The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-27
X-RAY OR O-RAY

h SLdE. 1OuE |
titled "Hardee and Swearingen." is
most commendable and has the ring
of fair play. 1t is this that makes
the Star such strong factor in Mar
ion county, and the state. If some
of our great dailies and weeklies
would read this editorial and go and
do thou likewise the political prophets
might have to revise their figures.
But just as long as newspapers
show injustice to some candidates by
covering them over with mud and at
the same time whitewash the other
candidates, although the public knows
that all live in glass houses, just that
long will these papers be nonentity
in political campaigns.
The fact is that it's a sad COM
mentary on our press, that any num-
Der of voters in this state lay low
until certain papers pick their win
ners and as soon as this is done these |
voters almost fall over each other |
getting on the other side; also other |
voters have started out with de- |
termination to support certain candi- |
dates, but on finding some of the |
press SO manifestly unfair they
change their lineup.
A crusade among our papers advo-
eating pitching our campaigns on
higher planes, then being fair to all
candidates, and basing argument on
facts would do more to purify the
d, political atmosphere in this state
. than any other one thing. When the
papers do this the electorate would
fall in line and then when a candidate
went to singing mud, they would
write mud in box car letters across
his forehead and relegate him to the
rear ranks. and now Mr.. Benjamin,
you have started the ball rolling, let's
go further.
Did you in fact give Mr.. Swearin-
gen a square deal in this particular
for the condition of the Mariana
school and practically blame him for
the entire trouble. Is this just, fair
and right? When there are seven
members of this board, and all with
equal authority, when six of these
members had been on the board lit
tie more than eight months preceding
him and four Or majority had been
on this board several years immed-
lately preceding Mr.. Swearingen, but
you single him out, the youngest
member and only on the board lit
tie more than year, when the condi-
ton you refer to existed largely on
account eff the "au," yet Mr.. Swear
ingen alone must atone for this con-
dition.
Now let's see again are you exactly
fair to him when you single him out
of all the other officials, county, state
F., and nation who are aspiring for their
old places, or are trying for new ones
and actually call it scandalous in his
case, but seemingly o. X. for the
others.
Let's be fair in fact as well as
theory. Respectfully,
X-Ray.
Thanks for your compliment, Mr..
X-Ray We sadly admit the newspa-
p per men of this country are not IN
- prejudiced, impeccable and immacu-
late, but if you were to take the pa
pers out of their hands, we doubt that
they would be any better under the
management of any other class, COM
mission or deputation of other men.
We are acquainted with you, Mr.. x
Ray, and consider you good citizen
and kindhearted man, but when it
comes to dealing with political oppon-
ents you are not any fairer or squarer
than several editors we know.
AS far as Mr.. Swearingen is con-
ecerned, you are Mr.. Naught-Ray
rather than Mr. X-Ray. Mr.. Swear
.ingen is not the onlys@candidate we
have knocked" over the head about
that Mariana school. We began On
Park Trammell, and we have never
forgiven him for the cold-blooded
manner in which he acted toward the
school after the burning to death cf
several of it's inmates seven years
ago. But after we had seen the press
and people of the state subside in
their indignation toward the governor
in a few weeks, and after the legis-
lature had done nothing, we concluded
this one little paper could do nothing,