The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-08-08

thanksgiving or Christmas. I IS the
county fete day.
The custom is an excellent one, as
il brings all the people toogether. and
1.-THE social amenities ripen into strong
er ties Of friendship and the memory
is charged with many pleasant recol-
lections.
II was estimated that as many as
two thousand attended the gathering
there last Saturday, and the number
of automobiles on the grounds fully
justified the estimate Some made the
count much larger.
In former days vehicles Of every
description filed the woods but on
this occasion wagon was rot to oe
seen. The automobile has come 10
stay He is king of the highway and
it is decreed that he is to nave per-
petual sway.
One Ct the FIRST persons we raet was
Mr.. Griggs. VINO lives across the Ok
havana, near Lynne. He had come
forty miles He said that ne covered
the distance much easier and speed
Ter than. ne could have gone
ten miles with horse power in
former days over sandy roads, IN
der hot August sun, with al expen-
d1ture Of sympathy for the jaded an
imal nearly every mile of the way.
Governor Cats was of course the
attraction and drawing card at the
Oxford gathering this year, unless it
was partly due to the report that Tom
Watson, the famous Georgia populist
was also to grace the occasion.
The little community, we are told.
is a Cats stronghold, or was in the
last gubernatorial election.
Governor Cats was on the ground
early distributing his literature No
overgrOwn newsboy at the time of
some great epochrophal event could
have oeen more assiduous. Everybody
was given one of his leaflets, and
those who welcomed the senatorial
candidate with smile were given a
number, and were asked to be mis-
sionary in their distribution
The speaking began at II o'clock.
Hon. S. j. Wicker surnter's n1en1-
Der OF the Legislators. was master Of
ceremonies and performed his func-
tions admirably.
Governor Cats said that ne needed
no Introduction to an Oxford audience.
That before he was elected governor
ne conducted a religious revival in
the little Baptist church pointing TO
the puilding) where re cemented many
strong friendships, Some Of whom had
crossed the Jordan TO the happier
land He mentioned q numDer by
name paying eacn one a passing trib-
ute.
re next hopped On 10 the Tampa
Tribune. He said that paper had ere
ated against him false impression
Throughout the state That while IN
Tampa it sent & fool reporter 10 inter
view him. and got the interview all
wrong. he said that he did not say
that the Tribune had tried to briDe
MIN, but il tried to bribe the legisIa-
ture Of the entire state by offering s25,
.000 to prevent an extra session, and
that the offer was made in the inter
est Of the liquor dealers Of Tampa pri-
marily, and the whiskey dealers 0f
the balance of the state Incidentally.
The governor stuck TO the PROPOSE
tion OF the three men attempting 20
bribe MIN in his office by Offering him
$4,000 if he would acll off the extra
session. Didn't remember their names
but said that they were Cuban look
ing men
He next offered an explanation of
his Tampa labor speech. He said that
he wanted to areitrate the differences
existing between the operators and
the employees. and that everybody was
in favor Of doing SO but Colonel Peter
10. knight, whom he referred to as
Hog Island Pete He said that Pc
ter represented the interests" but
that he believed that the Florida
crackers would stand by their govern
or.
He next told Of his visits TO the