The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-03-08
LETTER FROM MR.. L'ENcLE
Jacksonville, March /, 1912

Jacksonville, March /, 1912.
To the Editor Ocala Banner:
I note in one of your recent issues
that you say that there was no neces
sity for my saying in letter recently
printed in the Pensacola Journal, that
voted against Mr.. Blount, and did
everything could to defeat him, and
was proud of it.
There was necessity for my saying
this, which arose from the criticism
that was made upon me for doing this
very thing by the Pensacola News
This was SO plainly an attempt to
prejudice people against me by re
ferring to my fight on Mr.. Blount
that ! could do no less than to tell
the people again why | was against
Mr.. Blount when he sought to repre-
sent the people in the United States
senate
said in my letter to the Pensacola
Journal that the reason why / oppos.
ed Mr.. Blount was because / did not
consider that man who had repre-
sented the special interests for thirty
years would represent the people as
well as man who was not so long
and so closely identified with the spe,
cial interests. | had nothing to say
about Mr.. Blount as a citizen, but as
a possible representative of the PEG.
pie | was against him, and am against
all people of his training and affilia-
ton. Railroads have the right to EN-.
ploy men to represent them, but
these men should not seek to repre-.
sent the people until they have been
disassociated with the railroad inter.
ests long enough to be able to look
at public questions from other than
the railroad standpoint.
beg leave to differ with you when
you say that Mr.. Blount is a demo
crat of the untinctured and unterri
fed variety. He is not this kind of a
democrat, because, during all of his
life he has not thought for the PEG.
pie, and democracy means for all of
the people.
| have never sought to escape from
any position that l believe to be the
right one, so when the Pensacola
News invited it, told the people. that
| opposed Mr. Blount and did every
thing | could to defeat him, just as
have opposed and helped to defeat
others whom I thought not to be the
best qualified to represent the PEG
pie. Very truly yours,
CLAUDE L'ENGLE.
Reply.
This paper may be wrong but it
still thinks Candidate L'Engle was
wanting in tact in announcing that
he voted against Mr.. Blount with the
further declaration that he was
pround of it.
1t further thinks that he is wanting
in tact in sitting in judgment upon
Mr.. Blount's democracy. 1t does not
believe that the creed of the demo.
cratic party shuts out from it's ranks
all who may accept employment
from railroad companies, telegraph
companies, express companies and
other corporations of the country,
and If these men are permitted
to parade in it's ranks and vote in
its elections, they should not be de-
MED its privileges and emoluments.
In essence it is the same as "tax-
alton without representation"
Then, too, the average voter does
not believe that high-minded man
would be improperly influenced in his
public life because as lawyer one of
his clients happened to be a corpora
ton any more than he would be i'm
properly influenced on the side of
crime because another one of clients
happened TO De malefactOr or some
description.
This paper does not believe that
Mr.. Blount's friends are ready to ac-
cept Candidate L'Engle's definition
of that gentleman's democracy and it
believes that the imputation he places
upon it will be resented at the polls.
This paper may be wrong but it
thinks that Candidate LEngle is gull
ty of a blunder
Mr.. Blount is not a candidate
for office, he has taken no public
part in the campaign and he has the
right to be unmolested.