The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-09-21
CATS REVISES HIS PRE-
PAREDNESS VIEWS.
Richard K. Edmonds in Manufac-
turers' Record.


in regard to the necessity of awak-
ing the people to the war situation,
has called forth many interesting let
ters. One of them is from Gov. Sid
ney J. Cats, of Florida, whose letter,
published in full elsewhere, contains
this paragraph:
My idea is that we have made
a great mistake in the past by not
being prepared for military tri-
umphs and warfare. The cry of
peace when there was no peace
has moved over this country,
foiling and deluding the people
until this terrible war with Ger
many has come about, which finds
US wholly unprepared.
This is especially interesting in view
of the telegram received by the Man
ufacturers Record from Gov Cats on
March IL last. At that time we
wired to Gov. Cats, as to the gov
ernors of other southern states, call
ing attention to the active work of
Connecticut in organizing census ,
showing its military strength and the
industries available for the manufac-
ture of munitions of war, and added
Please send US for publication what
is being done or contemplated along
that line by your state.
In reply to that telegram. Gov.
Cats wired:
Telegram received in regard to
showing military strength by the
state of Connecticut. Will say
that we have not taken a census
down here yet, as we do not think
that war is close enough to war;
rant it. In case we have war
you can count on Florida doing
her part.
Gov. Cats now admits that the
country made great mistake in not
being prepared for war; that the peo-
pie were deluded and fooled by the
cry of peace when there WAS no
peace, and that now, with this terri
BILE war upon us, we are unprepared
That was the position taken last
| March, as for the proceeding three
wears, by the Manufacturers Record,
but Gov. Cats rose up in his NIGH
ty wrath because when publishing his
telegram we presumed to criticize the
fact that nothing was being done in
Florida, and his impression that war
was not close enough to warrant any
preparedness. That criticism called
forth an interesting and lively letter,
typical of some that the governor of
| Florida sometimes produces. He
called that criticism scurrilous; he
renresented the Manufacturers Rec
ord as anxious to bring on war, be-
ause it would increase it's prosperity;
but just how the Manufacturers Rec
Crd could secure increased prosperity
from war we have never yet been able
to learn. He suggested that even if
he had taken a military census, he
would not be fool enough to tell the
Manufacturers Record anything about
it," and then he added:
If you Catholics of Maryland
think that you can run over US
tlorldlans, suppose you raise
regiment and come down here and
see how quick we will make YOU
fellows hit it back to the north
from whence you came.
This was the first time that the
editor of the Manufacturers Record
knew that he was a Catholic. He
has no record of ever having been a
member of a Catholic church, but
since Gov. Cats seems to know more
on the subject than anyone else, we
suppose 1t Will be necessary to accept
his decision.
And then Gov. Cats added a few
more suggestions, to the effect that
the Manufacturers Record attend to
| its own business, advised US never to
send him any more kilograms, and
intimated that if anybody tried to at
tend to his business, Il will get me
a good lawyer and will sue you for
damages"
We freely forgive Gov. Cats, and
now rejoice that he has seen the light.
We tried last March to persuade him
to see it. We tried to make clear to
him, as to others, that the war was
necessary in order to avoid being TAX
en- unaWareS and made to suffer enor-
mously from our failure to see that
war was already being made upon US.
We congratulate Gov. Cats for so
freely admitting in his letter to the
National Security league that the
country made a great mistake by not
1cing prepared for war. We con-
GI~tuIate him upon realizing, as he so
clearly states, that the cry of peace
when there was no peace was fooling
and deluding the people, and that this
went or until this terrible war has
come about, which finds US wholly
unprep&. ed We rejoice that Gov.
Cats has seen the light, and per-
chance the education that he has now
received will prompt him to permit
the editor of the Manufacturers Rec
ord to belong to the denomination
with which he has been slightly iden-
titled for good many years, and
that we will not be required to lead
a Maryland regiment to Florida in
order to overrun that state Per-
chance even our criticism started
Gov. Cats to thinking. and that is
exactly what we desired We are
perfectly willing to be denounced if
the opinions which call forth such de-
nunciationS stir the microbe of real
thinking and start men to a study
of world conditions. We do not
agree with Gov. Cats suggestion in
kiS letter to the Security league that
a chain of forts should be built along
the Canadian and the Mexican bor-