May 1, 2023
Chevy Chase, Maryland
The remaining eight weeks before the general election in November, 1912 reveals that Emmett was primarily in court or out in the district giving speeches almost nonstop. A few items to note about the lead-up to the election from the contemporary media:
— Emmett turned 30 on September 17, 1912. General remarks in the editorial sections of panhandle newspapers noted his remarkable career achievement before age 30, and how it bodes well for a future career in politics.
— Emmett was on the road for about 75 percent of time, speaking at several rallies, with the goal of traveling to every county in his district, which included 14 counties. He didn’t own a car, and so, would need to travel either in carpool with constituents or other candidates (which happened several times!), or via train, which could be more time consuming.
One reporter who covered Emmett (and other candidates) during the campaign was CHB (Harry) Floyd, who observed, in one of his essays for the Pensacola Evening News, candidates working potential constituents during train travels across the district. Another reporter, Oscar Johnson from the Pensacola Evening News took advantage of this at one point and conducted straw polls late in the general election campaign among the travelers on who they were supporting. Interestingly, the Pensacola Evening News added that women were included in these straw polls, noting that although they lacked suffrage, they did influence their menfolk’s votes.
As I read through the chronological events leading up to the general election, it’s clear that although Emmett spent most of his life in and around politics, his experience was second-hand; i.e., he attended speeches, heard about the work involved managing a campaign, obtaining funding, and the like. But the stories about the intensity of campaign work could not convey the actual stress. When his grandfather and brother would talk about the political ‘war stories,’ yeah, they sounded harsh and difficult. The reality/experiences themselves were totally new to Emmett.
As noted below, he had a busy schedule. Please note: This schedule was culled from the contemporary media. There were likely other events related to his work as District Attorney, as well as personal responsibilities that we’re not aware of:
But one really significant problem cropped up on October 15, 1912 — a mere two weeks before the election. In summary, it was a Bull Moose party attempt to disqualify the democratic nominees from the ballot. The disqualification was considered a minor technicality, and maybe it was, but a closer examination revealed the careless ‘minor error’ was enough to wipe the Democratic party ballot in Florida. Initially, the article says people laughed about it, didn’t take it seriously — but it turned out to be just the thing that could have had Emmett’s name (and others) removed from the ballot.
The notice was filed on Tuesday, October 15, 1912.
The Democrats had to correct the situation by midnight, Wednesday, October 16, 1912.
The Bull Moosers were not messing around.
All because of a careless error.
The Pensacola Journal also covered the event in great detail; the petition filed by the Bull Moosers prominent on the first page of the October 15, 1912 edition:
I wonder if the Bull Moosers checked the signatures? There’s no follow-up on whether or not they did, but the Democrats prevailed, with more signatures than required. Right away, as we read in the next day’s paper, the newspaper called the scheme a “political trick,” rather than own it was due to the Democrat’s own carelessness over an administrative detail.
How big a deal were the Bull Moosers in Florida politics in 1912? To be honest, they weren’t. Neither they nor the regular Republican party didn’t stand a chance in the heavily Democratic Florida in 1912, especially since the party was weakened, when the Bull Moose party formed on June 22, 1912.
We can imagine Emmett, who was part of the all-hands-on-deck event, passed out somewhere on October 16, once the crisis had passed. He probably wasn’t the only one; it was a close call for correcting the ballot at the last minute.
Categories: Book Congressman Florida History
jsmith532
Professor,
Communication, Arts, and the Humanities
The University of Maryland Global Campus
Tell my story. 
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