The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-11-17
ALEXANDER'S BAND.

SltlLtH. has DeGn Inc eQl
-, tors misfortune to attend many politi
cal convention in years past, where
stated measures were railroaded through
in violence 10 rules, but for pure, down.
right, bare-faced, unmitigated conven.
| ton siuffing, the socalled "Citrus
: Growers Convention" held in this city
on Saturday beat anything on record.
LIST. The convention was called for
citrus growers, without distinction.
There were 1870 persons in the hall in
the morning session, largely local peo-
pie, among them the carpet baggers who
brought with them the dope in a hand
satchel, good representation of COM
mission men, orange brokers and buy
erS, railroad men, and a fair representa-
ton of actual growers, Exchange men
and independents.
End. Qualification for membership
and the privilege of voting was confined
to those who agreed 10 vote against the
Citrus Exchange, the questions being
asked each person in the hall and their
names written OF an unheaded paper.
Thus, the action of the meeting was de-
termined at the outset and each qualified
voter was bound TO vote for the object
of the meeting, namely: against the
Exchange" "Are you in sympathy with
this" asked the committeeman of the
editor. No." said the editor. The
teller then passed on.
3rd. The hall was stuffed with Or
ange brokers, buyers, and their sympa-
thizerS; the afternoon session, when
the business was finally transacted, hay
ing only about 80 present, many of the
morning attendants becoming disguised.
4. The boss and chief manipulation
was the attorney for the East Coast Rail
way, with which the Citrus Exchange
is at suit in law for the recovery of
thousands OF dollars loss 10 orange
growers, good reason enough why he
| should destroy the prosecutor, and a
relative OF the man now under in law.
Blood will telr' even in green blood
orange.
5th. A chairman was selected who
though he may have intended right,
did not understand parliamentary law and
easily fell into the wiley clutches of the
chief manipulation.
9th. The committees were pre-ar-
ranged and the BOSNIAN was careful TO
be on the most important, j. G., the con.
demnation proceedings, and the resolu-
'iSho oAOh mo IIhC uduulWOlh, even 10
the commentator of the buyers and
shippers of his choice.
9TH. The whole contention was car
ried on by Boss ST. Clair Abrams, who |
spent an hour and twenty minutes in a
TRADE against the Exchange, damning il |
in the choicest of explosives, charging
undreamed of villianeS to the Officers
and declaring it TO be the agent of the
California Exchange TO demoralize and |
destroy the orange industry of Florida. |
The balance of his frenzied spellbind- |
ing was devoted to the denunciation of |
the Florida Legislature; and the quality
of the man and his truStworthineSs as a
leader may be easily guaged from the
fact that he said he never committed
perjury but he might be willing to do
so 10 avoid having it known that he one
time served in the State Senate. He
vilified the law, the legislature and the
law makers as tools in the hands of the
Citrus Exchange, egged on by the Cali
fornia Exchange. Of course this is
mighty good reading for the members
of the legislation, for Senator L. C.
Massey, who drew the law and the
many honorable men who honestly
supported it.
Assisting Mr.. Abrams, though not
agreeing 10 all he said was the Honora-
bic member who in the Legislature
voted for the law and then violated il
himself and who is now under indict.
ment but who is Soured on the green
fruit provision.
Probing on by inceSSant interruptions
was the gentleman from Arcadia, who
was like hornet, hustled from its nest.
These three doped the chairman and
befuddled him and hypnotized the hon
est fruit growers in the house, many of
them led like lambs to be shorn, as they
have been aforetime.
9Th. AT the very time the prepared
resolutions were under discussion, the
chairman, under the pressure of the
Boss, totally ignored an amendment
moved by Mr.. Hawthorne, a qualified
voter, TO change the wording of the
first section (Which was the pith of the {
whole fight and after plainly stating ]
the amendment, violated the ordinary I
parliamentary rules by putting the queS. r
ton on the main resolution, instead of
the amendment. The chair also ig. y,
nored motion of Mr.. Walter Drennen,
which was seconded by another quail,
fled voter, prohibiting the commission
men, buyers and railroad men from
voting, Mr.. Drennen accepting an q
prohibiting Citrus Exchange =
men voting also, and combining the vote :
to independent orange growers The
failure to recognize this motion proved Z
the whole fermentation of the sour mash t
and inevitably placed upon record the e
dishonest procedure. Despite all this
nh n nnpt
MesSrs. Braxton Beachman, James L.
TILES and Hawthorne, independent
growers, that words less drastic should o
be employed in the resolution, the VI
chairman was not permitted to recog-
lize them, proving that the meeting was U
1ot in the interest of citrus growers al n
I'll but was fixed" for the especial o
benefit of the brokers and green goods n
men who came TO Orlando with q
peecheS, regulations, resolutions and NJ
he chairman packed in the gripSack. -
All these protests and motions made by Y,
ctual orange growers, and some of the U
lrgeSt, and qualified voters were Sim f
lily pushed aside at the behest of Mr.. E
1t. Clair Abrams, who jumped up at
very point and demanded the original
esolution and that it be voted on only
y those who had signed themselves =,
way, and at the. moment of greatest ex- " ~
itement, suddenly the chairman put the u
riginal resolution of condemnation of OF
he Citrus Exchange and amid a great pl
owl of ayes and nays he declared ii 10
lrried, though amid the confusion no CT
ne could have determined either way. in
And then, Immediately, the deed be. ~
lg done, for which he had Iabored, q
oSS ST. Clair Abrams moved adjourn. ma
tent. tn
Had Been in Training. IN
A man who had undergone a court