The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-08-17
REWARDING A POLITICAL PET

The following from the Orlando
Reporter-St shows how much re-
gard Cats and his new board of con-
troll have for efficiency and economy,
and how the peoples money is wasted
on the governors political pets:
Real Work Falls on KelIum
From the time that Bryan Mack
enlisted in the cause of Cats he was
true to the call, in search of posi-
tion-not job. Mack could get a job
any time-he's a linotype artist.
What Mack's soul hungered for was
position, and after landing clerk
ship in the Legislature, which was soft
but brief, he was transplanted to an
Office in the state house as secretary
of the dual board Of control and plant
board. The personnel of these boards
being identical they hold their meet
ings at the same sitting. First the
board of control sits and Secretary
Mack records the minutes; then
Chairman Earman gives a twist of his
wrist and twiddles his toes, and 10!
the garb of plant board is assumed
and the draperies of the board of con-
troll fade away. These boards meet
once month, and it may be easily
imagined what an onerous position
Mack has to fill when it is recalled
that John G. Kellum formerly did the
work in connection with his real and
chief duties of looking after the
State College for Women and receiv-
ed in compensation for his secretar-
ial services the sum of six hundred
dollars year.
When Mack went cunning for po-
sition and decided that the one he got
is the one best suited to his languid
tastes, he was the most anxious of
any that Kellum should be retained
to do the real work and that the one
job held by Kellum should be divid-
ed in two. So Mack, with the assist
appointees on the board, had Kellum
retained, with his salary reduced from
three thousand to twenty-five hundred
year, Mack to receive like amount.
In order to give Mack and Kellum
each the amount stated and increase
the payroll by two thousand a year,
certain clerks had to be discharged,
and among these was the bookkeeper
at the college, Now Kellum has to
do the bookkeeping, together with the
buying for the institution, feeding
more people daily than two or three
average hotels combined. He is the
auditor of the college, and upon him
rests largely the responsibility of the
welfare of four hundred young wom-
en- attending that institution. Kellum
is the material welfare man of the
college; they call on him for every
thing outside of the class room.
Among his other work he runs a bank
at college for the convenience of the
students, and a few years ago he
started truck garden at the college,
and did so well with it that the board
of control bought more land and en-
larged his responsibilities in that di-
rection, and now he has a good sized
farm to look after. The result of the
changes herein recounted is that KEEL
lum is overworked; his wife is assist
ing him with the book work and
otherwise. The placing of Mack in a
sinecure has given Kellum much more
To do than formerly, much more than
any man should be expected to do,
and at reduced salary.
In the meantime Mack has taken
up correspondence for three leading
Cats papers-namely, the Palm
Beach Post (Joe Earman's paper), the
Pensacola News and the Jacksonville
Metropolis, and probably the most
important of his duties is to see that
the news to these papers is ladled out
according to the Cats idea. Incident
ally, this source of income will in
crease Mack's earnings considerably
above the amount paid him by the
state.
Stripped of other objections which
might be raised to the practice, it is
highly improper for an employe of the
state, particularly one holding an ap-
pointive position, to take employment
as newspaper correspondent. There
is much news of necessity that he
must suppress or color if he would
hold favor with those to whom he
owes his appointment:
Whose bread / eat
His song I'll sing"
Yet the supposition is that time
hangs heavily on Mack's hands, and
he must do something to occupy his
idle hours since his secretarial duties
are slight and seldom.
IL Oh he