Evening star., 1942-01-22

Tor the State
Henry MeLemore. they have al
ways considered an arch enemy.
Plans are under way to have
Florida school children taught that
there are really 48 States in the
Union. not just Al and a lot Of cold,
partially inhabited wasteland along
the Pacific Coast, quantity known
as California.
Californians visiting Florida now
no longer have to wear an identify
ing button inscribed "I am a Cali
fornian" in order to warn Floridians
that an enemy is in their midst.
There was a time when, II a Cali
fornia grapefruit managed TO get
into this State, the Floridian into
whose hands 1t fell Immediately
rushed it to a bathtub and sub
merged it in water, considering it to
be just as dangerous as an internal
machine. I have heard Floridians
swear that they could hear a sinister
tick -tick-tick in all California fruit
that got into their State. Florida
children were told that any piece OF
fruit bearing the label "Sunkist"
would uncurl their hair, stunt their
growth and make them fair game
for the bogey man.
= ~
But those days are past. Cali
fornia's wartime hardships. have
touched Florida's heart.
have seen not one, but q dozen,
editorials in Florida papers express
ing sympathy for its sister tourist
trade State which, because Of its
geographical position, had to cur
tail so seriously its winter program.
Each and every one Of the edi-
torials warned against any gloating.
The tenor Of them all was that Flor
ida welcomed a fair fight for the sun
and ocean patronage, but in times
like these the bigger quarrel made
the little one quite unimportant.
Florida doesn't even regret the
wartime restriction that prohibits
the publishing Of California weather
reports. Until the war came along
every Florida paper had California
bad-weather editor. He was the
first man in the ofice and the last
man to leave. 1t was his dirty to
grasp upon any contrariness Of the
elements In California and whip It
into front-page story. OF course,
California papers had similar edi-
tor and 1t was interesting to watch
what the boys could do with simple
weather reports. They could take q
morning shower and dress 1t up until
it sounded like . monsoon. Give
them . freshentng southeast breeze
and they ran up hurricane signals.
The Chamber Of Commerce litera-
ture was even worse. They fired
upon one another via the mimso-
graph with never ceasing fury.
1t we hadn't gone to war aRatnst
the Axis powers there is a good
chance that Sacramento and Talla-
hassee would have broken OF diplo-
matte $relations and sent their
Chamber Of Commerce forces into
battle.
1t would have been q vicious
battle.
San Diego's crack "Sunkist" orange
brigade would have driven q salient
into Orlandos "Sealdsweet" tan
gerine Notifications.
Sanford and Salinas would have
come to grips with celery stalks.
Miami Beaehs bathing beauties
and Malibu Beach's bathing beauties
would have had hair-pulling con-
test on q emile front.
Weather men would have had 10
close quarters and hurl temperatures
and average mean rainfall ct one
another.
But national unity ended an Of
that.
OF course. only know the Florida
side OF the cessation Of hostilities,
but next week I'll have the other
side. because I am leaving for Call.
fornia. shall do my best to per-
manently cement relations between
the two States, even II have to get
plastered to do 1t.
Distributed b1 McNausht syndissts, Incl