The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-09-15
DEFENDS The COMMITTEE.
Non. D. q. Irvine aeplsoS e the
SSsi6entoWa HeESla's crstiesS0-
'.Home Rulon q Demoeestle
PsiaeiplO.

''noms Rulo" q Oemoeeatie
Principle.
| 70 the Editor of the Ocala Banner:
The Braidentown Herald's article
| appearing in the last issue of your
Weekly seems decidedly more of a
denunciation than a criticism of the
Marion county democracy and the ex-
| ecutive committee for its censure of
Governor Broward.
| Whoever the Herald man may be,
his presumpuious misstatements would
indicate that he was a much more
questionable specimen of Florida
democrat than those be attempts to
ridicuie. Except to delude, no prop
erly informed democrat would ever
] confuse state constitutional provisions
! with party law, or question the right
OF local self government.
! Home rule' is the cornerstone of
! democratic faith-the principle is set
forth in the constitution and state
laws as far they could properly go,
and is emphasized in our party law.
! The Reconstruction" constitution of
F; 1865 made every officer in the state
appointive except governor, ieuten-
ant governor and constables. The
Quincy convention of 1876, perhaps
the most able and patriotic political
assemblage ever held in the state,
composed of such men as Baker,
Bioxham, Call, Cooper, Daniels, Dog
gett, Fleming, Maxwell, Pasco, Perry,
Walker, Raney, Hartridge, Bionnt
and that class from every section, de-
termined to rescue the state from the
iniquities of the reconstruction gov
eminent, after thorough considera-
ton of this undemocratic appointive
provision Of the constitution. inserted
clause in the platform pledging the
nominee for governor, George F.
Drew, to make all appointments
through the endorsement of the re-
spective party organizations This
platform provision we believe has
been reaffirmed by every succeeding
state convention, including the last
Jacksonville convention which inaug-
Urated the primary election. 1t has
been recognized from one end of the
state TO the other and from long usage
and the ''home rule" principle in
volved, may be classed as 1.-THE party
law of laws
No properly informed Florida dem
ocrat should question the right of
every county and locality to say who
they want to serve them, and just as
much for lad interim" appointments
as by regular elections.
Until Governor Jennings admins
ton We never heard of any violation,
except in one instance by Governor
| BloXham, and that was done through
representation by the county repre-
sentives in the legislature which was
then in session, and the appointment
WAS subsequently endorsed.
The resolutions OF the executive
committee. were therefore very proper
and contained no expression that
could be classed as gratuitously Of
fensive. 1t was the only proper me.
dunn for making public protest.
The only fault OF the committees
work was that they did not go fur
{ Their and pass much stronger resolu-
lions against any and every candidate
and the party friends who ignored the
party organization by applying direct
to the governor for the appointment.
There were ten or twelve aspirants
all men of good standing and pre-
sumably well qualified to ill the posi-
! tion-but the majority of them, re-
speeding the party usage, looked to
the party to make the decision and
were thereby deprived of all oppor-
tunity to submit their claims. And
We affirm without hesitancy that THE
MANNER OF THE APPOINTMENT WAS A
VIOLATION OF PARTY LAW, effecting