The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-08-11
A SECOND FOLK.

last Tuesday for a well-earned anC
much-needed season Of rest from the
cares of his great Office.
This writer is not the only Florida
editor who has been watching the course
Of Mr.. Ellis with intense satisfaction,
as numerous references to him in their
columns from time to time have abun-
dainty testified; and many of our breth-
rem, as we happen to know, unite with
US the belief that he is made up Of the
same kind of material as the now IA
nous Folk of Missouri. Firm, yet
deliberate in his convictions, valiant
and fearless in the pursuance Of his
duty as he sees it-and he Usually sees
it aright-he gives promise of becom-
ing, at time when the qualities which
he has thus far so brilliantly displayed
are greatly needed, a real and much
feared terror to all evil-doers, and a
public official who can always be relied
upon to "stand for the right, no mat
ter who 1t hurts.
Compared with those who have been
his predecessors in the same Office for
the past sixteen years, Mr. Ellis can
lose nothing in the way of reputation.
One of these, knowing intimately the
uncompromising attitude of all of Flor
ida's Democratic governors - Drew,
Bloxham, Perry, Fleming and Mitchell
concerning the binding force of con-
tract under the seal of the State, exc
cuted in good faith by the executive
head of the State government, at time
when the struggle of the Democracy
with the worst lot of carpet-baggers
(save one) that any State was ever
cursed with, was scarcely ended, re-
manned in office for months after the
Indian war claim fund reached the State
treasury, consenting to the reputation
Of such contract, and thus helping a
corrupt administration to besmrch the
honor and sully the good name of Flor
ida by placing her among the repudi-
ators.
No one who knows Mr.. Ellis and who
has learned to like the manly way he
has of Striking out from the shoulder"
will ever believe him capable of initial
ing the example of another of his pred
ecessors, who went so far as to give an
official opinion against such contract
on the very day upon which he assumed
the duties of the Office, in response to a
written request dated three days before
he was commissioned; which opinion, as
he we'll knew or should have known,
was in direct conflict, not only with
those of every previous governor, law
officer and Legislature of the State,
but with a number of decisions of the
United States Supreme Court, and at
least one of our own supreme court.
Attorney General Ellis is one of the
hardest worked members of the State
administration. He asked the late Leg
islature to give him an assistant, prom
ising, if they would, that he could prop
erly transact all of the law business of
Tie OldJSJ anu ClluS dNOlu Tile lIlulbCIlill-
mate employment of special counsel,
which had so scandalized the Jennings
administration; but his very reasonable
request was refused. Notwithstanding
this, as one of the few real workers
who have occupied his official position
during the past thirty years, he will
come as near as the best of his prede-
cessors have ever done to the thorough
and complete performance of every duty
which the law imposes upon him. And
the people of Florida may hope from
him still greater things than this, if
any there can be.
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We do not care to pursue the history
and incidents of the Taylor case beyond
its present aspect, save as its circum-
stances may react upon future events,
but we cannot dismiss its discussion
from our columns without reproducing
the following expression from the able
pen Of Gen. f. M. Law, the new editor
Of the Barlow Courier-Informant:
The case of Walter l.. Taylor, who is
now serving a term of five years penal
servitude for assaulting Congressman
Lamar, and on whose behalf the ladies'
of Leon county recently presented pc
titiOn to the State Board of Pardons, is
attracting general attention throughout
the State. While we utterly condemn
the pistol-toting habit and believe it
should be severely punished in every
case that comes before the cOtlrts we