The Ocala evening star., 1922-10-27


it in 1897, and he had nothing to do
with its editorial policy then. How
ever, the leopard, if so Mr.. Mcleod
chooses to style the Star, has no desire
70 change it's spots. If Mac will look
up his natural history he will find that
the leopard is quite a respectable
of the animal kingdom and in
to his spots he has long,
sharp claws.
When the Star entered the journal
istic field of Marion county it was
considered by Mr.. Mcleod and his
crowd an intruder, and they tried to
heat it down and drive it out. They
said there was no room for another
weekly paper in Marion county. II
Mr.. Mcleod wants to call up mem
ories of the past, we will remind him
of one afternoon when he, big, pow
erful man, came into the Star office
and stormed and threatened the then
editor of the Star, the frail, consump-
tive Mellon, because he had printed
something that displeased Mac and his
faction. We don't remember, we prob
ably didn't know at the time, what the
fuss was about, but we can remember
going into the editorial room and
standing by, ready to interfere if there
should be need, and we can remember
that Mac talked like he owned the
county and anybody who disputed the
Will of him or his clan deserved con-
dign punishment. Luckily for him
self, the demonstration ended with
his talking and looking fierce.
Soon after that, C.. L. Bittinger be-
came editor, and since then nobody
has bullied the Star. We don't know
why the Star opposed Mr.. Mcleod in
those days. We think that it was be-
cause he belonged to a corrupt fac
ton that was trying to run the coun-
ty, and the Star didn't like corrupt
faction then any more than it does
now. We are not sure, but it is our
opinion that Mr.. Mcleod has never
teen elected to a public Office. He
was appointed county commissioner
because the governor believed his fac
tion was in the ascendant. If the peo-
pie had voted on the matter, there is
rot much doubt that Mr.. league
would have been elected Several
years ago, Mr.. Mcleod was candi-
date in the primaries for legislator,
and received very small vote.
In regard to the Kendrick road, the
Star has always Dragged on it as be-
ing good road, and praised Mcleod
for his good work on it. It is the only
good public work Mcleod ever did,
and since he finished it he has done
very little in public affairs except
brag on that road and knock other
people who disagreed with his popu-
listic rather than democratic opinions.
Mr.. Mcleod says he "found this
city, so to speak, in the woods, with
only crooked sand trails entering it."
We came to Ocala thirty years ago,
after seeing every town of any size,
except Key 6Vest, in Florida, and de-
cided that with the exception of De-
Land and St. Augustine, which had
the millions of Flagler and Stetson to
aid them, it was the best built and
kept town in the state. The roads
were not all crooked sand trails. They
were as good as those of any county
in the state, and better than some;
ard the sand roads of Florida have al
ways been better than the mud roads
of the great majority of the United
States.
Now, we don't enjoy printing these
remarks, and should not have if Mr.
Mcleod hasn't insisted on going back
into the dim past and digging up un-
pleasant things that have no bearing
on affairs of today. The Star can af-
| ford for people to go back into the
past, to the day it began. But some
OF its critics can't. So we will say to
Mr.. Mcleod that he had better let
the dead past stay dead.
| 1t was not the Star but Mr.. Mcleod
that has raised the question of vera
city between himself and Mr.. Lam
caster, and Mr.. Mcleod raised it for
the purpose of excusing himself for
betting the democratic party. We
simply maintain that Mr.. Mcleod, no
matter what Mr.. Lancaster did, OF
didn't, has broken his work of honor
in bolting. The primary is gentle
mans agreement. 1t was Instituted
so that democrats could settle their
differences among themselves, and
then present an united front to theil
opponents. Any man or woman who
votes in primary is honor bound tc
vote for its nominees in the genera,
election. That has been fully under.