The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-06-25
City Clerk Protects City's Records
Positively Refuses to Falsify Them
to Please Chairman Of City Council

] The above heading and the article
over which it appeared in The Even
ting Leader of Wednesday seem to
have caused some agitation and the
Official City Newspaper" hastens to
defend its hackers. In its zeal to pro-
tect the "wilful pair" it plunges head
long, without regard to truth or facts,
and goes SO far as to place words in
Councilman Douglass's mouth which
were never spoken and which Council
man Douglass repudiates in a signed
statement to The Leader.
| We think it is a most contemplate
act for young men to attempt to con
fuse and harrass a man of the age
of DR.. Douglass and push him out in
fror Of them. hoping to divert after
ton from themselves and their con.
ltemptible political methods.
DIR. Douglass made his position
plain when he was appointed to the
council, by letter which he had pub
Gshed in The Evening Leader, and
which is here reproduced:
"Tarpon Springs, Fla, April II, 1918.
@The Evening Leader
Gentlemen:
: In reply to your request for u pub
| lie statement as to my position III ac-
Icepting the appointment to I'll the
unexpired term made vacant III the
city council by the resignation of MIR.
G. E. Noblit, I desire to say that I
have not as yet been officially NOTIFIED
of my appointment, and that when |
am notified shall accept only on con-
dition that the useless bicke smgs
which have been the dominant feature
of our council for so long a tinea be
discontinued and the council work in
harmony for the upbuilding of Tar
pom Springs and that. all questions
Lcnninp hefnres it he acted nnnn ii s.fl=
ing to their merits and not according
T to whom it may help or hinder.
.If find it impossible to get har-
monious action in the council | shall
tender my resignation for ! do not be
lieve the city council should inject
personalities into its actions as it has
done in the past, but that whatever is
for the good of the great majority
should be done regardless of personal
feelings.
"Tarpon Springs has great oppor-
tunities before her if harmonious ac-
ton can be secured. But so long as
the spirit of antagonism and personal
ity continues to dominate the council
little progress can be hoped for and !
will not remain member of the c0un-
Gil unless this condition be eliminated
and the best interests of the public
considered first and foremost in every
matter which comes before the body.
| 81 did not seek the appointment as
councilman and accept it only as a
duty which every one owes his city to
| help it in any way possible. ] have
no friends or enemies to help or him.
der and shall work to the best of my
ability for the upbuilding of Tarpen
Springs.
yours truly,
| (signed) 81. E. DOUGLASS"
We believe DR.. Douglass meant
4 what he said in the above letter and
! if he has varied from the above pro-
gram it was the result of the "wilful
pair misrepresenting facts in the
case and confusing the points at issue.
But the idea of the "oficial City
Newspaper" going so far as to make
absolutely false statements and put
them in quotation marks and say that
DIR. Douglass made the remarks is go
ing further than we expected it would
Ego even to serve the '.wilful pair. ["
In reference to the quotations
accredited to Councilman Doug
lass, l, Lucian L. Lucas, called on
him, and he said that he was mis-
quoted; so, this being the. fact, the
quotations are scarcely worth re-
ferring to. Councilman Douglass
Ia gave The Leader permission to
say that Mr.. Cheyney, had never
approached him or attempted to
4 influence him in any way; that in
i fact, outside the council chamber,
/ they had never SO much as passed
i the time of day in many months.
4 The doctor frankly said that both
4 Messrs. West and Durrance had
called at his Office and discussed
i the proposition of opening up Pr
nellas avenue more than one time
/ recently.
That the above is correct state
ment was attested by ]. E. Doug
lass over his signature.
4 Nowhere in its article, however
does the Official City Newspaper" de
my the truth of the statement made il