The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-12-04
CORRECTING THE OTHER HALF
OF READERS CLAIMS

Editor Star: Thanks for the invi-
tation TO come again, also for the
bouquet have accomplished the
purpose / had in view that OF letting
your readers know that the prOsecu-
ton OF Tom Watson is a Roman Cath
Ollie prosecution, and would have
nothing more TO say but for your as
sertion that I was not even half right.
To fall short of fifty per cent Is humiI-
iating, and must, IL possible, be rem
edied. Let us see: with one exception,
you simply refuse to accept the testi-
mony, you do not rebut it; court Of
law would give a verdict in my favor.
You say: I'm his statement about the
alleged obscene matter being publish
ed I'm Latin he has given only half the
truth 1 had reference to the actual
Indictment, and was not undertaking
to catalogue other misdemeanOrs or
felonies for which he could or should
be indicted; that he was indicted for
mailing Latin quotations and not for
any comments in English. L have the
Associated Press dispatches wherein
IL is stated that at the preliminary
trial, it was pleaded as a defense that
the matter complained of was in the
Latin language and overruled. He may
be guilty in several languages, but l
take 1t that he is indicted only for the
Latin; so you ought to allow me more
than so per cent on this. 1t was not
particularly as his defender that L
threw my hat in the ring. He writes
many things for which he will have to
defend himself, for / cannot; it was
more on the theory or principal Of
giving the devil his due. Watson is
Ill h. %
advertising, but wants all the facts
stated, which L think is not unreason-
able.
AS to that Latin, barring one or two
words, which are also used in English,
/ will read it in polite company, pro-
vided all assure me that they know
no more Of Latin than l do. None of
us would know when or where to
blush. You offer to sit in little game
with me as to our respective knOwl-
edge Of the Catholic priesthood. Nix.
you get none of my coin on a game like
that, 1 would not be able to take
single. trick.
Your estimation Of Watson is good.
He undoubtedly is a very able man,
capable of doing and has done much
good, but his bitter extremes nullify
much Of the good. l have read his
publications for the past four years
and have agreed with him in the main
l rejoiced In the fight he made for I'm
derwood as 1 was an enthusiastic
supporter of Underwood, but when
Wilson got the nomination, | supported
the ticket cheerfuIly and just a little
financially for which you can vouch.
and think Mr.. Watson should have
done the same, but when he bOlted the
ticket on such a puerile and fimsy
pretext we parted company, politically
at least. After living on political
husks for twenty years, he returned to
his fathers house, but before we
could put rings on his fingers, shoes on
his feet or kill the fatted calf, he
again flew the coop, and like an
Ishmael, wandered off in the political
wilderness, headed somewhat toward
moosedom. To finish the parable: Like
that elder brother, l was voting the
democratic ticket when he took his
things and left, and continued faithful
In the fathers service during his wan
derings, yet have had no rings on my
fingers, no shoes on my feet. and do
not know the taste of veal Reader.
III our friend Reader will peruse his
copy OF the Star, containing the ar
ticle that first awakened his wrath, he
will find that it criticised Watson for
the general indecency of his publica-
ton, and not for the Latin reprint.
The Star would not criticise Watson
for reprinting any amount of Latin,
which Is one of the ornamental and
unnecessary studies in our high
schools. Not more than half those who
study it do so with any understanding,
and about 80 per cent forget it in a
year or so after graduation, so Wat
son might print the DEVILS mass in it
without much peril to common de-
cency.
We do not know whether the gov
eminent will prosecute Watson for his
comments or not. If 1T does and does
not convict him, the Star will not be
afraid to run the Decameron of Boo
cacio as a serial story.
We daresay the Catholic church has
something to do with the prosecution
of Watson. The Methodists or Bap-
lists would prosecute him if he had
assailed them in such a manner.
All churches look alike to the editor
of the Star-he doesn't belong to any,
and has friends in all-fewer proba-
bly, In the Catholic than in any other
great denomination. We criticised
Watson for indecency and not for sac
rilege. We read Watson's comments,
and some other stuff in the same issue,
and We saw number of other harden
ed old sinners read IT and grin over it.
but not one Of them would have put it
In the hands of a woman he respected
or his boy, IL he had one, or any other
mans boy. And that is a mighty acid
test of anything.
Any man who has made a study of
history and literature-and by this we
do not mean the school histories and
the very excellent literature that has
been prepared by scholars for general
information-but the older and more
original history and literature from
which most of our present day books
are compiled-know that Watson has
been not only dirty but dishonest in
this matter We don't know that ar
gument on the subject is proper mat
ter for a secular paper. but it must
occur TO any man who stops to give
the matter thought that our Roman
Catholic fellow citizens do not appear
to be men who would allow their
wives. daughters and sisters to be
wantonly insulted, and that it is i'm
possible for Watson to know what
questions are asked in confessional
His boiling Wilson because. he said
that gentleman had Joined the knights
or Columbus, should settle his status
as an expert in Catholic theology.