The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-12-24
DRAWS NATIONAL DERIsION


the food Of derision he has drawn OH
himself by his threatening letter to
Joe Earman would make him sick. As
lit is, we presume it has the same eff
feet that stout, pointed stick has
when it is rubbed vigorously along
the hide of a razorback.
We clip the following from the New
York Herald Of recent date:
One Of Captain Eugene A Mer-
ribs aids in the enforcement of prohi-
bition among the residents of Brook
Ign became vexed at the Office discip-
line last week and asserted that if he
could get Captain Merrill in room
with nobody else present he would
soon know who was the better man.
Captain Merrill heard of his subor-
dinate's ambition. accepted the chal-
lenge and administered to him bare
fist beating which, it is asserted,
would have created the widest en-
thusiasm in any gathering of pro-
fessional pugilists.
Having established his supremacy,
the captain had his dissatisfied as
sistant transferred to another district,
where, when his blue eyes have at
tanned normally, that public officer
will resume the performance of his
duties.
Happily, this kind of man to man
settlement of disputes is not often
necessary, though many a plagued
executive has wished he might man
handle an obstinate or stubborn as
sistant. Fisticuffs in public Offices are
not wholly, perhaps not at all, ad-
lmirable. But Captain Merrill's re-
sort to the manly art certainly does
not fall into the category in which
the program of personal vengeance
announced by Governor Sidney j
Cats of Florida belongs.
Governor Cats was Baptist min.
lister, but resigned from his clerical
Office several years ago. Recently he
has been embroiled in row with Joe
L. Earman, president of the Florida
state board of health and publisher
of the Palm Beach Post. This dis
pute resulted in the preparation ant
issue by Governor Cats of strange
open letter, in which he declared h
would descend on Mr.. Earman for {
"fnal settlement" because he wa
tired of Mr.. Earman's tyranny, AFRO
gance and big stick bossing," ant
imade this specific threat:
81 am not going to let you rule ant
boss me at your whim and pleasure.
/ "I am a man and stand in man
place and do not run away from an.
West Palm Beachers when they hani
me in efigy as you did when the.
hung you.
eff you publish one more page il
J, your paper like this last one or bottle
) me or my business or my children an,
more l will go to West Palm Beach
Florida, with my double barrel shot
|, gun loaded with buckshot and have
final settlement with you"
i When an ex-minister who has bee
chosen governor of one of the forty
/. eight states writes in this way stran
gers must assume that he means bust
; ness and that lamentable situation
may arise in Florida's domestic at
fairs. A double barrelled shotgun j
a mean weapon to pull on a presiden
: Of the state board of health.
: would be far better to have the quar-
rel decided in the philosophic. name
l chosen by Captain Merrill.
i Undoubtedly Mr.. Richard. the emf
: nent producer of squared circle enter
: tainments, would welcome Governo
Cats and President. Earman to Me-
York and extend the hospitality Q
: Madison Square Garden to them. ]
r Dempsey and Brennan drew a gat
of 100000, what would the Florid
battlers draw?