The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1926-04-17
Why lee WAS DIVIDED

When it has been pointed out
in the present campaign that Sem
ator Malone, if reelected, will see
to it that Monroe county VIII not
lose foot Of its territory, sup
porters of Mr.. Laid have replied:
malone is a good one 10 talk
against county division. Didn't
he cut up Lee county,"
The sanfe rejoinder, in effect,
was advanced by Mr.. Ladd in a.
communication in The Citizen
yesterday.
Yes, Senator Malone did cut
up Lee county, but NOT UNTIL
THE VOTERS OF THE COUNTY
DECIDED THEY WANTED IT
DIVIDED. Here is the history,
known to many Key Westers, of
the division of Lee county:
The first attempt to lop off a
section of Lee county was made
in the legislature of 1919. A part
Of Lee was wanted to add to an
other stretch of territory to form
Glades county. Mr.. Malone killed
that bill because his constituents,
had not voted on the question.
Four years ago the proposal to
divide Lee county was revived
with redoubled energy. Robert
A. Henderson, ST., an advocate of
county division, was opposed for
representative by Berry A. Hen
dry, who was against county
division. In the primary cam
paign between Mr.. Henderson and
Mr.. Hendry, Senator Malone made
speeches from one end of Lee
county to the other, stating that.
he favored the election of neither
candidate, but that he would be
governed by the will of the peo-
pie as expressed at the polls.
''If Mr.. Henderson WINS" SEN
ator Malone said, ''the command
of the people to me. is that they
want their county divided; if Mr..
Hendry wins the command of the
people TO me is that they do not
want their county divided. In
either event it shall be my solemn
duty to perform the will of the
people"
What was the result? Mr.. Hen
dcrson won by a large majority,
but the diehards among those
against county division put Fran
els A. Perry in the field against
Mr.. Henderson in the general cleo
ton, and Mr.. Henderson over
whclmingly defeated him, which
was second voice of the people,
most emphatically expressed, that
they favored division. So Scna-
tor Malone, in fulfilling his.
promise to these people, had Lee
county divided at the next session
of the legislature. incidentally,
the Francis A. Perry, whom Mr..
Henderson defeated, will be re.
membered by some Key Westers,
for he is the same man who un-
successfully opposed Senator
Malone in the primary four years
ago.
That is the true and simple his
tory of the division of Lee coun-
lty, and, as was said before, many
Key Westers are familiar with it.
/ Was Mr.. Ladd aware of it? He
was in politics then, and has been
since then, and as a politician, the
natural assumption is that he
would keep in touch with matters
| in a district that included his own
county. But, judging from his
communication in The Citizen, he
was ignorant of the circumstances
that resulted in the division of
Lee county. Either that was the
case, or Mr.. Ladd Intentionally
kept the facts away from the
voters. to suit his own purpose.
The latter assumption seems to
be true, because he lamely tried
in his communication to shut out
the fierce light of county division
that is shining on him by resort
ing to the timeworn expedient of
covering himself with a mantle of
sanctity and shouting to the crowd
to look at Senator Malone-Sen-
ator Malone, who is irrevocably
against Monroe county's losing a
foot of its territory.
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