The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-09-15

upon the project for which this CON-
mission has been made responsible.
1t is deemed advisable to make cate
gorical reply TO some of the baseless
statements which have been made tia
pretext for appeal to prejudice
against this undertaking:
The Fruit Exhibit
"A fruit exhibit in competition with
California, or upon anything like the
scale whfoh that state Will attempt
IS not contemplated. With the pres
fdent of the Florida Citrus Exchange
and four others of the most extensive
growers and shippers in the state
serving on this commission, it IS felt
that the interests of the Florida fruit
grower and of the state are fairly
well protested.
''Mr. Vessels"
The suggested inquiry where
does Mr.. Vessels get his which has
been so extensively echoed, IS an
swered by the statement that the
gentleman IN question does not get
his or anyone's else. The facts are
that a New York concern made
proposition. to raise money for the
exposition fund and sent its repre-
sentative to Florida for that purpose.
The proposal was tentatively consid-
by the commission and the New York
man spent just three days in Flor
ida. AS a matter of fact, he had left
the state several days before he be-
came the subject of discussion in the
press.
Alleged ATTACK Upon the Press
An article which appeared some
time ago in one OF the Jacksonville
papers concerning the opposition OF
certain newspaper men to this pro
| jet has been charged against this
commission and has been the subject
OF considerable editorial discussion
The fact Dis that the article in ques-
ton was neither written nor sug-
| geSted by any member of this COM
mission or employee thereof and this
could easily have been determined by
reasonable investigation. 1t has not
been, nor is it now the policy of this
commission, to make war upon any
| individuals or interests; but, on the
contrary, to endeavor to reconcile
any differences which would appear
to interfere with or prevent harmon
] ious cooperation upon the part of all
| persons having the good OF Florida
at heart in the work in which the
commission is engaged. The only
connection which the commission had
with the matter was that four or FIVE
copies of the article were clipped and
mailed out from its headquarters be-
fore this came to the attention of the
responsible officials, when the mail
ing was stopped.
! ''Jumketing and Banqueting''
The charges made that the COM
mission has spent and intends to
spend the moneys raised by sub
scription for their own pleasure and
in junkets and banquets Zone paper
suggesting that $4,000 would be
spent that way) would scarcely de-
serve serious consideration except for
the fact that the men on the COM
mission have betrayed all of their
own expenses and that they and their
business associates have advanced
about $4,000 to make possible the
preliminary work which had to be
entered upon without delay. A con-
sideration OF the personnel of the
commission, it is believed, is suf-
ficient REPUTATION of these columnious
charges.
What we are attempting TO do for
FLORIDA is no more than what is be-
ing done i'm all of the progressive and
wide-awake states of the Union, and,
since it has been so strongly en-
phasized that the last legislature
failed to make provision by appro-
priation for Florida's participation
IN the exposition, it should be consid-
cred also that such is precisely the
case in most OF the other states. who
are practically all raising funds and
providing for state representation in
just the way Florida has undertaken
to do In fact, we have it on the
word of one of the Florida papers
that has not expressed approval OF
our project that the state OF Califor-
MIA, where the exposition is to be
held, did not make legislative appro-
priation for the purpose. Yet So.
600 600 is to be spent by the people
of that state in furtherance OF the
great undertaking.
We believe what we are trying to