The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-11-06
CATS HAS TROUBLE
IN DUVA[ COUNTY
Mr.. Knott Will Beat Him in Jackson
vile by Large
Majority

1 Jacksonville, Nov. 6.-The demo
cratic campaign will be brought to
close here tonight by number of bis
street rallies and addresses. These
meetings will be addressed by Con
gresham Sears and several promi
nent local speakers. The Democratic
Club of Duval county has arranged
for these meetings in the different
sections of the city, and intends tc
alternate the speakers and send them
around to the various meetings.
The Cats supporters in Duval
county have given up all hope of car
rying the county, and concede now
that Mr.. Knott will carry Duval coun-
ty by 1000 to 10000 majority. The
Democratic Club is claiming that he
will carry it by a majority of $500
and it may possibly reach 5000.
George M. Powell, the recognized
attorney and lobbyist for the race
track interests, and also "Curley
Brown" the owner of the old race
track here, have come out openly in
support of Mr.. Cats. Mr.. Powell was
in Tallahassee during the last session
of the legislature attempting to get a
modified race track bill through. The
prohibitionists here have deserted Mr.
Cats. They have gained knowledge
of the fact that the whisky clubs in
Jacksonville have contributed largely
to his campaign fund. It has been
rumored here for some time that the
liquor people have been contributing
to the expenses of Mr.. Cats cam
paign, but this rumor was not taken
seriously until the fact became gen.
orally known that Mr.. Cats had
ceased referring to the whisky traffic
in his speeches. Several of the min
listers and othere interested in the
prohibition cause took the pains to in
vestigate this rumor and found that
it was founded ON facts. When the
screen was moved from behind which
Gus Miller had been hiding he came
out openly and boldly in support of
Mr.. Cats.
Sentiment here is overwhelmingly
against the racing track interest, and
many good people supporting Mr..
Cats have turned from him to Mr..
Knott. The fact that Mr.. Muller is
closely identified with Mr.. Powell and
is Catholic has caused serious dis
ruption in the anti-Catholic forces
heretofore supporting Mr.. Cats. The
fact that these men have come out
openly for Cats has caused the sin
cere prohibitiinists and church going
people who have heretofore supported
Mr.. Cats to doubt his sincerity.
Billy Parker is openly assailing Mr..
Cats and is saying that he has double
crossed the Guardians of Liberty, and
a large advertisement appearing in
the Times Union yesterday morning
stated Mr.. Cats had turned down the
Guardians of Liberty after having
used them as long as he could to ad-
FSilILoSC, cuu hco Ic1hCi1 VI Ll1S hNOOL
and race track interests in last at
tempt to be elected governor of Flor
ida. This disruption among the Guar
dians of Liberty and the fact that
Billy Parker is openly and strongly
opposing Mr. Cats will surely give
Dnval to Mr.. Knott by tremendous
majority.
Reports coming in from all sections
of the state to the democratic organ
ization indicate a rapid changing in
sentiment and the certain election of
Mr.. Knott. Sentiment in West and
North Florida has changed to such
an extent during the past week that
many of the counties that gave Mr..
Cats a plurality in June will reverse
themselves and give substantial ma
jorities to Mr.. Knott. Speakers re-
por ?t large and enthusiastic meetings
during the past week and changing
in sentiment in all sections of the
state.
Mr. Knott will close his campaign
with a speech in Monticello this after
noon and Mr.. Cats will close his cam
paign by a big rally in DeFuniak
Springs sides having a large
number of meetings scheduled in var
ious sections of the state.