The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-08-10
CATS INVITES MIAMI womANS
CLUB TO oisoRGANlZ=

When (attS. F3l1LAtLlON- tl1AtUi-
ZIONIST Of a year ago. paid of his po!it
ical debt 10 Joe E,arnan. the former
whiskey dealer by appointing him on
the state soard Of control. a body
that has supervision % the 4 gher ed
ucation Of the young women OF Flor
ida. his stock went down nearly to
the bottom among the best element
of his original supporters Deeply
conscientious themselves IN their 0p-
position 10 the liquor traffic. they felt
sure that their newly discovered po
Iiical idol was the Avenging Angel in
the flesh of the great prohibition
cause. who was 10 make relentless
war upon the Demon Rum and all who
stood for it or had any faint OF whis-
key on their record And SO 5eliev
ing, they got the full force or the
shock that comes from misplaced CON
fidence when they learned Of the ap-
pointment of the ex-whiskey dealer to
supervisory position in the educa-
ton of their daughters. and heard the
uncontradicted stories that whiskey
money had been freely contributed to
aid IN the election OF their prohibition
Moses to the office OF governor
Cats has Numbered from the start.
but his capital blunder was the ap-
pointment Of Earman. It ranks first
among his strategic mistakes "a a pol
itician. 10 say nothing OF its charac-
ter as an appointment not fit to be
made. He squirms under the goads
Of criticism that 5elabors him for
that abuse of his power: and'what-
ever the nature of his obligation to
Earman and its connection with the
alleged use OF whiskey money to Sc
cure his election. it may well be said
that in the interest OF his own pOliti-
cal future. to say nothing OF the good
OF the state, it would lave been bet
ter if he had left that obligation IN
paid
It seems that every zine the gov
ernor opens his mouth on this subject
he puts his foot in it, The other day
he wrote 10 the ladies Of the Woman's
Club of Miami in answer to their pro-
test against the appointment OF Ear
man. and his letter was a master
piece Of cOarseness, crudeness. incon-
sequence and insolence. Even the Mi
ami Metropolis. erstwhile friend and
defender of the governor. called it an
Ignorant and ridiculous reply" His
eXcellency declared with the trium-
plant air of a successful disputant
who has silenced all objections, that
Joe Earman had quit the whiskey
business to stay quit. as though the
converted sinner had right, per Sc.
to hog the chief hOnors and emolu-
ments in the distribution Of pie, to
the exclusion of the faithful who had
gone not astray. He also invoked the
name Of Jesus Christ. referred to
Mary Magdelene in some sort Of com
parison with Joe's case and plain
lively requested to know why you
and | cannot associate with a man
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, the governors
question to the Miami ladies would
seem to be unnecessary and irreIe-
want. But why ravish Joe with such
richness just after his rescue from
the pit of alcoholic iniquity rather
than leave him to the modest and be-
coming retirement where true peni-
tence 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 question
would doubtless reveal an interesting
niger in the woodpile."
The governors parting shot at the
ladies of the Miami club was to sug.
gest that the Federation of Women's
Clubs would do we'll to disorganze
and Quit il 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 Florida-Uncle ice Dix
on in Gadsden County Times.
That is not all He was not content
in having Joe a member Of the board.
but he must be made its chairman
over the heads of those who had beer
members for period Of twelve
years