The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-05-27
COLONEL PETER o. KNIGHT STAR
ACTOR M a SURPRISING ROLE.

being told that he was the star per-
former in surprising role among al
number of high-brow Republican pro-
tectionists at Atlantic City not great
while ago.
It was meeting OF the hardware
manufacturers of the country who
feast in clover when the Republicans
are in control of the government be-
cause they are voted bonuses in the
shape Of prohibitive tariff and have
home market at their command to-
exploit and exact tribute to any
amount flexible conscience will al
low.
We all remember how American
railroad builders were compelled to
pay so per cent more for steel rails
than they could have been purchased
abroad, and our naval board We're
exacted the same tribute for armor
plate, and our American farmers the
same amount of tribute for every me-
chanical appliance used on the farm,
and yet we were presumptiouly told
and are still told with straight, un-
blushing face. that this munificent
tariff is for the benefit of the Ameri-
can farmer and the American consumr
.er.
/. Surely Colonel Peter can not be so
gullible as to stand for it!
Those profiteering manufacturers
are of course anxious to see those
haIcyon days restored because under
a Democratic administration they
were held down to legitimate profits.
We are enthusiastically told that
the men assembled at Atlantic City
represented 90 per cent of the manu-
facturers of the country all as hung.
nv as wolves and they were never so
delighted as when Colonel Peter APP
peared on the boards as a star per-
former in an entirely new role for a.
Southern Democrat.
The New York Herald, now in pos
session of Frank Munsey, who by
worshipping at the feet of the 'robber
barons' has grown opulent in wealth,
noting the vociferous ovation thrust
on our Colorx Peter commented up
on it as follows:
peter o. knight, prominent Dem
ocrat and one of Tampa's Leading law
syers. brought every man IN the pail-
room of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT 70
his feet when, coming to the close OF
a crisp and forceful summary of con-
ditions now facing business he de
clared:
Last fall liberty-loving and con-
stitution-loving men. real Americans
said they were through with phrase
making, half baked theories. damn
foolism, mental joy-riding and intel
lectual sky-climbing and were going
to get back to the constitution and
common sense.
If it had not been for the negro
question in the South that magnifi
cent gentleman who sits in the white
house would have carried every state
in the Union
We submit that this was most un-
gracious dig directed at the head
of an administration that in its
achievements was the most brilliant
in the history of the country.
An administration that placed on
the statute books more constructive
legislation of any preceding admins
tration and on land and sea. in field
and cabinet. lifted our nation to the
highest pinnacle of fame.
Without in any way intending to be
hypocritical it does seem to us that
1t is rather early to be tossing bou-l
nuets at the magnificent gentleman
who now sits in the White House. as
he has not yet marked out line of
policy that will bear comparison with
his predecessors in office nor did he
aspire to leadership while a member
of the United States senate.
According to the New York World
he has shown himself unstable vacilat-
ing and undetermined in the problems
that have so far confronted him
That paper says:
st remains to be seen whether the
withdrawal of the administration op-
position in the Senate to the Borah
naval-holiday amendment is ANYTHING
more than an adroit parliamentary
maneuvre.
Mr.. Harding changes his mind and
shifts his position so frequently that
nobody knows where he stands on the
disarmament question One day he is
mildly and benevolently in favor of it
with reservations. and another day he
is making an oldfashioned blythe
Eternal" speech to the navy. One dav
he protests against the Borah amend
ment as an unwarranted invasion Of
the executive powers. and another
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