The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-01-23
MY EXPERIENCE IN
THE LEGISLATURE
BY c. H. FLOYD. in ApaIachIeoIa Times.

with oven, I cannot be Oven. 1 can
chamemeleon- like, become green,
black. yellow, olive, drab, brindle, dark
brown; pink, blue, purple, but cannot
be white. That is the color of Oven.
He is white. You may differ with him
about politics, and a lot of things, but
every one who ever knew him respect
&c him. Nothing finer ever came out
of Florida than the little orphan boy
with his stiff white broad turn down
collars who came out of the old Raney
house that looks lovingly through its
tall pillars at the great river-the
Apalachicola river-at the end of its
long struggle to reach the main, the
call Of which it heard through the
hills of Habersham and down through
the valleys Of Hail.
Like Tom West, he swiftly passes
up the mountain road and I give him
my. sprig of lilac.
West is trying to be attorney gen.
eral of Florida, but Oven has posi-
ton I would rather fill than attor-
ney- general When the white fur of
the judicial mantle fell on the should
ers OF the young Apalachicolian-
George p. Raney-it touched nothing
not as spotless as itself. And when
that tall gentleman died and he was
buried in the presence of the state
he had served so long and well, the
state standing at his grave in the per-
son of its chief officers-the robe of
the eminence of his uncle fell on the
shoulders of the nephew. and again, it
touched nothing as spotless as itself.
Judge Raney made himself a hin at
the capital and built him a castle on
the crest and lived in it. Oven has
Inherited the castle and the hilh The
position of Attorney general is only
for four years; the position Oven oc-
cupies is for life.
/ began by speaking of Oven as an
investment He is not only of COVER
nor size, but If he lives twenty years
he will very probably be governor.
If you have a diamond in your pos
session about the size Of your fist
and It is lying around loose used as a
paper weight in your parlor, the world
is in travail, nudging everybody to sit
up and take notice of the real value
CT the stone.
Some day some Iapidary will notice
triangle of light push out from a
side of the gem like a quivering wing
and will begin negotiations to have it
transferred to the scepter or sword
hilt OF England.
That's the reason I say Oven Syill
very probably be governor.
Some circumstance win occur to
make It plain TO everybody how much
value is going to waste in this sane,
sound incarnation of common sense
executive ability, loyalty, and diamond
like integrity. The diamond as large
as your first that I mentioned does not
hold itself above a brick bat. II
doesn't know that it is a diamond.
But the brick bat knows that the dia-
imond is a diamond.
Oven win just be his natural, plain,
simple self. But do you know that
there is something more dramatic than
81 combination of Death and Sex and
sin? It is Character Character is
more dramatic than Sex and Sin and
Death, all three combined in a pistol
humping bullets In the ribs Of man.
And when it appears a cheer goes up
that lasts as long as the eternal hur-
ran of the oceans on the coasts Of the
earth.
You remember the story Of the u.
S army officer who had the bestowal
cli large contract. The bidder for the
job laid a hundred dollar bill quietly
ON the table where the cnicer could