The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-03-24
and Advertiser.
lit South Second st. Phone 1876
Wn. A. RUSSELL. Editor.
WOODS TIRE is
PUNCTURED.

The Honorable F. A. Wood of st
Petersburg, candidate for governor
on the anti-fee system platform, has
his tire. punctured at Clearwater las.
Monday by running into a Knot.
Here is q pen picture of the Knot
and his address:
Now Mr.. Wood seems to lay great
stress on his advocacy Of the anti-fee
or salary system for the payment 0t
compensation to county officers, but
let Us see for moment what efforts
he made when he was in a position u
legislate on this subject, toward the
accomplishment of what he now
claims is so vital and necessary ana
which shall effect such a great saving
to the people Of Florida. But, be-
fore proceeding to this, want to
make it plain and | want every man
to understand that l am not opposed
to the change from fee system to Il
salary system for the payment CT
compensation to county officers. IF
. am elected governor and the legis-
lature of Florida shall pass q just and
b44- snail l-OL 4lCS--
tate to affiX my signature to such a
bill. The information now being
gathered under an act of the legiS-
lature of 1915 may be such as to ena-
Bile such bill to be drawn, but, up to
this time all of the numerous bills in
troduced into the legislature during
the past three or four sessions. as far
as l have been able to go into then,
none of such acts or bills meet the
conditions of justice and equity.
"Mr. Woods great interest in the
matter seems to be largely induced by
his desire for votes in his campaign
for governor. He was member OF
the legislature of 1915 and it is true
he did introduce a bill to put county
officers on salary. but the history Of
that bill is hardly credit to Mr..
Wood. He did not draw the bill, nor
did he try to pass it, if the records
reveal anything to US. | am going
to read you letter from the Hon. r.
A. Henderson. who represented Lee
county in that same Legislature. Mr..
Henderson says that he was the au-
thor of the bill and that Mr.. Wood
gained knowledge of it and deliber-
ately appropriated Mr.. Henderson's
bill and introduced it as his own.
Fort Myers. Fla, Feb. 2s, 1916.
"Hon. W. V. Knott, Tallahassee.
Fla:
Dear Sir: Yesterday l mailed I:
YOU copy of letter mailed to Judge
Tavlor and his answer to me. Now
about the salary bill. When l reach
ed Tallahassee last April l figured out
a plan that | thought should be en-
acted into law, placing all county Of
ficers on salary instead Of being paii
by fees. l was writing one day and
Mr.. Wood asked me what | was de-
ing. l told him was getting up
county officers salary bill. He ask
ed me to show him, so l read to him
what | had. and he said that was a
good bill. He asked ne when | was
going to introduce tie same, and l
told him l had gotten one Of the su-
preme court judges to agree to draw
the bill for me. I told Judge Taylor
Mr.. Wood spoke favorably of the bill. |
and Mr.. Taylor asked me to invite
nv friend Wood down with me. ] |
did, and the salary Of the different |
county officers | figured myself be- !
fore ever talking to Mr.. Wood dlvld- |
ing the same into four groups: First, /!
all under two million tax valuation, |
then two to five million, and five to /
ten million then all over ten million |
stated salaries for each in the four. |
l went 10 the supreme court building /
twice for my bill. Judge Taylor
promised to send the bill to me on .
Friday. but instead he handed same 10
Wood. Mr. Wood ignored me and in
troduced the bill as Woods bill. Some
of nv friends where Mr.. Wood could .
hear it began TO knock because Wood
had introduced my bill. Wood heard /
it, but never once apologized or in any
way treated me as having had any T.
thing to do with it. The fact is he
wanted political publicity. The let
ter to Judge Taylor was to show
whose bill it was. Had l introduced
the bill would have tried to get spe- K
cial order for same. My recollection
is Wood never tried to get it UP, but 4
let the bill die. Wood knew the bill /
was popular in the house, and I am Of
the opinion he figured then that was !
a good stand to platform himself over !
the state Tor governor. lax ABOUT
economy for the taxpayers. well his :
vote in the legislature on the fish bill !
and other bills look to me was any. {
thing else but economy. I
Sincerely yours. /
"R. 4. HENDERSON," I
"The house journal shows that Mr..
Wood introduced this bill on the 27th !
day of April. and it was referred TO :
committee and that or Nav y this
bill was reported unfavorably by the :
committee 70 which it was referred.
and on motion Of Mr.. Wood. was '
placed uuon the calendar. From that
dav until the close Of the session the d
bill lay dormant without a single eff d
fort on Mr.. Woods part to bring it to n
life" a