The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-22
Knott And
Wood In
W0rdy Clash

Clearwater, Fla, March - With
Comptroller VIII V. Knott and Frank
A. Wood, the bankcr-lcRislato of
st. Petersburg, candidates for GOV
crnor. as the star performers, the
livelicst debate of the present state
political campaign. was staged here
Monday afternoon Both aspirants
for the govcrnorship waNcd decidedly
warm in their arguments, in
which Mr.. Knott charged that Mr..
Wood had stolen his famous fee abo-
lition bill from another man and MIR
Wood characterized the charge as a
lie. Willis Powell presided and Ern-
est Amos and A. J. Angle, candidates
for comptroller, and A. S. Wells,
candidate for railroad commissioner,
went on in the "prelims.
Mr.. Wood opened the debate by
reading newspaper clippings which
indicated that Mr. Knott had not
done his duty in safeguarding the
interests of Florida in bank and in
surance company failures. He stated
that Mr.. Knott was in Monticello
the morning the Jefferson County
State Bank failed and allowed the
bank to remain open until | o'clock
in order that certain deposits isht
be made, including one of widow
| who was getting insurance as re-
suit of her husbands death lie
then spoke in championship of aboli-
ton Of the fee bill.
Mr.. Wood next charged that Mr.
Knott, although responsible for the
collection of state occupational IL
censes, had allowed fifty-nine banks
to escape this tax. He then read
Mr.. Knots report as comptroller
showing that the railroads are as
sessed 10 per cent on capitalization
while the banks are assessed at A.
per cent
Knott Replies to Charge-and Makes
Some.
In answer to the charge that III
was responsible for banks ESCAPING
taxation, Mr.. Knott read the section
of tho law relating to this duty ant
claimed that he was responsible TO
| fro
the Pullman and railroad companies
lie quoted the opinion of Attorney
General T. F. West on this subject
In answer to the charge that h
had allowed deposits to be made a
the Jefferson State Bank when h
knew il was insolyent, Mr.. Knot
said:
The truth of the matter, is ther
was no widow woman deposited an
money in the bank the day is faile'
There were three deposits made !
} women on this day; two of the
were for amounts of less than fly
dollars and the other was a vel
small one Every idepositor wh
made deposit on this day was give
his money back in full. and it W;
not pro rated. | allowed this bar
= to stay open until IL O'Clock in o
i der to give the board of directors q
:. opportunity to try to make arrang
, ments to raise some money. ] ma,
them set aside every cent of mon
; received during this time in ord
. that it might be returned in &
: event the directors failed in the
effort. I do not shirk or attempt
! dodge any responsibility, but VIII
: man asks me to elect him COVE
! nor and make such statements
! these-and he must know that III
2 are false-it makes my blood hot
Mr.. Knott then ridiculed
Woods rural finance scheme. declf
9 ing it to he ga cheap vote-catchi
scheme" and that If was entirely
{ adequate and fundamentally wroI
e He declared that Mr. Woods imr
: grafton bill. introduced at the Il
T session of the legislature. was a Y
ious one and left big opening