The Ocala evening star., 1920-01-31
CATS CLAIMS
move.

the people OF Flor1da-they are never
"tissue Of falsehoods." They are
falsehoods all right. but there is
nothing tissue-like about them. They
arc as thick and coarse as an un-
planed plank.
Some months ago. the gov. put out
circular containing the first batch
of his claims. 1t was ridiculous and
untruthful enough to kill his chances
with a sensible voter. It's language
alone was enough to disgust a moder-
ate and intelligent man. A short
time ago he added to this circular by
another, which in bunk, vituperation
and .prevarication exceeded the first.
It's only merit is that it was printed
on the first one. That is to say, Gin
order to save paper. he used both
Sides" This is an indication that he
had to pay for it himself. The two
make the most unfortuitous con-
Cattenation of literature ever printed
in this state The Tampa Times dis
sects the double-barreled document as
follows:
Governor Cats and the Senatorial
TOga
Sidney J. Cats is asking the people
of Florida to send him to the United
States Senate, the greatest political
honor which the people have to be-
stow on any man. 1t is a laudable
ambition, that of representing a great
state in the councils of the nation. and
we have no quarrel with Governor
1a c,ff af
this ambition. But this is matter
which concerns million other people
besides Governor Cats. a matter
which calls for calm, judicial, unpre-
JUDGED consideration, such as we pro-
pose to give it.
We have no desire to be unfair to
the governor, even though he does
class the Times among his enemies,
probably because we have at times
ventured to criticize some of his offic-
hal acts. We would remind him that
the doings Of public servant are fair
subjects of criticism. and a paper
which fails to criticise when criticism
is needed is negligent of it's duty to
the people.
What are Governor Cats qualifica-
tions for the high position of senator
of the United States from Florida I?
Let him make answer. We have one Of
his circulars headed "To the Demo-
cratic Voters of Florida" which we
may infer sets off his qualifications in
| the strongest possible light. But why
appeal to the democratic voters? IL
we remember rightly he bolted the
democratic party four years ago and
was elected governor as a prohibition
ist. But let that pass. He begins his
list of qualifications CD with the as
sertion that all the large daily and
weekly papers of the state are oppos-
ing him, and tells why. One, which
he publicly credits with making him
governor four years ago. "belongs tc
the whisky crowd" and the others
in which he includes the Times. are
owned and run by the railroads or the
Catholics. We might call his atten
ton to the fact that a great majority
:. Of the papers of the state are oppos
ing him, and we suppose he woulC
make the same charge against them
But it strikes us that it is queer rec
ommendation for a senatorial candi
5 date, that the papers of his own stat
t are practically a unit in opposing him
s He attempts to inject the religious
;, question into the campaign again. a
j he did four years ago. Our criticism
t of that is, that it is unwise, disloyal
e unpatriotic and un-Christian. tn
: man who attempts to ride into offic
e by fomenting discord and hatred be
r tween the sects is as bad as any othe
n bclshevist. If Governor Cats be
k comes a senator he knows that h
d must represent Catholic and Protest
(. ant, Jew and Gentle, Mohammeda
e and pagan. To claim that he wi
# raise his "strong, fierce voice. in be
r half of one and against another
s pure bunk, and he knows it.
d He gives list of his vetoes of leg
It islative acts. which he claims hav
a been done in the interests of the pee
l, pie of Florida, but as they are mostl
e local acts-one of them the dog ia
y law-we fail to see how they affec
n his qualifications for a United State
n senator. There is considerable diver
d sity about the wisdom of the vetoe!
% among the people of Florida. anywa!
e and let them pass, along with his as
l. sertion that "he begged around kne
d deep in snow in Washington for fou
d days" in the effort to get needed SUI
<. plies of clothing and medicine to th
IS boys at Camp Wheeler. Everybod
y knows that to be one of his airy flight
st Of imagination, like his Cooking o
the floods of the Ganges, and standin
on the banks of the old Nile" 1t wa
Y the efforts of the Florida delegatio
r. in Congress which finally got relic
If to the boys at Camp Wheeler, an
10 Governor Cats had very little to d
ID with it. His influence in Washingto
lr is nil.
ID How does Sidney J. Cats stand o
,e the great national and internations
| IL