The Pensacola journal., 1913-02-23
VOX POPULI.
Mr.. REESE INDULGEs
IN SOME PERSONALITIES

Editor Pensacola Journal.
In your editorial criticism of my
discussion of the Semmes committee
charter, it starts with q false premise
and is misleading. You say: "It must
be a very bad and very exceptional
document indeed out of which one Sec
ton cannot be picked for appr oval,
but in his wholesale condemnation Of
the Semmes committee charter, Mr.. r.
P. Reese cannot find a single provision
that merits his support"
On the contrary, if you would ex-
anime the article, you would find that
I made no comment on sections, 13, 10,
21. %, "a, 26, 2S, 29, 81, "a, 80, SO.
These sections, most of them, are good
within themselves, but as they are
connected with the bad sections, and
form a part Of the whole charter, they
cannot make good that which is bad.
In other words, the old adage is ap-
plied-"A chain is no stronger than
it's weakest link"
You allow yourself to become angry,
and indulge your anger by attempt
ing to ridicule my analysis of the
charter. Another apt saying is ap-
plicable here-"When temper is in,
reason 1t out"
AS a matter Of fact, Mr.. Mayes, YOU
have fallen into the error that most
newspaper editors are frequently
guilty Of to-wit: You Gone man) get
the false notion that you, through
your paper and its editorials, should
do the thinking for the people Of the
community. Your opinion may or
may not be better, and entitled to
more weight, than some other single
individual, but certainly other peo-
pies ideas and opinion on public ques-
tions may be expressed, hope, at
least, without mourning the wrath Of
you and perhaps other editors.
I understand from you that you
wrote what you call the election clause
or section 8, of the Semmes COMMITTEES
| charter, and I don't wonder that you
are angry at my criticism Of this
clause, for what I say is true. I ask
| the readers of The Journal to read my
criticism Of section 8, in connection
with section of the charter, and
challenge you to deny that the power
and authority is given the mayor in
| the first election and the commission
ers in succeeding elections to nomi-
nate candidates for commissioner-the
| only elective office under the proposed
| charter.
| Your editorial criticism also makes
| the assertion, but without any analy-
/ sis of the section in question, thai
Mr.. Reese again asserts that the
| initiative, referendum and recall are
found to be impossible Of exercise"
| invite the readers Of these articles tc
| an examination Of my discussion OF
section Il, Is, II, Is, 20, 80 and 3s, the
sections relating to the initiative, ref
| erendum and recall and the granting
1 Of franchises, where have mentioned
| the sections in question, with reference
| to the initiative, referendum and re-
| call, and then have pointed out what
| in my judgment, is defective and why
1t will be impracticable to exercise
| these So called reservations of power
You say. "Mr. Reese's communica-
ton is so long that~we have no ides
any considerable number of people viii
read it, The charter is discussed il
my articles, section by section, for tht
very reason, and as anticipated, tha
! If I had taken up particular section!
only, the criticism from those who ia.
vor the Semmes charter would hav,
been that 1 picked out parts Of tht
charter to criticise, when should hav,
looked to the whole. To avoid this
and to secure an orderly. complete ant
concise consideration OF the charter,
took it section by section. Those sec
tons that I found no fault with, dit
not criticise. Those sections pertain
ing to the election of commissioners