The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-01-25
FLORIDA'S CAPITAL
NEWS
:. AS | See 1t.
By M. M. SMAHERS

A lot of good Republicans have
become fruit-bearlng Democrats
after residing in Florida, so that
should not make Charles Francis
Coe, candidate for the office now
held by Senator Charles An
drews, an exception to the rule.
But it will. Politicians of the old
cracker type will probably see
that it does. The Hartford
Comm Courant, under date of
September 9, 1886, carried page
one picture of the present Demo-
cratic candidate for the nomina-
ton of u. S. Senator as a Repub-
lican keynoter for the Republi-
can state convention, called for
the purpose of picking a Republi.-
can state ticket. 1t was predict
ed in this column three weeks ago
that Mr.. Coe was running with
the approval and support of the
Wigwam chiefs of the COP.
Death last week removed from
the political circles of Florida
Senator William G. Homestead
Bill'' Hodges, one of the few men
in the history of the state to rise
to distinction within the ranks of
the Democratic party after es-
pousing another cause. His pres
ence will be missed in many
party councils and on the floor
of the state senate. One of his
last acts was to prepare for the
press a statement, which was not
released, in which he felt that he
could not run on account of his
physical condition. In that art
icle he kept his usual faith with
the causes he supported by pledg-
ing himself to fight any candidate
who would champion issues which
he considered untruths, propa-
ganda and detrimental to the citi-
zenS of Florida. Rumor has it
that certain group of Leon
County higher-upS are trying to
persuade Mrs. Hodges to run for
the late senator's seat in the up
per house of the legislature. The
consensus of opinion is that she
will favorably receive these
friends and if she runs, the sena-
tors wife will be elected.
1t may, or it may not, play
part in the gubernatorial and
senatorial campaigns in the off
ing, but plenty of vote-getting
material may be found in the fact
that thousands over the state are
going hungry because proper IA
cilities for the certification of
WPA job applicants was not
made by the present administra-
ton. Whether justified or not
the fact remains that if the situa-
ton is brought into the open
Senator Charles Andrews will
have to do all the explaining for
both senators as to why federal
pressure was not brought to bear
to force the Cone administration
to make necessary provisions to
meet the requirements set forth
by the federal law governing the
WPA workers and payrolls.
Briefly here is the situation!
Under the revised WPA law no
person, with the exception of
war veterans, can remain on the
security wage payrolls for pc
Rod of longer than eighteen
months. That feature of the law
was incorporated to prevent thou
sands of the workers from becom-
ing career men,. In other
words at the end of their allotted
time the workers were supposed
to step out, thereby allowing new
workmen to take their places. 1t
did not work so well in Florida.
The reason is traceable to the
doorsteps of Governor Cone, for
no provision was made at the last
Legislature to provide the neces-
sary funds to pay persons in the
welfare department to investigate
new cases. So. as the situation