The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-09-27
PATHETIC PROTEST


of Gov. Cats to the Times-Union, in
which he protests against his being so
abused for nepotism, while
certain members of his cabinet, who
have put relations in office are not re-
buked by the press.
There is really a pathetic note in
the governors protest, as tho he was
rot aware he has done anything
wrong, and considered himself per-
secuted. And we should not be sur
prised if he was entirely sincere. Gov.
Cats has not impressed people as be-
ing familiar with the principles of
craftsmanship, and if he has ever
studied the views of highly enlighten-
ed men or the best spirit of democ-
racy, he has either forgotten them or
never known how to apply them.
So far as we are concerned. we can
assure the governor that we are just
as much opposed to the members of
his cabinet as we are to him putting
members of their families in connec-
ton with the public purse. 1t is an
abuse, no matter who does it. 1t is
one of the disadvantages of the loca-
ton of Tallahassee that very few
people know what is going on there.
We were not aware to what an extent
nepotism had gone. But the acts of
the governors cabinet do not excuse
the governor. 1t is his duty to set
them and the rest of the state an ex-
ample.
We are not surprised that Mr..
Crawford has relations in his office,
fol the Crawford family has come to
look upon public Office as it's inherited
right. What the governor says about
Attorney General Swearingen is
good joke on Van. Mr.. Swearingen,
it is said, has been going around tell
ing the proletariat that it (and of
course he is part of it) raised babies
tC fight the war while the plutocrats
raised poodle dogs. It now comes out
that Van did not raise babies in time
to fight but old man Crawford, who
is an aristocrat if there is one in the
state, and a whole lot of plutes we
could name, had sons in the army.
And, as we know. the sons of many of
the "classes" lie side by side with the
cracker boys under the little white
crosses in France.
we doubt that Will McRae ever has
any boys on the public payroll He
personally told us few days ago that
&c considered it a disadvantage to a
boy to be in a government office, and
| that he had two nephews for whom he
might have found jobs in the state
house, but instead he obtained for
them places with private firms, and
they are doing much better than they
could do in any state-paid situation.
AS for the other members of the cabi-
net they seem to have relatives in
nothing more than minor clerkships,
and while we do not approve of this,
nevertheless it is nothing like putting
a son or son-in-law in high state or
county Office which pays by the thou
competent to fill.
The governor is too sensitive about
that still in the basement of the cap,
itol. No sensible man ever thought
he had anything to do with it, or Mr.
Crawford either.
1t was an entirely proper thing fol-
the governor to appoint his daughter
or any other relation who had his con-
fidence, his private secretary. We
have no doubt that Miss Ruth pleases
the people better than anyone else he
could give the job to. But his ap.
pointment of his son-in-law to the
highly paid office of tax collector OF
Duval county was an autocratic anC
undemocratic act. and the appoint
ment of his son as adjutant genera
was wrong for not only those reasons
but from a military standpoint, because
there are so many more experienced
ard deserving officers in the state
Nevertheless, we have no idea thai
the governor had any idea he was do
ing anything wrong in either appoint
ment.
The governors postscript to his let
tel speaks a big mouthfull. He say.
; he has 1900 Offices to fill. Yes, anC
many of them are useless offices, filleC
with incompetents, for whose supper
the people have to be taxed. There i.
70 record that the governor has trieC
to cut them off or let them remain I'm
filled. Ii he had only let the useless
OF partly useless ones remain empty
he would have saved the people some
money and partly made good one o:
his prediction promises.