The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-05-05
CAPITALIZING
PREJUDICE
orlando Reporter star.

No candidate who attempts to cap
ltalize the prejudices of the people
should be elected. It doesn't matter
what direction the prejudice may
take. If it is prejudice and a candi-
date plays upon and magnifies it for
the purpose of turning votes away
from some certain other candidate
and turning votes to himself, he may
be written down as unworthy of con-
fldence ard support. He may be ever
so talentei and gifted otherwise, but
this one alteration proclaims him to
lack proper balance. We might put
II even stronger, and say that a per-
son who resorts to such tactics to
gain votes is not in the strictest
sense honest. The first impulse of an
honest man when he sees a voter
preJudiced against a certain candidate
on account of his religious belief and
the honest man knows that the voter
has been misinformed in such regard
it becomes his duty as a sincere per
son to do what he can to correct the
erroneous impression.
We are beginning the last month
OF the campaign, for the primary
comes early in June, and but little
more than thirty days will elapse be-
fore the viii of the people is express
ed at the ballot box. During this
month it is only reasonable to expect
to see many appeals to the prejudices
of the voters. The fact is that such
appeals have already begun. In a PEN
sacola paper appears an advertise
ment IN behalf of Albert w. Gilchrist
which Is headed: mo Blount Man
Can Vote for Nathan P. Bryan" PEN
sacola is the home of Mr.. Blount, who
was defeated six years ago by Nathan
T. Bryan. The reason, as given in
this advertisement, why no Blount
man can vote for Bryan is that let
ter was issued in the former cam
paign by the secretary of the Anti
Saloon league in favor of Bryan and
against Blount, which had great
weight with the voters and did Blount
great injustice. General Gilchrist
knows he is doing Senator Bryan
great injustice by issuing such an adj
vertisement. Senator Bryan, before
an audience in Orlando, disclaimed
any knowledge Of the letter before it
was sent out, and he should not be
held accountable for It. By printing
such an advertisement in Mr.. Blount's
home town, General Gilchrist is max
ing Pm appeal to prejudice, which is
unworthy of hin-for upon the whole
he is an honest and honorable gentle
man. He should not permit himself
to be led away from the course he
would pursue If he did not have SEN
ator Bryan to deal with as the chief
obstacle to the realization of his am
bition.
! Likewise is Governor TrammelI
guilty of making an appeal to preiu-
dice of another kind when he makes
referesee to the religious test reso-
lutions which were passed by the
state committee and were subsequent
ly repealed. The governor claims
that he led the movement to secure
the repeal of the obnoxious resolu-
tons; that to allow them to stand
would have created division in the
ranks of democrats; that the repeal
was accomplished in the interests of
harmony. If this is true, why does
the governor continue to dig up the
corpse of the dead resolutions and
make a great "niration" over them {?
If he killed them, as he says he did.
why does he wish to resurrect them {?
1t is plainly an appeal to prejudice,
and should be discounted as such.
There is but one candidate in the
race for senator who Is making his
appeal directly to the reason and com
mon sense of the people. He is a
plain man, of the people himself, and
has no frills to faunt or boast of,
and he makes no pretense whatever.
This man is Nathan P. Bryan.