The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-04-06

who remember his services to the State
as Superintendent Of Public Instruction
will expect to see in him a legislator
who viii be heard from on something
else than ballots. He Is Of the sort who
would be likely TO represent his pro,
Rressive county and section fully and
thereby do the State great service
Times Union,
In the years past, the Hon. William
N. Sheats, even as a cabinet officer,
worked diligently, faithfully, honestly
and conscientiously for the upbuilding
and betterment Of education, along all
lines, and after a number Of years OF
the most faithful service went out of
Office an honest but poor man, finan-
cially speaking That he was opposed,
many times censured and resisted in his
efforts by many brother cabinet officers
who should have overlooked any simple
little faults that might have been char
acteristic Of the man himself, and been
given the fullest and greatest help that
he sOrely needed in generating great
matters in the education Of our youth,
many times the prejudice by his fellow
officers was carried 10 the Uery extremes
in 50 far that personal feeling against
Mr. Sheats by those who should have
sustained and helped him, was painful,
We have Often-times, as "A newspaper
man, in the good old days Of honest
government, had honest differences of
opinion with him in connection with
official and few private matters, but
have at all times found him courageous,
open, frank, honest, and a .fghter Jor
,Chdt he cOncciued 10 be- right, and that
always 20 the bitter end, and on that
platform we believe he would fight TO
the death. AS TO what happened dur
ing the last campaign, the charges,
cuunter-charges, the election Of his
with him and the present Superintend'
ent, we have not one word TO say, for
we believe the Hon. w. NJ Holloway is
doing his very best to keep the standard
Of school affairs up to the top notch,
and in the shape his predecessor turned
them over to him, and to improve them
il he can; that after all that has hap
pened. and after all that was done TO
start him off under a cloud, he is now
conscientOusly striving to faithfully
perform the duties Of his department of
State government But it is not now
our purpose TO throw bOquets at, or
censure either OF these Florida states
men, our only regret being that they
ever had difference, or passed harsh
word in their campaign, and that the
Wolf Mistake MISUNDERSTANDING
was ever perpetrated on our long suf-
fering public. That's past history, and
we care nothing for it. Our aim now is
to show that the services Of William N.
Sheats are needed, in the interest Of
the whole people Of Florida, as a mem
Der of the next Legislature, in that he
has experience and knowledge of af-
fairs that is of the deepest interest to
the whole people of the State of Flor
ida, and that If he is elected as a repre-
sentative from AlaChua county, he will
take hand in Investigations and ac-
tions that will clear the cloud from the
fair name Of the State of Florida No
man ever held a position connected
with our State government, who had
a, many opportunities to make money
on the side, politely called graft, but
after all plain stealing, than did he, in
putting up jobs in school books, etc,
but being the man he is, with his share
Of human faults, he turned down and
treated with contempt all such thieving
propositions, and after years Of faithful
public service went out Of office, a
much wiser, but faithful and honest
man for he Went oct poor. Men, all.
may have their peculiar personal eccen-
trctics and countless little human
faults. and il is a very common thing
for many of US to err unintentionally
and make mistakes Mr.. Sheats may
have had his faults. but il is extremely
gratifying TO his friends to know that
ne was honest in his official career in
this State, and he is yet and always
will be loved and honored in Florida for
II. IAN honest man Is the noblest
work Of God. " and he is, strictly speak