The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-04-23
HERBERT =. PHILLIPS CONCLUS-
IVELY SHOWS FALSITX OF
Sp.RkMaN,S RIDICULOUS
CHARGES
CONTINUED from First Page)

L
lutely false letter which Mr. Spark
man is quietly using against me under
cover for the purpose of putting me in
a false light before the people, we'll
as an editorial in the Tampa Times
of April the goth, it is necessary for
me to make this statement and pub
lish the following letters, towit:
Tampa, Fla, April Is, 1912.
Rev. John Beers,
Williston, Fla.
My dear Sir:
/ have just been advised that some
one al Williston has written Mr.
Sparkman that | stated in my speech
there that Mrs Sparkman was not
sick and that the claim that she was
sick was untrue and a fake.
| cannot believe there was any one
/ present who would so grossly misstate
what | said, but, as Mr.. Sparkman is
showing the letter TO men, who repeat
the contents, and in doing get still
further from my true statement, it
becomes necessary for me to rebut the
! charge. l am writing you. therefore,
! for the purpose of requesting you to
write me your recollection of what 1
/ said about the matter above referred
| to.
My recollection of what I said. in
substance, is as follows: 'In this morn
ings issue of the Tampa Tribune, its
editor in an editorial claims that Mr..
Sparkman cannot meet me in joint de-
bate because his wife is too sick for
/ him to leave her and because his du-
ties at Washington require his pres
Ience there when it is not necessary for
It;
hospital at Baltimore"
| AS to the sickness of Mrs. Spark
man, I want to say here and now that
there is no one outside of her imme-
date family who regrets her sickness
more than 1 do. She is loved and ad
mired by all who know her, l have
enjoyed the hospitality Of her home
and have the highest personal regard
for every member of the family. But,
my friends she has not been in the
hospital at Baltimore all the time
since Mr. Sparkman announced his
candidacy and since l wrote him on
Oct. 2Sth asking him to meet me in
joint debate. He has had November,
December, January, February and a
part of March in which he could have
agreed to meet me in joint debate at
such times and places as might have
suited his convenience.
1 have not expected him to meet me
at every cross road in the districty but
l thought it would be well for us to
meet and discuss the issues at at
lease one place in every county in the
district l want him to meet me face
to face before the voters of this dis
trict and let them hear us and make
Iup their verdict
will give me your recollection as soon
as possible. All 1 want is fair treat
ment. / believe you will givel it me.
With best wishes. 1 am.
Sincerely yours,
II. s. PHILLIPS.
The following is the reply to the
foregoing:
| JOHN BEERS,
| Pastor 1T. f. Church. South,
WiIliston. Florida
April Il. 1912
Mr.. Fl. s. Phillips,
| Tampa. Fla
Dear Sir:
In reply to yours of the 12th inst
will state your remarks regarding Mrs.
Sparkman's Illness in your speech at
Williston were substantially what you
repeated to me in your letter And
without any preference between you
and Mr. Sparkman, 7 state if such a
rumor IS out that YOU stated that Mrs.
Sparkmau's illness was a fake. il is
absolutely untrue and unfounded.
T'rate~nalIv.
JOHE BEERS.
On Monday night. April Sth. I spoke
at Inverness After had finished,
iCaptain Sam Hone got M and stated
to the crowd that Mr.. Sparkman was
not present because his wife was sick.
j When | returned 20 Tampa on the
9Th l found that Mr.. Sparkman spoke
lat Clearwater and visited other points
in Pinellas county on the sth. the very
3day that Captain Hope made the fore
/ going statement.
/ On the 10th l spoke at Lakeland
/ Mr. Sparkman was there and spoke
|afso He stated that | had made state
/ ments at other places when he wa.
mot present that ] had not made there.
In my reioinder I challenged him be
/ fore the crowd present TO meet me in
ljoint debate every day from then until
the 30th and stated then that If he
would do so. ] would soon convince
him that I would say everything that
4 had ever said. l assured him that I
could not say as much in forty-five
minutes as ] could in an hour and a
half
He got up and stated that I made
1.-The challenge because / knew he was
so situated treferring TO his wifes i'll
iness) that he could not meet me.
On the 18th. at Sydney. after I had
no a in L aS "A