The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-03-13
~REAssERT IT'S RIGHTS"

Editor Star: Under the above head
line in yesterdays Star you say that
the county democratic executive COM
mittee should reassert a right con-
fered on it by the people, to-wit: That
the governor appoint in filling vacan--
cies in Office those persons recon-
mended by the county committee. The
people never conferred such a right on
the committee. The only person to
whom they ever gave the right to fill
vacancies is the governor, when they
adopted the present constitution.
Should the governor do otherwise
that as his judgment deems proper
would be a plain disregard of his duty
and violation of his oath of Office.
Some years ago some candidates for
governor, to catch votes, pledged
themselves to appoint men recon-
niended by these committees. AS
remember Gov. Gilchrist disregarded
the recommendations when he deemed
it proper, which was a very proper
thing to do.
The business of a party executive
committee is to attend to the party's
affairs, such as calling elections, etc
March II, 1920. R. McConathy.
We admit that Judge McConathy is
right in speaking of the law and the
people of the state in general What
We meant and what we should have
said was that the democratic party
had conferred on its county commit
tees the right to demand of governors
elected by democratic votes that they
regard the recommendations of said
committees in making county appoint
ments. Our mistake was in referring
to the members of the democratic
party as the entire people-an error
common enough to be excused, and
which was not much of an error until
dissension so disorganized the party
that it is difficult to tell who is dem
ccrat and who isn't. This mistake,
such as it was, would not have been
made had we not written the para
81 aph in great hurry, trying to at
tend to other matters at the same
time. The truth is, and we do not
think Judge McConathy will try to
dispute it. that ever since the demo-
cratic party, after long and sicken-
ing experience with republican mis-
lule, gained control of the state over
forty years ago. it has been well I'M
derstood and undisputed party law
that if a vacancy occurred in any
county Office the governor should fill
it only on the recommendation of the
county democratic committee. The
reasons for this were two-both
good-one, that it stood to reason
that the members of the county COM
mittee, chosen by the democrats of
the various precincts, were much bet
ter able to Judge of the qualifications
of man than the governor; another,
that it was a check on the governor
who might desire to build up a ma
chine. 1t was very seldom that any
governor disregarded this rule. When
ever he did, he always made trouble
for himself. We remember that Gov
ernor Jennings lost his popularity in
this county by making an appointment
without consulting the committee
Governor Gilchrist did the same thing
and tho he made good appointments
he found in 1916 that the democrats
had not forgotten his disregard OF
party law. AS for Gov. Cats, who
has made two appointments without
consulting the committee, it is only
fair to say that he not only made
good appointments but that the dem
ocrats have no right to expect him to
be Influenced by the committee, as he
was elected as the candidate of the
prohibitionists, and democrats have nc
more right than republicans to try to
influence his appointments. 1t is also
the truth that sometimes a county
committee goes wrong and recon-
mends a bad man for Office, in which
case, if evidence is laid before the
governor, it is not only his right but
his duty to disregard the recommen.
dation. But as a general thing the
rule is good one. and it should be
revived and put to work with it's old.