The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-06-03

Presided-Lolied in a Rocking Chair
and Cracked Peanuts During Ses-
sions-If Elected, Will be Obligated
to Whisky Ring.
When General Gichrist was speak
or of the house of 1905 it was the
most chaotic body ever known in
Florida legislation. 1t was hard for
anybody TO know what was going on.
General Gilchrist sat in a rocking
cl air as he presided. He welded
large palm leaf fan nOnchalantly and
cracked peanuts in accompaniment to
his absent knowledge of what was go
ing on. / saw this with my own eyes.
The house over which General Gill
christ presided was just like General
Gilchrist--loOse-j ointed vague, indie
tel inmate, nebulous and uncertain, it
CROPPED it's way through the mazes of
le gislation without a guiding hand in
a lazy, hazy way lacking purpose or
power: soft clay In the hands of the
Il gislative manipulative potters.
As speaker of the house Of 1905
General Gilchrist had an opportunity
tc show executive ability, if he had
any. Since he failed to do so it must
b" concluded that he had none. He
failed utterly in the speakers chair
to give a CLEAN of intellectual appre-
cation Of what the place meant, and
he would fail more cOnSummately in
the office Of governor-the size and
extent of his failure in the office of
governor would be measured in the
same proportion which measures the
office Of governor above that of the
SPEAKER.
Public men are judged by what they
have done after they have been tried
cut. General Gilchrist has had a trial
and has failed. He lacks the proper
sense Of public duty; he lacks ability
and force; he lacks dignity Remem-
Der the rocking chair, the palm leaf
ian and the peanuts-and don't forget
the monkeys.
When GilchriSt was a member Of
the house in 1903, he sat in his chair
with his feet on his desk, and smoked
end ate peanuts while the house was
in session. He was considered almost
az big a nuisance as Wells of Hills
borO, when he left off resting his feet,
smoking and popping peanuts long
enough to interfere with legislation by
yropounding the constitution and rails
Ing frivolous parliamentary questions.
Aside from his lack of fitness for
the position Of governor, General Gill
christ is in the hands of the SPECIAL
INTERESTS. These are the WHISKY
AND CORPORATION INTERESTS.
PROHIBITION IS NOT AN ISSUE
that General Gilchrist is being sup
Ported strongly and extensively by
the whisky men is evidence that the
whisky men have some point to gain;
something that they want done by the
man who occupies the office Of gov
ernOr
If General Gilchrist is elected gov
ernor HE WILL BE ELECTED BY
THE WHISKY VOTE.
A prohibitionist in the office Of gov
ernOr cannot make the state dry, and
whisky man in the office of COVER
nor cannot make the state wet, but
A governor who owes his election
to the whisky interests will do their
bidding when the time arrives for him
to act; a governor owing his election
to the whisky men would exercise his
personal and official influence on the
me mbers of the legislature in shap-
iEg legislatiOn; a governor owing his
election to a special interest would
be obligated to protect that interest
il occasion came for him to determine
a question that placed that special in
terest in Jeopardy.
These things are true on the face of
them. The people are not supposed
to know that Gilchrist is being back
ed by the whisky ring. Gilchrist can
get up and disclaim that he is the
whisky candidate; it isn't likely that
he would admit it. He can cover the
charge partly by saying that he is a
candidate Of all the people, and wants
the vote Of them, be they whisky deal
ers or not General iGilchrist is not
obligated to know what the whisky
men are doing to elect him, and he
may say with some truth that he
doesn't know.
1t is reported that the whisky men
have contributed a large sum to the
Cilchrist campaign fund. If General
Gilchrist is not to be of service to the
whisky men in the office of governor,
why should they contribute to his
election? Why should they be inter-
ested in his success? No reason at
ALL.
If General Gilchrist should be elect
ed he would owe his election to the
whisky men,. The enforcement of laws
is already lax. Gilchrist, in standing
fo1 whisky, STANDS FOR A MORE
LAX ENFORCEMENT of whisky
laws.