their own medicine
by using the black man to force saloons
on the city. And | suppose, as usual,
the black man will allow himself TO be
so used. But the bond committee de-
mics the charge that ii had anyone quail
fled, white or black. Read Mr.. H. M.
de Montmollin's letter TO me in which
he answers this question. He handled
the money and is in position TO know.
But why, in order 10 get even with the
bond committee, will one put such
nuisance on all the women and children
in Palatka? Here is MIR. Montmollin's
letter:
Palatka, Fla, Jan. oath, 1911.
Mr.. w. G. Tilghman, City.
Dear Sir: Replying TO your inquiry
regarding the statement that colored peo-
pie were qualified TO vote for Putnam
Couny Bonds by the Putnam County
Bond Campaign Committee, wish to
say positively that | acted as secretary
and treasurer of that committee, and that
no poll taxes were paid for anybody,
white or colored. The principle ex.
pense of the campaign was printing and
mailing literature, barbecue in the
hammock, and hack hire to different
parts of the county. Any statements TO
the contrary are absolutely false and cal
culated TO mislead.
Yours very truly,
II. M. de Montmollin.
understand that a petition is now in
circulation to call an election to vote
saloons in Putnam county. Local OPP
ton, local self-government men, you
men who have advocated letting each
locality take care of itself, we urge that
you stick to that which you have been
preaching and not help TO put something
on US that we do not want, and that
which you would not like to have put
on you. The white people of Palatka
have demonstrated more than once that
they do not want saloons, while the col
ored people, am sorry TO say, by their
actions have shown that they do. In
the first wet and dry election ward 3,
the colored ward, voted about W per
cent wet; in the next one, when the
county went dry, they gave so per cent
wet, and yet the county went dry. by al
most to 1 and gave majority Tor the
dry side in the city. In the election last
November our five white wards gave
majority of 46 for the amendment, and
the colored ward, with a total OF 70
votes, only had two dry ones-almoSt
unanimously wet.
The petition that was circulated last
fall to call a wet or dry election was
signed by over 200 colored men in this
city, while less than 100 white men
signed it. Precinct - OF Palatka had las
registered voters and only 7 out of this
large number signed il. This same pre-
cinct, with 20 registered colored men,
had the names of 10 of them to this pc,
tition. think the reason that they did
not get the other seven is that they could
not find them. The colored man wants
his booze and is not afraid TO lei it be
known.
A part of the business men OF this
county, whose pay roll is nearly $1,000
per week, sent our written request to
the people to assist in preventing the re-
turn of saloons, and many OF the white
people responded and kept the saloons
out. But very few of the colored people
would help the dry cause.
If signing liquor petitions or aiding to
get the saloons here is an indication OF
intelligence, refinement, or business
ability, then we white folks are behind
the times and should wake up and take
notice, for the colored people certainly
excel by far in this kind of work. Ii
looks TO me like the colored people, with
but few exceptions, are determined TO
have saloons in Palatka
Last fall some pleople were miSled in
TO signing that petition by being told
that the business men of Palatha wanted
saloons, and | have written these lines
that they may know who it is that wants
them And let me urge that before you
sign you wait until you see who in this
city signs the petition. AS | have shown,
more than two colored voters to one
white voter asked for an election in
Palatka last fall Which crowd will you
help? White people, democrats all over
this county, we have found it is no use
to talk TO the colored people, and we
have come TO you asking you to come
to our rescue and help US and the few
good colored people that we have; help
us TO keep this nuisance out of old Put
man, If you must and will drink booze
you have the right, but in order to do
so you need not insist that we shall have
the saloon in Palatka. | eat hog meat,
but am not so foolish as TO insist that
must have a pig pen in Palatka that
would be nuisance TO my neighbor.
Other folks have rights, you know. Let
me plead with you that if you have any
love for the women and children OF this
city, do not put this nuisance here again.
Many homes have been made happy be-
cause of the removal of the saloons.
Will you cause their return with all OF
their sorrow and unhappineSS? By your
vote you may ruin my home and my
boys may go to wreck and ruin through
the saloon, but il will never be by my
vote that yours will. One day | tackled
up picture of a beautiful boy and
white man came up and looted at him.
| ask ed him to vote for the boys, and he
said that he would rather vote for a
bottle of beer. What do you think of
him? And yet when you aid the saloon
cause you are doing just as he said
voting for booze instead of the boys.
If saloons are good thing, let us have
them. | am not talking about drinking
now, but the saloons as they are, as
they have been all the time. If they are
bad thing let us not have them. What
do you say to this proposition? Show
me just one good reason why we should
have saloons in Palatka and | will give
you ten dollars for it and say no more
against them. If you are wanting the
saloons returned you must have some
good reason for ii. So of course you
will make haste TO make the ten.
w. G. TILGHMAN.