The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1916-09-21
A Political Ruffan

By his disgraceful harangue IL
Punta Gorda last Thursday night
Rev. Sidney j. Cats lost at leas
four votes and gained none. Foul
gentlemen have voluntarily come
to this editor and said that they
had intended to vote for Mr.
Cats, but, after hearing his
Thursday nights TRADE, they
would not vote for him under any
circumstances. Six or eight Others
have told the editor that they EN-,
phatically condemned the unseen
ly language used by Mr.. Cats.
Further, the personal abuse
which he heaped upon this editor,
as well as the fact that his con-
duct is in fragrant disregard of at
least one plank in the Democratic
national platform, which plank is
printed on this page, absolves
both The Herald and its editor
from supporting or voting for Mr..
Cats even though the supreme
court should declare him the legal
nominee. 1t had been the declar-
ed intention of the editor to sup
port Mr.. Cats, if the supreme
court decided in his favor, but
now he will not vote for Mr. Cats,
even if all the courts in Florida
should declare him the legal NOM
inee.
Instead of answering the ques-
tons which The Herald asked
him, although they were pro-
pounded in the most respectful
manner, which no one who has
read them can deny, Mr.. Cats be-
came very mad and poured out the
walls of his wrath upon the head
of the offending editor and even
went so far as to urge the people
Of Punta Gorda to set up another
newspaper here and run old Jor-
dan out. He said that, if he
should be elected governor, he
would contribute $4,000 to help
start another paper here and run
old Jordan out" Now, wouldn't
thtat be a lovely, patriotic and
highly Christian act for COVER
nor to do, and he preacher, too?
Now, Mr. Cats is a Guardian of
Liberty, and we are told that all
members of that organization take
a solemn obligation, in fact an
oath. to uphold a free press, as
well as free speech, free schools
and other patriotic propositions.
The question, therefore, naturally
arises, did Mr.. Cats violate this
solemn obligation when he urged
the people here to take steps t.
break down The Herald and "run
old Jordan out?" Is that the
kind Of man to be made COVER,
nor OF this great state?
Other newspapers two il
Jacksonville and one in Orlando
and several in other parts Of The
state, have called. Mr.. Cats a hyp
ocrite, liar, a faker and all sorts
of bad names, but The Herald has
nevor applied such terms to him
SO far as we know, he has never
asSailed those newspapers, but h
comes here, singles out The Her
aid which has treated him as ;
gentleman, and like the politica
rufian that he is he vilifes thu
editor and urges the people K
"run him out" and all because
the editor was and is exercising
the right guaranteed him by tht
laws and by the Guardians of Lib
crty to run a FREE PRESS. Hi
denies the right of this one edi
tor alone to a free expression o
opinion.
He did not attempt to answer
nay, he utterly ignored the mos
important questions which TIL
Herald asked him, viz: what hat
he done for the state or the Dem
ocratic party to justify him in ask
ing for the great honor Of being
made governor? Wherein are tn,
liberties and welfare Of our peo
pie threatened by the very small
number of Catholics in the State