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trait which is shy is that of one of the gubernatorial
aspirants, and it is peculiarly interesting to Geor
gians to note that his name is Browne (final “e,”
please.) Not Joseph AL. but Jefferson B. this time.
It ('an be stated without reserve that there is no
conspiracy between the Browne and Brown families
with regard to personal isolation. There may be an
agreement in restraint of photography in the States
of Florida and Georgia, but Browne of Florida cir
culates. He is seen with great frequency and is
heard just as often on the stump. It is possible that
his boycott of the printing engraver’s art is inter
state, not intrastate, which would mark a decided
distinction between himself and his Georgia contem
porary, according to the allegations of Hoke Smith
boosters.
Nevertheless, Browne -is hereby warned that,
until he sends his features across the State line, he
is open to suspicion of being the hotspur of the Flor
ida campaign. As well look for ferocity in the face
of the three-months lamb as search for that element
in the phizs of the six candidates we have pictures
of.
The Reason suspects that the Morning News’
Tallahassee correspondent is a woman, because the
dispatch reads like a communication from a member
of the gentler sex, minus the postscript. All men
know that it is characteristically feminine to leave
all the “meat” of a letter to be carried in the post
script. A woman may deal charminglv in glittering
generalities over twenty-four pages of letter paper,
zig-zagged and criss-crossed, without revealing a
suspicion of her innermost thoughts, and then in a
three-line postscript, tell you more than is contained
in the Story of the Creation. From Florida's Capi
tal comes the big billet-doux, but by reason of haste,
or for some other cause, the postscript was omitted.
No male could, without conceit, tackle the job of
supplying the postscript of a woman’s letter. But
perhaps the Tallahassee scribe is a man, after all,
and sent his story as the first chapter of a serial, off
which was left the “Continued in our next’’ line.
For the benefit of impatient persons, who would
rather not wait, a synopsis of the second chapter, as
it should be written, is attempted below.
lake up a map ol the United States and the pupil
in primary geography will find, in a southeasterly
direction from Georgia, a sort of elongated, funnel
shaped protuberance, resembling somewhat the
snout of the Thanksgiving Day gobbler. That is
Florida. \\ hen the Atlantic and Gulf waters hewed
the outlines of that curious state they, in common
with the rest of nature's forces, were ignorant of the
fact that Georgia’s prohibition law was foreordained
tor 1907. Otherwise, these powers would have so
wrought that the small end of the funnel had been
directed Georgi awa r d.
THE REASON
Furthermore, if the Spaniards who christened as
Florida this vermiform appendix on the anatomy of
the United States, had been gifted to see three or
four hundred years into the future, they would have
chosen more appropriately the name of Flagler in
lieu of Florida. However, this lack of foresight is
not important now that the two names have become
synonymous. Florida is Flagler and Flagler is Flor
ida. one and indissoluable. True, there are a few
patches of orange groves here and there about the
State not recorded in the deed books under Flagler’s
name, but this is inconsequential by reason of the
fact that the products have to go over Flagler’s rail
roads and Flagler’s men fix the freight rates.
The most convincing illustration to the outsider
of the complete political Flaglerization of Florida
came three or four years ago. Mr. Henry Al. Flag
ler married a great many years ago and he and his
wile grew old together. Mrs. Flagler helped her
husband to accumulate an immense fortune. Her
best aid was. of course, rendered during his early
struggles, when assistance was most valuable. The
wife aged in the process, and under the stress of
early toil and an accumulation of years, the fresh
ness of youth departed and -with it went many of
her charms and graces of person. But Airs. Flagler
looked forward with confidence to passing the even
ing of her life in ease and comfort, a condition made
possible by her husband's stupendous success in bus
iness and finance. Her tastes were simple, her re
quirements few and inexpensive.
Whatever the years did to Henry AL Flagler’s
physical person, they bore lightly upon his spirit,
and his desires for the good things, the luxuries, the
flesh-pot accessories of life, which wealth brought
within his reach, abated not at all, but seemingly
grew with the access of years. He had yachts and
loved long cruises and gay companions. In this set
ting Airs. Flagler did not fit, and finally it was re
ported she was unbalanced in mind. It is not on rec
ord that any great alienist was called to attend the
aged lady,' notwithstanding that Air. Flagler’s
wealth admitted of his commanding the services of
every expert on mental diseases on the face of the
earth.
Airs. Flagler was taken to an asylum, or retreat
lor the insane, and there kept in strict seclusion.
It was not long thereafter that it came out that
Air. Flagler, now more than seventy years old. had
become enamored of a young woman of twenty-six,
residing near Wilmington, N. C. The North Caro
lina maiden “reciprocated” and was willing to be
come Airs. Flagler No. 2. But there was Airs. Flag
ler No. 1 still in the flesh, albiet, according to Flag
ler officials and Flagler physicians, not in possession
of hei mental faculties, and a second Flagler marri
age would be legally called bigamy.