The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-07-08
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"A POLITICAL PREVIEW'
BY HOWARD w. HARTLEY
Florida News Services

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Advent of FIorida's political
dog days has been marked by
unusual undercover activity on
the part of a bumper crop of
candidates for governor. Nearly
everyone spent the Fourth of
July talking politics between
!swats at the pesky mosquito or
lcussing the rainy weather. So
your commentator, totally sur
rounded by water, relatives. wa
termelon rinds and soggy BATH
ling suits, spent the holidays
checking the list of hopefuls,
presented herewith, and if we've
missed anybody we're sorry.
While this corner lays no
claim to being a prophet and is
scarcely able to shave himself
without losing enough skin. to
cover a three-cent stamp, his OPP
,eratives throughout the state are
fairly well posted. Only this
morning, Operative XXX3 'phon-
ed collect from Red Gulch,
Wyoming collect, of course
that Fuller Warren, Of Jackson
vile, having failed to legislate
the cows off the highways, is Civ
ing every indication of a young
man running for the biggest job
in the state and there's no bull
about this. either. sg =
2 Arthur B. Hale, chairman of
the road department, may be
classified as one Of the 'I-am-be-
ing urged -by-my-friends" boys.
Those close to the Tampa toll
bridge champion insist he is in
the race but the Hale boom is
sort of marking time until Pat
Whitaker, fellow townsman,
makes up his mind whether to
try for governor or take shot
at the United States Senate.
Down the lower east coast, Dan
Chappell, of Miami, who ran a
great race four years ago, lost out
in the first primary and then
swung to Fred Cone, is definitely
a candidate and may announce
almost any day. Sen. j. j. Par
IRISH, of Titusville, isn't doing
much talking but is hearing the
buzz of that little bee. w. Mel.
Christie, of Jacksonville, prefers
the federal bench to governor al
though you can't count him out,
and G. Pierce Wood, speaker of
the SO House, will run II he can
count on dupont support
mighty big, '.if'' in any political
primer.
Sen. w: c. Hodges, of ITALIA
hassee, the Homestead Bille of
four years ago, continues to ride
the top rail of the fence but Bur-
ton Schoepf, the big bus and
truck man from Tampa, is in the
race to stick, having just return
ed from the ToWnsendite conven-
ton in Indianapolis claiming the.
personal support Of the daddy
of the pension movement as well
as strong local support. We must
not overlook former Senator
Fred Touchton. who is not only
the fav0rite of Miami's political
prophet but is reported to have
had a flock of campaign buttons
printed. Whether Congressman
Lex Green runs for governor de-
ponds upon circumstances, chief
among which is what Grandpa
Fred Valz thinks about it. Chanc-
es are Lex will run for reelection
where he will have plenty of
competition if former Mayor
John Alsop takes his mircrophoneI
in hand and hits the highways.
There may be others peering in
the crystal ball, but these are the
aces, kings and jacks. Only
queens in the deck, thus far, are
Hortense Wells, of Tampa. who
just can't make up her mind
whether to run against Sen. An
drews or try to hold on to her
present job Of National Demo-
cratic Committeewoman, and
Polly Rose, of ST. Petersburg,
who is after Hortense's portfolio.
If there are as many candi-