The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-10-15
BULL MEESE
ATTEMPT TO
PUT ONE OVER
TRY TO PREVENT PRINTING THE
NAMES OF DEMOCRATIC NOM.
INEES ON TICKET.
LOCAL DEMOCRATS ARE ACTIVE
Circulating Petitions Today Which
Would Have Effect to Nullify
Bull Moose Contention.

An effort on the part OF the Bun
Moose managers in Florida to pre-
vent the printing on the ballot TO be
| used in the November election OF the
names of the Democratic nominees
! for State Offices. has caused con-
siderable stir in political circles all
over the state.
The ,irsi news Of the movement
! reached horc through 4 wire iroEt
Hon. rar', TrammeIl Nho suggested
! an Immediate conference Of leading
Lpmo,rats ana QUICK u,,ion in th"
preparation and ,irala'i ION Of pct
tians b"arin9 I've uaM, o soa quail
bca electors, thi, petition 10 he Pre-
yen,cd To The county commissioners
tomorrow, which is the last daE
when names Of eandidatcs may b.
, presented 10 b" printed on the bal
lots.
The contention Of the ProsressiI'
or Bull Moose leaders is that the law
requiring ccrtitication of all nomi
rccs for State Offices to the secretary
of state sixty days prior to the gem
cral election, has never been COM
piled with. 1t is further charged
that under the law it WAS til" duty
of the canvassing committee Of til"
State Democratic party to certify to
the vote of the last primary, follow
ing the canvass, but that the can
vassing committee disbandcd with
out PEI forming that duty. More
over it is claimed that Chairman
Fcarnsidc of the Democratic execu
tive committee has no legal right to
certify to the nominees chosen at the
DemOcr; tic primaries, inasmuch as
his official duties did not commence
Until after the vote was canvassed.
All these contentious. it seems.
can be eliminated by filing. twenty
days before the election, with the
county commissioners OF each coun-
ty, a petition bearing the names of
500 qualified electors asking that
the names of the nominees be put on
the ballot. Even if the courts held
that the Bull Moose contentious
were correct, these petitions would
still insure the names of the Demo-
cratic nominees being put on the
ballot, thus defeating the efforts be-
ing made to prevent this.
Accordingly q conference OF f. )m-
incnt local Democrats was he i in
the Office of John S. Edwards this
morning. petitions were prepared.
other communities in the county
were communicated with. and as Il
result of this activity it may be safe
TO assume that an ample petition
will be filed with the clerk at Bar
tow this evening Messrs. Fl. j.
Drane and o. 4. Pope are circulating
the petition in Lakeland, while o. NJ.
Eaton. ]. c. Brown, {. NJ. Trammell
and Fred DeBerry are making a
v hirlwind trip to Mulberry. Barlow
and Fort Meade. TO assist in stir
ring up interest and activity in
these places. Hon Solon c. Wilson.
Democratic county chairman. is also
, working To secure an adequate pcti-
ton.
This circumstance should arouse
) Democrats from the Indifference and
o,erconfidenee which has been so
, much in evidence. as it shows that
desperate efforts are being made to
| capture Florida in the general cleo
: tion. an3 that Democratic victory
: ean b. ured only by activity and
sisilane" an the part of all the vot-