The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-05-25

Mr. Chas. E. Davis of Madison has
been having quite picnic, touring up
and down the second district and
criticising Frank Clark's record.
There being nobody to answer him, he
was doubtless much encouraged by
the sound of his own voice, whether
he gained votes or not. Mr.. Davis, of
course, has no congressional record
to criticise, but as he is trying to use
the legislature as stepping stone to
Congress, we will have to judge what
his congressional record would be by
what his legislative record is. Mr..
Davis is going heavy on what he says
is or might be Mr.. Clark's attitude on
war measures. Mr.. Clark, represent
ing a district where every cracker
who had a son expected him to go
into the army or navy might be ex-
cused for thinking drafting was un-
necessary. There is no reason to be-
lieve Mr.. Davis wouldn't have thought
the same way had he been in Mr..
Clark's shoes, or rather his seat. But
what should we infer would have been
Mr.. Davis attitude on other was
measures? The president, the war de-
partment and majority of Congress
realized at once the necessity of abso-
lutte prohibition in and around army
and navy training camps. Judging
by Mr.. Davis legislative record, he
would have introduced a measure pro.
viding for package houses where no
soldier could buy less than half
pint, and in order to drink that would
have to go out in nearby alley or in
house next door, where he could not
only drink his booze, but have the
company of painted woman, who il
she didn't entirely fleece him herself
had chance to steer him with his
fuddled wits into bunch of gamblers.
That is what his package law has
done for many of Uncle Sans boys in
Jacksonville, Tampa, Pensacola and
Key West, and the evil is not yet ems
tirely ended. Mr.. Davis represents a
dry county, and aspires to represent
dry district, but his record on wet or
dry measures looks like the trail of a
blacksnake thru the dust. In addition
to his package law, which is one of
the greatest helps to the wholesale
liquor business ever devised in Flor
ida, and insured many temperate
men getting a drunk every time
they bought a drink, his policy in the
legislature seems to have been to
make prohibition work double time
for all the progress it made. He is
one of the twelve senator's who in
1915 prevented an amendment from
being submitted to the people, who
would certainly have voted the state
dry in the ensuing election. We don't
see how he can explain his vote
against the measure making it un.
lawful for intoxicated persons to
drive autoes. When we look over the
long line of tragedies directly owing
to a mixture of booze and gasoline
the most inveterate drinker must adj
nit that the law was dictated not by
prohibition but by common sense
Also, Mr.. Davis was unwilling for a
Plimsoll mark to be put on the car
rying capacity of any tanker. And
in 1915 he wanted to give the topper
another hour in the evening to buy
booze before going home. The policy
of any man who ever came squarely
out for the open saloon is more con-
sistent and less harmful than that OF
Mr.. Davis. Mr.. Clark does not believe
in any halfway measures. He has
advocated the most thorough prohibl-
ton as a war measure, and his speech
on that line recently is the strongest
made for that policy in the House
Let Mr.. Davis take day off and tel
the people of this district why his wet
or dry policy in the legislature has
faithfully followed the line usually
jagged out on the midnight by flash
of lightning.
Tho craaob IF Drocidorf M1,ry,b,.oe