The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-08-04

When Cats, rambunctious pro-
hibitionist of year ago, paid off his
political debt to Joe Earman, the
former whiskey dealer, by appointing
him on the State Board of Control
a body that has supervision Of the
higher education of the young wom-
en- of Florida, his stock went down
nearly to the bottom among the best
element of his original supporters
Deeply conscientious themselves in
their opposition to the liquor traffic,
they felt sure that their newly dis
covered political idol was the Aveng-
ing Angel in the flesh of the great
prohibition cause who was to make
relentless war upon the Demon Rum
and all who stood for it or had any
taini of whiskey on their record.
AND so believing, they got the full
force of the shock that comes from
misplaced confidence when they
learned of the appointment Of TIE eX-
whiskey dealer to a supervisory pc
sition in the education of their
daughters, and heard the uncontra-
dicted stories that whiskey money
had been freely contributed to aid in
the election of their Prohibition
Moses to the office of governor
Cats has blundered firm the start
but his capital blunder was the ap-
pointment of Earman 1t ranks first
amono his strategic mistakes as 4
politician, to say nothing of it's
character as an appointment not fit
to. he made He squirms under the
goad of criticism that belabors him
for that abuse of his power; and
whatever the nature of his obligation
to Earman and its connection with
the alleged use of whiskey money to
secure his election, it may we'll be
said that in the interest of his own
political future, to say nothing Of the
good of the State, it would have been
better if he had left that obligation
unpaid.
II seems that every time the gov
ernor opens his mouth on this sub
Jec. he puts his foot in it. The other
day he wrote to the ladies of the
Woman S Club OF Miami in answer to
their protest against the appoint
ment of Earman, and his letter was
masterpiece of coarseness, crude
ness, inconsequence and inso!ence
iLven the Miami Metropolis, erst-
while friend and defender of the gov
ernor, CALLED it an Ignorant and
ridiculous reply. His eXcellency de-
clared with the triumphant air of
successful disputant who has sill
bnced all objections, that Joe Ear
man had quit the whiskey business
to stay quit, as though the convert
ell sinner had right, per Sc, to hog
the chief honors and emoluments IN
the distribution of pie, to the ex-
clusion Of the faithful who had gone
not astray. He also invoked the
name of Jesus Christ, referred TO
Mary Magdalene in some sort OF COM
parison with Joe's case and plain
lively requested to know why you
and | cannot associate with 4 nan
like Mr.. Earman and lift him up to
higher things?'' AS Joe has just
been lifted up to higher things IN
the shape of fine, fat office, he
governors question to the Miami Ia
dies would seem to be unnecessary
and irrelevant. But why ravish Joe
with such richness just after his res
cue from the pit of alcoholic iniquity
rather than leave him to the modest
and becoming retirement where true
penitence prefers to hide itself until
its sins are thoroughly washed away
and it has brought forth fruit meet
for repentance. And especially when
so many lifelong prohibitionists with
no whiskey antecedents-good Cats
men, too-were available for the
Job? The'true answer to that queS-
ton would doubtless reveal an inter
esting niger in the woodpile
The governors parting shot at the
ladies of the Miami club was to sue-
gest that the Federation of Woman's
Clubs would do well to disorganize
ard quit if it didn't agree with him
on the ethics of his appointment of
the ex-whiskey dealer to the job of
looking after the higher education
of the girls Of Florid~
/. kissimmee is making an effort to