Newspaper Page Text
Wilcox Announces
- His Candidacy
. And Sets Forth His Platform.
I HEREBY ANNOUNCE
MYSELF A CANDIDATE
FOR RE-ELECTION TO THE
LOWER HOUSE OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
GEORGIA, SUBJECT TO OUR
COMING PRIMARY. 1
If I live to serve as Irwin’s
representative, I expect, during
the first ten days of the next
session of our general assembly, ‘
to pass my extreme high license
bill, and at the same time I ex
pect to pass a bill repealing
Ocilla’s dispensary law. Imme
diately thereafter I expect to
pass the New County bill, with
Fitzgerald as the county site.
Under the existing laws, the
new county at Fitzgerald, if
created, could be voted back wet,
and would be unless the prohi
bitionists would go out and buy
votes in the same way that liquor|
men do in such elections. |
Up to last Saturday quite a
number of prohibitionists had
hoped that Dr. E. J. Dorm'm_g{
would agree to carry extreme
ist. $20,000.00 license to re
tail spirituous or malt liauors
in Irwin county, and at the same
time repeal Ocilla’s dispensary
law.
2ad. New County for Fitz
gerald, whether I am elected or
defeated.
3d. s2o,ooo.oolicense for New
County, with Fitzgerald as the
county site. ‘
4th, Australian Ballot system
for the City of Fitzgerald.
Ssth Australian Ballot system
for state, which will mean less
fraud in electioms. |
6th. Better system of giving
in taxes, so that the poor will not
pay more than their just pro
portion of taxes.
7th. State prohibition, or the
anti-jug law, either of which
would reduce crime and poverty
in our commonwealth.
Bth., A law to disfranchise
practically all the buyable negro
vote, and yet not take the ballot
away from a single white man,
even though he does not know
A from B. Alabama has sucha
law.
9th. An equal divisien of the
public school fund, so that each
race shall receive back as near
as possible the amount paid in.
10th. Elect our railroad com
missioners by the people.
11th. Anti-Pass Bill, so that
we who pay now will not be com
pelled to pay for those who don’t
high license into the new county,
provided he was elected and our
new county was created. At one
time during the day Dr. Dor
miny and his friends had about
agreed to acceed toour demands,
but just at that stage of the}
game a certain man came up and
said, ‘“Don’t make them a d—d
promise,’” and they did not.
Now, Dr. Dorminy and I are
related and have always been and
are still warm personal friends,
and I exceedingly regret the
state of affairs that has brought
about this race. However, rather
than have as our representative!
a man who could be infiuenced;
by others, I have decided to offer
myself for re-election.
During last week it was ru
mored that I might run again,
‘anda certain Fitzgerald citizen
remarked, “If Mr. Wilcox gets
\into this race against Dr. Dor
miny, he will be defeated if it
’takes Ten Thousand Dollars to
doit.” Dr. Dorminy was pres
‘ent when this remark was made
MY PLATFORM.
pay, thereby “allowing railroads|
to charge two cents per mile and
yet make more than they do now.
13th. The Child Labor Bill,
which will stop cotton mill men
from working seven, eight and
nine-year-old ckildren in their
factories twelve long hours per
day. :
15th. Cigarette Law, which
will save many of our boys from
diseased minds and bodies and
premature deaths.
- I also pledge myself to vote
and work for any other bene
ficial measure. |
I wish to call the attention of
‘the citizens of Fitzgerald to the‘
fact that while Fitzgerald proper}
thas not given me a majority in
either of my prior races, I havel
secured for you all the remedlal
legislation you have gotten dur
ing the past six years, thus re-}
turning to you good for evil.
When I went to the senate, six
years ago, your city tax rate was
above twenty dollars per thous
and. I amended your city char
ter, limiting your— tax rate so
’that it could not exceed ten dol
lars per thousand, except in case
of disaster. Since that time you
have as many childrea in your
free schools and your city gov
ernment has been quite as well
managed as when you paid twice
as much per thoogand. I pass:zd
the bill which made it lawful to
sell you;\city property for taxes
and uttered no protest against
this proposed violation of law.
Now I happen to know that man
and neither he nor Dr. Dorminy
have $lO,OOO of their own to
spend in corrupting the ballet,
therefore, if the money is forth
coming, the liquor® men or the
corporatipns will in all prob
ability have to get it up.
I beg tQ say that I have not
one dollar with which to buy
lvotes, but I have, and now offer,
$5,000.00 reward for the arrest’
!and conviction of any person
‘who‘ buys, or offers to buy, votes
id our next primary. $500.00 for
the first arrest and $lOO.OO each
for every other arrest and con
viction, until the $5,000.00 are
exhaustéd.
It is rumored that money to
}corrupt the ballot has dlrerdy
commegced to change hands, not
a thousand miles frdm Fitzgez
ald, and I will See if I can’t have
Pinkerton’s forée, or Wm. Moore
of Atlanta, pick up some of the
gorruptors even before election
ay.
before your city hall, instead of
having to drive ten miles to the
county site.
I also. secured for you your
long looked for City Court bill,
which not only saves the time
and money of our citizens, but
has greatly reduced vagrancy
and crime in our midst.
Now Fitzgerald is overly anx
ious for a new county. As your
representative, I have the bill
under good headway. It is fa
vorably reported, has been read
a second time and is ready for
passage in the House. With
my cousin as senator from this
district, and with the aid of those
who favor this bill, it certainly
ought to pass.
Now it does strike me that if
the Fitzgerald voters at all ap
preciate what I have donme and
am still doing for them, they
would rally to my standard and
vote for me to a man, with the
exception of the liquor people,
thugs, gamblers and such other
characters.
I am told that my opponent,
Dr. Dorminy, refused last year
to sign your petition for the New
County, and you have probably
noticed that he has never yet
isaLid through the papers that he
is now 1n favor of our getting a
new county.
Yours, bound to win,
B. E. WiLcox,