The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1916-11-02

the chief attorney for Cats re-
quested an order that they be
counted. AS the circuit court for
Alachua county had issued q man
damus requiring recount of all
the votes of Alachua county the
supreme court, very properly, re-
fused to take action In the re-
count of Alachua county, these
votes were given to Cats and
Knott credited with sixteen votes
enormously omitted from his vote
in the original tally sheets, giving
Cats a net gain of So votes. As
Knott had already on file with the
state canvassing board fully
twenty more votes than these 81
votes which Cats had gained, the
supreme court very properly re-
fused to order that these addition
al votes be recountel by the state
canvassing board, inasmuch as
the said recount would not affect
the result. In other words such
recount would only increase
Knott s lead by about twenty vot-
cs. Anything unfair about thisY
The So-Called Court Candidate
IL of the 13 Circuit Court Judg-
es, Who were Asked and the 5
Justices of the Supreme Court
IL out of 18 Judges Order
ed Recounts Are they all
Scoundrels? - Case of Kehoe
and Mays, 1908.
Ofthe thirteen circuit judges in
Florida, twelve were asked by
Knott to order recounts. Every
one ordered recounts. In one
precinct, alone, Putnam county,
the supreme court ordered re-
count. If | mistake not that was
a case in which the second choice
votes were tailed in the dead
squares. Before these judges are
legally tried all manner of rights
of persons and rights of property.
Are these IL judges unworthy of
belief because they followed the
law and because as a result of the
law and the facts Cats lost some
votes which were enormously
credited to. him, and the people,
through Knott, secured the votes
which they cast for KnottY
In the case of Mayes and Ke-
hoe, 1908, each being a candidate
for Democratic nominee for Con-
gress, the original tally showed
Kehoe to be in the lead. Through
mandamus proceedings by the SUI
preme court, certain votes were
counted and Mayes was declared
the nominee.
1t has been an unbroken prec-
edent of the Supreme Court of
Florida to use writ of mandamus
in requiring officers to perform
their duty. In this case neither
Cats nor Knott were officers. The
inspectors were. If eithe nne OF
them had been officers, cuo war
ranto proceedings would have
been, undoubtedly applied, caus-
ing them to show by what war
rant they held the office. In these
Court proceedings, it was q ques-
ton of issuing mandate to the
officers to perform their duty.
Would any one have had respect
for the courts, if they had chang
ed their rules of action simply be-
cause the proper performance of
duty by the inspectors would in
Jure one or the other candidates?
In recent speech at Tampa, Cats
stated substantially that If elected
governor, he would endeavor to
have passed measure for the re-
call of the members of the Su-
preme Court. Quite threat.
At Punta Gorda Cats Raised
Prejudice Against the Catholics
and Against Wilson-He Said
He Would Vote for Wilson, but
He Would Have to Hold His
Nose.
On the occasion of Cats first
Speechia punta Gorda, during tho
latter part of July. 1915, Cats
spoke only in reference to the
preiudicinp the neonle
against the Catholics and their re-
iigion, You would have thought
fNo,, fN,,,xnl - r.. -