The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-10-27

unanimously but with much eioquence,
and Captain Northup, who was post
master at the time, and myself went
as delegates to the state convention.
the balance of the delegation being
composed of negroes.
1t was the first county convention
in Escambia county that l had per-
sonaIly participated in. l moved to
Jacksonville in 1894 from Volusia
county, probably the 'waitest'' county
in the state from Republican stand
point. The county conventions there
We're made up of about ninety per
cent white men and there never was
single negro on the county commit
tee since a party was first organized
there
So when / moved to Jacksonville
and saw how Joe Lee controlled coun-
ty conventions there, by packing them
with negroes, SHE'D and retained my
registration in Volusia county. and
when l came to Pensacola did the
same until 1904, when Mr.. Coombs in
dicated that he expected me to take an
active interest personally in the con-
vention work of Escambia county,
which / obediently did.
The boys down in Volusia county
in 1896, 1898 and 1900 had been good
enough to elect me chairman of the
delegation from that county. although
did not live there, and ! had so at
tended the state conventions from
there, and when they held their county
convention in 1904 they wired me that
they would so elect me again If ]
would serve, but / replied / would come
from Escambia county. Ye gods that
was a convention we held in Escam-
bia county in 1904! Captain Bill
Northup, myself and one other mem
Der of the Caucasian race, just who !
do not remember, made up the white
delegation with fifty-seven negroes.
And | wish Roosevelt could have
seen me- l was obeying his orders
like a true soldier. and there were
about fifty-seven speeches and the
only people eulogized in every one of
them were President Theodore Roose-
welt. Captain Bill Northup and myself.
AMI we deserved 1t.
All Got So Each.
Every one of those fifty-seven free,
black citizens of this glorious country
were paid six dollars apiece, with rail-
road fare, free liquor at Friedman
bar for those who wanted 1t, and free
grub at some negro restaurant, and
then the expenses of the delegates to
ST Augustine where the convention
was held.
A few days ago. looking over some
old papers, I ran across the bills that
" re handed to me at the time by one
of my Iieutenants who attended to the
necessary details, and they amounted
| to over nine hundred dollars.
And then month or two later, Mr.
| Coombs wired me to meet him that
night on his arrival and have Post
master Northup and District Attorney
| Sheppard join us at the Merchants
| hotel, all of which was complied with
and when he had gotten us in his
room, he solemnly stated that they
needed money to run that campaign
and that there were two agents in the
state representing the national COM
mittee rounding up the office holders
and that ten per cent of our respective
| salaries was what he wanted, and he
| wanted it right then. He carried away
with him the next morning when he
| left the checks of each of us for the
amounts suggested. He told us moth
Il
! ing would be asked of McGourin "a
they were going to put him out wher
| his term expired.
We had also received instruction!
not to allow McGourin to be dele
| gate to the county or state conven'
tions. which order being duly received
was duly executed. Their score agains
! McGourin was an old one.
When Chubb became chairman ii
1898 the organization, then representa-
in Washington by Judge Long. has
advanced and supported the claims O
Major T. c. Weeks, a resident OF Tai
Iahassee. for the marshalship.
Organization Turned Down.
| went on to Washington in behal
of McGourin and after fight LASTING
= lnnth, was able with the assistance