The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-08-02
Like a Comic Valentine

Hon. f. S. Matthews, speaker oil
the late House of Representatives
and editor of the Bradford County
Telegraph, sizes up the LEngle-
Knight controversy about right when
he says:
TO be brutally frank Peter O.
Knight and Claud L'Engle take
themselves too seriously and in turn
take one another too seriously. Peter
has an idea that all the railroads in
the state would be torn up root and
branch if he did not make his bien-
NAL visit to Tallahassee and Claud
just knows the octopus would run off
with the state if he were not on hand
every minute the legislature is in
session. They are honest in this.
Its the way with some people. But
as we said, they take themselves too
seriously. We are informed on what
appears to be good authority that the
legislature used to meet about every
two years before Peter or Claud ever
saw the red hills of old Leon, and
tradition has it that these meetings
got on moderately we'll with the af-'
fairs Of state minus the presence of
either of them.
The whole gist of the Suns story
was TO show that it was Claud and
Peter for it-CIaud and Peter, Peter
and Claud. Claud was good and
Peter was bad. The whole thing is
downright laughable, now isn't it?
Peter trying to get Claud out Of town
for a few days so he could run away
with the state and Claud standing
like stone wall against the wiles of
Peter is as comic as the best of the
colOred supplements.
The writer of these few lines was
more or less observant of matters as
they wObbled along during the last
session of the legislature and he
failed to see any great big chunks of
ice cut by either Claud or Peter. 1t
is generally understood, we believe,
that Peters efforts are directed at
the prevention of legislation affect
ing the corporations. The legisla-
ture passed bill placing a license
tax of $40 per mile on the railroads of
the state; also bill authorizing the
railroad commission to employ a
special attorney to enforce its orders;
and also a bill giving the commits
sion jurisdiction of the physical con-
dltlon of the railroads; also a bill
regulating charges of the express
companies in certain cases; also a
bill requiring the telegraph compan-
les toprOmptly deliver the kilograms.
This, we think, shows Peter up in
rather bad light. as Il preventer,
and while Gland no doubt felt keen
ly his responsibility as a "state saw
er" he also had an eye peeled for
Claud: What he was more particu-
larry interested in than In saving the |
state was the defeat of an amend |
ment to the state printing bill and
the enactment of an item in the APP
bill carrying an extra
five thousand "plunks" for public |
The one he wanted defeat |
ed was passed and the one he wanted |
passed was defeated. 1t necessarily |
follows that if Claud couldn't do "A |
better job at saving himself, he |
couldn't very well be an important |
factor in saving the state.
This plain illustration of their i'm |
in legislative matters should, /
We thihk convince the public that |
there is no occasion for concern .
about any controversy that may
arise between the two.
III it is true that Peter sent the tel. |
egrams in the case he was certainly |
for small game, and if Claud !
feared that Peter was about to ap-
the state to his own be-
hoot his fears We're not well founded
This state was really in no danger
from Peter.
But why pursue the subject? To