The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-12-06

but | feel that the people should not
be misled simply because you failed
to look into the matter before pro-
pounding your question.
Yours truly,
H. NJ. Hampton.
We have high respect for Mr..
Hampton's legal learning and his
acumen. We are always glad for
him to correct our mistakes and
cheerfully admit that if we could have
the benefit of his advice every time
we want it (which is often) we would
write many things differently.
Nevertheless, we can't entirely ad-
NIT his foregoing correction. 1t is
true that we were ahead one year of
the time the franchise probably runs
out. but as three of the aldermen to
be chosen at Tuesdays election will
be elected for four years, and the
other two for two years, the error Is
not material.
There is a definite belief among the
members of the city council and the
citizens generally that the charter of
the gas company is on the verge of
expiration. This is based on the
opinion of the city attorney, Mr..
Frederick Hooker, who in a document
on file in the office of the city clerk
advises the mayor and aldermen that
the charter expires June 5, 1919. The
franchise was granted June 5, 1894,
E. r. IF %xy Eun
and Mr.. Hooker is of the opinion that
it is yet in force. Mr.. Hooker, we adj
nit, is less in years and experience
than Mr.. Hampton. But he is very
well-read young attorney, and it may
have been observed that his opinions
generally stick. We don't say he is
right, but until the courts pass upon
it, it might be safe for the citizens of
Ocala to assume that he is.
In stating that it is probable that
we based the article that brought Mr..
Hampton's censure on US on street
rumors that R. S. Hall, Mr.. Hampton
has made the very mistake ne accuses
the Star of making, and made it with
less excuse. We were not even think
lIlR u NIL I1dll WICIl VIC WIOIC ItiC
article. We are perfectly well aware
that Mr.. Hall had sold his interest in
the gas company, havingSwritten an
item to that effect at the time the sale
was made. So far as the Star Is con,
cerned, Mr.. Hampton is wasting his
time in defending Mr.. Hail. The pa
per has never made any attack on
him, every man on it has respect and
friendship for him, and personally we
would prefer Mr. Hall, than any
bunch of out-of -the-state capitalists,
owned any enterprise in the city. And
we are pretty sure Mr.. Hall will con-
firm US in the statement.
Taking leaf from Mr.. Hampton's
book, we will ask him why, before
writing such an article, he didn't cali
us up and ask us about it. He is in
the habit of putting us on the witness
stand occasionally, and we suppose
he knows we have right to testify
in our own behalf.
We have perused Section 13 of the
new charter, and we beg to inform
Mr.. Hampton that while no franchise
may be granted, sold, leased, or aban-
doned without the approval of a ma
jority of the voters, there is consider
able doubt as to how it will apply to
such a franchise as the gas company
has now in case it ran out and its,
owners desired to have it renewed. 1t
is our opinion that when the charter
runs out the council will be able to
renew it on any terms it sees fit, un-
less some citizen, or number of citf-
zens, resist, in which case there
might be another of the legal fights
that have cost the city so much in the
last few years.
So we stick to our former PROPOSE
ton that it is pertinent and proper
for voters to ask the candidates how
they stand on the question, and we
don't see why anybody should object
to it, for if it doesn't do any good, it
won't do any harm.
We accept Mr.. Hampton's advice
that we investigate matters before
printing in the kindly spirit we be-
lieve it is rendered, and beg to tender
him some of the same. AS we have
shown, he rankly disregarded his own
advice in the fifth paragraph of his
article. The newspaper profession,
however, needs very little admonition
from the legal profession about ac-
curacy. A newspaper man always
wants the facts, whether they are to
his advantage or not, but the average
lawyer doesn't want to walk in the
pathways of truth unless it is going
his way. If newspaper men took as
much time to write articles as law
yers take to write briefs, they would
be far more accurate than the law
yers, but they wouldn't publish a
paper oftener than once a month.
Even in their hurry, they print the
truth entirely too often to suit the
average politician. And we think
that our readers will agree with US,
that in this matter we looked into
some parts of it a good deal further
than Mr.. Hampton did.