The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-10-28
AGAIN THE TAMPA TIMES
AND THE GOVERNOR
o.

Times to Governor Trammell on any
ground of legitimate newspaper OBJ
lection to his public service or pri-
vate character. The governor, being
human is not infallible and, as is
the case with all public men, at
some time or other he says or does
something open to criticism from
some ones point of view, and the
newspaper not friendly to the par
ticular policy in question, is prompt
ly heard from voicing it's objection.
This is going on not only here,
but in all the States, and is just as
it should be, for it means the full,
free and open criticism of public
men and public questions and is the
special and priceless preroeative of
the press under our system OF eelf-
government. Without it ours would
not be a free country in which the
people rule. But when the criticism
Is fair and legitimate, the language
employed to express it is temperate
and the note of personal pique and
malice is conspicuously absent.
Tt is not thus absent from the edi-
torial expressions of the TAMPA
Times concerning Governor Tram
nell and his conduct of the Office he
holds; and because it is not, the con-
clusion is irresistible that behind the
long and labored and frequent
screeds of the Times attacking the
governor there is some personal rea-
son held back from the reader that
is purelN vindictiveness, and which,
If revealed, would rob the attacks of
all force in the minds of impartial,
fair-minded people. We don't know
that this is actually true in the case
of the Times, but We do know that
such an inference can be fairly
drawn and that the vicious and con-
slant denunciation of Governor
Trammell by that paper can hardly
be explained on any other ground.
II this is not true why should SO
simple and inoffensive an act by the
governor as issuing proclamation
designating certain day as Farm
ers Day" or "Sunday-school Rally
nay''-hardly more than a part OF
the routine work of his office-arouse
the wrath of the Times and provoke
its acrid criticism and cOntemptuOus
sneers as though he had done some
thing flagrantlN wrong and was nc
longer worthy of the confidence and
respect of his fellow citizens? We
submit to the unprejudiced reader
that the inference of personal dis
like for some reason not disclosed
Is irresistible; and this being true
the attacks Of the Times fall short
for the people are not interested in
personal difference between an edi-
tor and a governor which the former
declines to frankly state, and they
will not discredit the governor nor
think the less of him because of at
tacks animated by motives which dc
no touch his character as faithful
and capable public servant.
The Times objects to so much fav-
orable publicity for the governor
coming out of Tallahassee and init
mates that it is manufactured to
order, but we want to say right here
that after many years of observa-
tion of many governors we have
never known one who was less in
the glare of self-sought publicity
than Park Trammell, and who de-
voted himself to the duties of his
Office with less ostentation.
From tho very nature of his posi-
titn he is almost constantly in the
limelieht, and newspaper cores
pCndents, always alert for anything
that would interest their readers
from the Governor of the State. hunt
him up without solicitation on his
part and quiz him for news or for
some sort of STONY that would make
good copy" They do this with
every governor of every State in the
Union. 1t is part of their profess
sion, and they wouldn't be good
newspaper men unless they did.
We read the State papers closely
end we have seen in none of them
any stream of adulation coming from
ti,e capital concerning Governor
Trammell, nor have we discovered
any eyidenve of undue itch on mis-
part 10 work" thepress for favor.
able publicity. He would be mighty
poor governor and a mighty poor
man if he didn't want the good opin-
ion Of the people who elected him
to Office. and the surest and quickest
way they can be informed of the
kind of governor he is making is
through the press of Florida. Let il
go distinctly 70 his credit that he
wants the people of Florida to think
well of him, and let it also 90 dis
tincti1 to his credit that he has at
no time gone outside the lines Of
official or personal propriety in seel,-