The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-14
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATE
CATS

Mr.. Cats is to speak at Punta
Gorda tonight and in today's issue
of the Punta Gorda Herald the fol-
lowing questions are propounded to
the candidate, which he will be
asked to answer tonight. The Her.
aid says:
AS Rev. Sidney ]. Cats, candidate
for governor, is to speak here to-
night, it may not be improper or i'm
polite to ask him a few questions,
which we are confident that, being a
candidate he will be glad to answer
In the first place. however, it should
be stated that neither The Herald nor
any other sensible paper or person
should entertain any hope of winning
any of Mr.. Cattss supporters from
their idol, for 'Ephraim is Joined to
his idols" and no logic can induce him
to abandon them One of the hardest
things in the world for a man to do is
to acknowledge an error and depart
from it; but the Cats supporters, like
the kindred of Dives, would not re-
pent and reform, even eff one went
unto them from the dead" to warn
them for, though "they have Moses
and the Prophets" they will not "be
persuaded though one rose from the
dead.'-Uuke. IT,, 19v. ct sequitur.)
The Herald's Abraham, therefore,
has no argument for those who are
Joined unto idols of Ephraim, viz: the
partisans of Mr.. Cats; but, for its
own satisfaction and possibly for that
OF few democrats who have not gone
off after false political gods as the re.
suit of Mr.. Catts's Eruption into the
political arena of Florida, it would re-
specially ask of Mr.. Cats an answer
to these few questions:
First, what amount of taxes does Mr..
Cats pay? What has been the annual
average amount during the five years
he has resided in the State?
Second, what service has he rem.
dered the Democratic party of Florida
or of the United States, upon which he
feels right to base claim for the
votes of the party to make him cover.
nor of this state?
Third, what has he done to advance
the material interests of the state?
Has he ever made any speech boosting
Florida or written and published any
article proclaiming the inducements
and advantages which the state offers
to settlers and investors? Has he
ever induced any man to come and set.
tie or to invest in Florida? Has he
ever made any effort to do so?
Fourth. Mr.. Cats has been pastor
OF the Baptist church at DeFuniak
Springs for some years. During his
pastorate how many has he added to
the church by conversion, confession
of faith and baptism?
Fifth, how came he to "take M.
ton to run for governor of Florida?
Did any one suggest it to him, If so,
who? And did any one offer to pay
the expenses or to give him any finan.
cial help in his campaign? And. If
So who made such offer?
Sixth. The newspapers in places
where Mr.. Cats has spoken saw that
he charges Cardinal Gibbons with con.
tributing money to elect Mr.. Knott and
oefeat Mr.. Cats. According to the
newspapers, in one place Mr.. Cats
states Cardinal Gibbons contrib
uted $30,000.00, in another he alleges
that it was 500, 100000. in another $40.
ooo.oO while the Tampa Tribune
which is advocating him, saws that in
his speech in Tampa Mr.. Cats alleged
that Cardinal Gibbons had contributed
SSO,OOO.OO to this end. Now. will Mr.
Cats please state exact amount of
the cardinals contribution and explain
explicitly how he knows that the cardi.
nal contributed anything? Will he
hold up his right hand and solemnlv
declare that he honestly believes that
Cardinal Gibbons has contributed any
money at all for the election of Mr.
mott? If he sincerely believes this