The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-10-15
JOHN s. HOWARD
STATES Ne IS THE REGULAR
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

To the Voters of Polk County:
l feel it to be my duty to make
plain statement of the facts pertain
ing to the contest beween 3. T.
Sloan and myself in reference to the
nomination for County Commission
er for District No. 4.
In the primary last June defeated
Mr. Sloan ten votes and was declared
the regular Democratic nominee ny
the canvassing board. Mr.. Sloan not
being willing to abide by the will OF
the voters, at once began contest
J proceeding in several precincts, on
the grounds that illegal votes had
been cast, namely: that voters other
than Democrats had been allowed TO
vote, claiming that all such votes
were illegal. OF course, by compar-
ing the poll lists with the registra-
ton books it was no trouble to ascer-
tain who voted and what their party
affiliation was, but to find who they
voted for, was the problem, so they
held a court of inquiry and had all Of
these illegal voters, as they called
them, summoned before said court,
and put them on the witness stand
under oath, and asked them the d.
lrect question as to who they voted
Ifor,-whether Sloan or Howard. Six
of said witnesses answered the ques
ton. Three said they voted fol
Howard and three said they voted sol
Sloan, and the rest of them positively
refused to answer the question
claiming that he Australian ballo
system gave them the right to secre
cy and to tell for whom they votet
would destroy the privacy of thei
: ballot.
Failing in this, their last resort
they appealed to Judge Edwards L
throw out the Winter Haven and LAX
Hamilton precincts, which appeal tn
judge sustained and thereby gave tn
nomination to Mr.. Sloan and ordere
y Mr.. Sloan's name put on the ticke
as the regular nominee.
Not being willing to submit I
J. such unfair and arbitrary ruling, I {
! once ordered my attorney to appe;
{, the case to the Supreme Court, whic
N he has done and the case is now |
/ the Supreme Court for a final deci
rs ion, and until a final decision is re-
~ dered will certainly be on the tic
" ct as the regular nominee and NO
Of Mr.. Sloan, as he attempted to lea
the people of Polk County to beliey
AZ, in statement he made in the LAX
land Telegram last Wednesday.
said statement Mr.. Sloan stated tn,
IN Judge Edwards declared him to |
y, m the regular Democratic nomine
IN which is all true, but Mr.. Sloan faile
j. to state all the facts. A statemel
\, 70 that is misleading and fails to sta
? all the facts connected Herewith
mighty close akin to falsehood.
Is Mr.. Sloan considered himself the re
). ular nominee, why did he petition Il
n Board of County Commissioners
or put him on the ticket as an IND
8, PENDENT candidate? Why didr
n he state all the facts and say to h
"a friends that by Towards action
of appealing the case to the Supren
Of Court Judge Edwards order W;
ID ID stayed, which action forced him
Of go on the ticket as an independel
e. candidate? Had he appealed to h
q 81 friends to rally to his support as
bolter and independent candidate ar
10 not claimed to be the regular non
10 nee, he would have been more co
ii sistent.
Of Now with the facts as they exis
'' | have no hesitancy in soliciting Il
votes and support of the people !,
the county as the regular nomine
and to you the voters of Polk Cou
ty, | will leave the matter with yo
to decide on the fifth day of Mover
Il ber whether or not l am worthy
II your support, and If you again ele,
me, assure you that l shall eve
y try, as I have in the past, to do m
: whole duty.
= JOHN s. HOWARD.