The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-07-21
GOV. CATS AND
THE MARKET BUREAU

The Tampa Times hands the fol-
lowing package to our friend Light:
Our esteemed friend, Legislator L..
S. Light of Marion county, writes the
Times letter in which he complains
because Gov Cats was criticised for
appointing Mr.. Rhodes, Tennessee
republican, as head of the state mar
ket bureau. Mr.. Light says in part:
"Your editorial of July 18th on
Rhodes, the Tennesseean, who was
placed at the head of the Florida
market bureau by Gov. Cats" is
surely wrong.
"Gov. Cats never appointed Mr..
Rhodes. See the act creating the
market bureau and you will find the
appointing power to this Office was
conferred upon the commissioner of
agriculture, as well as the executive
committee of the market bureau. The
governor appointed neither of these
officials. 1t was done by State Sena-
tor j. L. Shepard, Commissioner of
Agriculture W. A. McRae and myself,
who are to blame for the appointment
of Commissioner Rhodes, not Gov
Cats.
t1 never voted for Gov. Cats. New
ertheless, when / see one of the lead
ing newspapers of the state accuse
the governor of acts he had not COM
mitted, as the Tampa Times has done
it provokes and disgusts me. Tampa
Times, it is unworthy of your great
paper to treat any one like you have
done in this case, much less the gov
ernor of our state. 1t lessons the re-
spect of a reader of newspaper
when a newspaper accuses others
falsely. Tampa Times correct this
mistake"
Friend Lights woeful letter, indi-
Gates that he is in need of change
of diet, in other words, that he ought
to cease eating political prunes" and
masticate something more substan-
tial He should not worry for fear
the Times will injure Gov. Cats. The
governor has done more to injure
himself than all the papers of the
state could do. Furthermore, we ex-
pect him to continue pursuing the
same course That seems to be habit
with him.
Well, maybe Gov. Cats didn't ap,
point Mr.. Rhodes, the Tennesseean,
but this is the story as it was told to
generally knows the inside of things
at Tallahassee:
Gov. Cats vetoed or threatened to
veto bill creating the market bu-
reau because the appointive power
was given in that bill to Commission
er McRae. Rther than lose the bu-
reau fight McRae agreed to allow the
governor and friends to have the ap-
pointive power. Because of this con-
cession on his part the bill was pass
| ed, approved and the bureau estab-
| lished. Result: McRae really had no
say-so in the matter of appointing
Rhodes, who was favored by Gov
Cats, Senator Shepard and Mr.
| Light.
If Commissioner McRae will state
that this statement is not true the
Times will apologize to Gov. Cats.
Mr.. Light says Rhodes was APP
pointed by Commissioners McRae
Senator Shepard and himself.
| Why was it necessary to go to Ten
nessee to get man for this work
Are there no men in Florida who are
capable of holding the position?
Mr.. Rhodes, according to a Tam
pan, ran for Congress on the republi-
can ticket in the last election and
would have contested the election had
the republicans been in power in the
House.
/ If it was absolutely necessary to go
out of the state for man, couldn't
one have been found in the democrat
ic party who could serve the people
of democratic state?
/ At the present writing the Times
sees no reason for apologizing to Gov
Cats or any one else concerned in
this matter, which is one of great i'm
portance to Floridians.
In the meantime, Friend Light,
calm yourself. In these days of wars
and rumors of wars, German spies,
anarchists, militant suffragets, high
cost of living and hot weather il
doesn't pay one to "take oneself too
id seriously"
II the Times reference to the gov