The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-08-30
TRYING TO BE 4 TYRANT


all the members of the Polk county
school board The governor makes
no charges except his customary
.smisfeasance and malfeasance."
Among the members of the school
board are Gen. E. NJ. Law, Florida's
most distinguished Confederate vet
eran, q personal friend of Robert e.
Lee.
|. If Cats had the power he would
probably be tyrant. He hasn't the
power but he is evidently trying to
be the tyrant within his limitation.
If, like the executives of some Cen
trail American states about the size
and population of Florida, he had an
army Of four or FIVE thousand men,
he would provoke a revolution in a
few weeks:
The Lakeland Telegram says:
The Latest Catt-aClysm
Whether there is any way by
which Governor Cats action in re-
moving the school board can be
thwarted, remains to be seen. The
decisions of the supreme court seem
| to uphold the contention that the
governor can arbitrarily, under the
constitution, remove a public officer,
give him no intimation of the cause
/ of his removal, fix upon him the stig-
ma of some indefinite NAL on nom
lfeasance, and then sit back under the
| protection Of his official cloak and de-
lcline to make good his limitations. II
that is the law in Florida, it is high
| time its possibilities of evil were
understood by the people; and there
| is no better way to bring this to pub
Ilic attention than by resistance, by
every legal means, to the latest order
iof the governor.
For, If there ever was a high
handed, arbitrary, uncalled-for and
unjust step, it was the order Of Gov
ernor Cats removing the school
board Of Polk county. The governor
does not dare to tell the world why
The issued the order. He does not dare
to go on record with specific charges
against any of the gentlemen involv-
ed. There are no charges. The mem
tbers of the school board, well known
Throughout this county, and one OF
them a character of national repute
have done no wrong. The confidence
lof the people in them is not shaken
lin the smallest fraction of degree by
4 the action of the governo
"But the public wants to know the
real grounds of his action. If he
should come out and tell the people
THAT he removed them from Office be-
cause they refused to pay school
supply house bunch of claims which
the board is advised and believes are
fraudulent, the people would laugh at
him.
IF that supply house has valid
claim, the courts are open to the
it. The school board could be sued
in the courts of the state, or, since
the supply house is a nonresident, in
1.-THE federal courts also. And since
when, it may be asked, has the Office
Iof the governor of Florida become a
collection agency for nonresident
claimants.
IF that is not the ground for the
latest removal, what is? The people
Eof Polk county want to know. They
resent such interference with their
local and domestic affairs. They re-
sent the cowardly assault upon the
lgood name of citizens in whom they
have full confidence. Public senti-
ment Is q unit IN supporting the
lschool board and the present superin.
4 tendent IN their determination net t.
surrender their offices to the bench
ifnen of the governor until the courts
$50 order"