The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1943-06-03
SITTING in WITH
The LAWMAKERS
BY RUSSELL KAY
Florida Press Association

THE Lady from Pinellas" is am
bilious and admits quite frankly
that she is toying with the idea of
going after the illustrious title of
"The Lady from Florida. IF the
effort to create new congress
sional district fails and the Hon
orable Lex Green relinquishes his
House seat to run for Governor,
the lady plans to toss her sombrero
in the ring as a candidate for Con-
gresswoman-at-large. Other names
mentioned as possible candidates
are Senator Ernest Graham of Mi
ami, and Mark Wilcox From west
Florida comes talk of opposition
for the Honorable Bob Skies, who,
rumor has it, will be opposed the
next go-round by Representative
Dave Thomas of Escambia and
Parkhill Mays of Monticello.
Others reported to have congress
sional ambitions are Senator
Franklin of Fl Myers and Repre-
sentative Buck Hancock of Madi-
son. 1t is possible, of course, that
none of these aspirants will be
at the post when the race starts,
but they are putting out feelers
End counting their pennies, and
all of them will bear watching.
If guy were to jump up in the
House and scream Fire" or
smallpox, he couldn't cause
any more excitement than does
the chap who mentions State
Welfare Board" 1t is like waving
red flag at a bull During the
past week evrey bill that even
sounded like it might be remotely
connected with the welfare set-up
got in the ash can. Even if a bill
was good the boys didn't like it,
and they even went SO far as to
try to kill one previously passed
and signed by the Governor. The
Welfare Board went haywire this
session by presenting a raft of
bills designed to give them more
power and control of more money.
Things went all right for a time,
but when the boys woke up TO the
fact that about every other bill on
the calendar had to do with wei
fare" they began holding their
noses and pressing red buttons.
Sectionalism, which has been
more or less dormant this ses-
sion, broke out in big way
last weekend when bill to es-
tablish a University of South
Florida at Miami. at cost OF
two million dollars, reached the
floor of the House Amendments
piled up on the clerks desk 50
fast he couldn't keep track of
them. They called for everything
from striking the enacting clause
to striking the word MAN"
and inserting Jacksonville" or
Tampa" Just about everybody
had something to say and before
the fireworks were over some OF
the boys got real personal. The
melee occurred during the Sat
urday morning session when
only the consideration of sup
posed uncontroversial bills was
expected, as many of the mem
bers were absent. Representative
Dowda, chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee, had
the question brought UP with
the view of getting House reac
ton to the question of appro-
priatng the two million. He sure
got it, but after it was over
he knew little more than he had
in the beginning. There was
no particular occasion for the
ruckus for the bill simply pro-
vided for the establishment of a
school of medicine and dentistry
at Miami at some future date,
and called for when and if
appropriation. All agreed that
such a project could not be ur.
dertaken until after the war, bus
from the debate one gathered
the impression that if the bill
passed work would start the next