The Ocala evening star., 1915-09-01
BLOXHAM MEN DENY
STORY ABOUT BOOZE

STORY ABOUT BOOZE
Three prominent citizens of Blox- /
ham, Messrs. L. c.. Hester and Shelton /
Phillips of Williston and w. o. Brew
er of Romeo, were in Ocala Tuesday. |
They were very sore on the Star, be-
cause of its printing the story last
week that Bloxham leaders were try
ing to delude the negro voters in
their precincts by promising them
that if Bloxham was created it should
be wet county.
1t happened that this worthy trio
met a citizen who knew them, and
also knew the Star much better than
they did. He advised them to go and
see the Star, and they took his ad-
vice. They called on the Star and the
Star was glad to see them, and they
had short but pleasant session and
a heart to heart talk.
The three gentlemen assured the
Star that neither they individually
nor the campaign committee of Blox-
ham had ever made any such promise
to the negroes, and the Star willing
ly accepts their statement. From
what the Star knows of Messrs. Hes
ter, Phillips, Brewer and other lead
ing citizens of "Bloxham," it doesn't
believe they would stoop to such dis
reputable tactics.
At the same time, it must be re-
membered that some hundreds of
"Bloxham" citizens are working for
the creation of the new county. Some
of them are not as scrupulous as the
gentlemen who visited the Star Tues
day, and some of them have undoubt-
edly spread this wet story among the
negroes. Some of the negroes have
given information of this inducement
held out to them to a number of rep
utable white citizens of Northwest
Marion, and they passed the infor-
nation on to the Star. Of course the
men who have used these disreputa-
BILE tactics will receive the merited
contempt of the better men on both
sides.
Politics is a game, and a rough
game, but the Star tries to play ac-
cording to the rules. 1t never makes
any statements unless they have a
fair amount of probability behind
them. If it does a political opponent
an injustice, it is always ready to
correct and apologize if necessary.
'Bloxham" can't say the same
thing. 1t has made number of mis-
statements about Marion, has not
corrected any of them, and we doubt
that it will.
To begin with its principal argu-
ment against Marion has been that
county money was used for work on
OcalaS streets. This statement was
not only untruthful but absurd. It's
falsity is proven by the records. But
"Bloxham" orators repeat it at every
opportunity.
Then there is that story about
bonding the county for canal from
Silver Springs to Ocala. It was
created by "Bloxham" man for a
purpose, and has been worked for
that purpose ever since.
We asked Messrs. Hester, Phillips
and Brewer about the canal story.
They said they obtained it from re-
port in the Ocala papers of Board
OF Trade meeting. We gently called
their attention to the fact. that a
"Bloxham" man had given the story
to the Gainesville Sun and had it
telegraphed to other papers in the
state ten days before the said Board
of Trade meeting had been held. We
also assured them that as a member
of the Board of Trade and of the
canal commission the Star knew to a
certainty that such a thing as bond
ing the county to cut the canal had
never been considered or even
thought of.
We wonder if Messrs. Hester, Phil
lips and Brewer are going to be as
fair to the Star as the Star has been
to them, and announce that the
stories of work on Ocala streets be-
ing paid for with county money, and
of Marion county being bonded for
the Silver Springs canal, were made
by irresponsible parties and there is
no truth in them. If any Marion
county man hears Messrs. Hester,
Phillips or Brewer handing out such
a line of talk, will he please notify
the Star right away.
A Star reporter spoke to Capt.