The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-09-24
X X X X X X X X X X X X X HMM
OPEN SEASON FOR BUNK. y
By Claude L'Engle.
i y Xx*w*x* " X *xxxX n

= While it cannot be said that there
any close season for bunk, this is tn
n time of year when our large man,
/ lecturers of this universal America
: product initiate their lungs and the
s imaginations for high speed perform
e ance. By our large manufacturers
mean those who never shut dow
such as, congressman, promoter.
E Wall street, Leagues, uplift societie.
automobile makers, newspaper mer
p Mayors, Governors, millionaire phil
. anthropists, and Chambers of Com
merce. But now we will have with u
what may be called "seasonable bun
pushers," aroused to periodical &C
: tivity, and largely increasing the out
, put. These spasmodic but speedy lit
, tie workers include politicians, candi
, dates, transportation men, colleg
sport writers, good roads clubs, an,
. theatrical press agents. With all O
our bunk factories working full time
when we crave a little quiet CONVEX
sation we'll have to go to Sunda,
school, or if we want to read some
thing that won't keep us guessing al
the time, we'll have to hunt up the
old blue back speller, or sit on the
floor with Webster's unabridged.
One reason why bunk is so plentiful
is that its production requires neither
labor, brains, nor information. The
other reason is that it requires no
mental exercise to listen to it or to
read it. 1t only requires memory
and medium of expression to get
into the bunk producing class. If
you are an orator you talk about
"Our Countrywide Grandest the Sun
Ever Shone On" If you are a Con-
gresham you tear off a few about
THE Development of Our Rivers and
Harbors-the Road to National
Wealth" If you are real estate or
transportation man you talk about
Increased Values of Land in The
Near Future" or "The Biggest Tray
ell Ever This Season. as the case
may be. We all know these old relia-
bles and the others like these in bunk
bearing power used by our bunk ar
lists, each choosing according to his
taste, occupation, purpose, or predilic-
ton. We are used to them and we
would miss them if we heard or saw
them no more.
Just to illustrate how easy it is -
put the bunk across let US take the
case of the political forester who
talks or writes six months or a yeqr
before election day. Without the
slightest knowledge or conjunction.
this old boy will rear back and say
something like this: while Green and
Brown have strong following, and
White has many influential supper
ters, Black is the leading candidate
for Governor This brand of bunk
we will see or hear almost daily from
now until June. 1t is the purest bunk
of all, as anyone can see by giving
the matter minutes thought. |
There are more than fifty thousand
votes cast in the Democratic primary.
Of these fifty thousand, not five thous- /
ard have, at this early day, said how
they will vote for Governor or any
other office. We can figure each
candidate with certain number of I
trends who will vote for him, but
his number is small. The great
mass of voters have not been heard |
rom and will not be heard from until
he votes are counted. There is no
way on earth to figure how half the
'oters will vote, unless you want to
make guess, and yours is about as
good as another mans.
There are no leading candidates"
t1n+ e. -
very man has an equal chance, where 1
he people think for themselves and i
make up their minds after hearing ev
rv mans claims and promises. There
will be a leading candidate when the Il
cunt is going on, and all attempts 4
o tag him before the inspectors tai I;
Y sheet gets the little black marks
N it, are as futile as trying to scoop
noonshine off barn door with a crab i
,et.
To illustrate further the ease with i
which political bunk is dispensed, sup |
'ose | should up and say: "Some say {
hat Hudson is the leading candidate
or Governor but | say he is Knott;
nd as Farris know Cats will come
Up to the scratch and make the fur
~" This would be bunk of the rank {
st kind, but if somebody prints it i
nd other somebodies read and repeat s
t, the foundation is laid for some |
wise boy to make a prediction of the {
esult next June, despite the fact that II
he race is vet young, the field wide I
pen for added starters, and four
ifths of the voters have their powerS
ul minds fixed on such things as
hoes for the baby, fuel for the kitch-
n stove, and bacon and grits for the ,
amily table.
Even as wise and solemn a man as
!. X. Taylor sometimes finds himself ,
fielding to the bunk pushing habit in :
he rare intervals Of rest between car !
oons. Last Sunday we were discuss ,
ng the gasoline propelled tour of one
y. A. Wood, who wants the people to l
edition the Governor to call an extra =
legislative session to change the law !
rom fees to salaries for all our coun-
Y otiiclals-and without minutes
Warming TAYLOR said that he wondered :
the county officials saw Wood first !
would they cut Wood afterwards. 81 !
-ou see the bunk habit is catching and
ou had better look out. !
A Disturbing sound.