The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1945-02-27

| less requested otherwise.
ANSWER TO ANONYMOUS
Editor, The Citizen: ...st
Since the writer of the recent
anonymous pamphlet attacking
citizens who were working on a
new and modernized city charter
for Key West, thought enough of
my opinion to mail me a special
copy, l am taking this method,
through the generosity of The
Key West Citizen, to reply.
My, oh my, the oratory in
which we are practically told of
the millions of boys and girls
who are dying on the battlefields
to save a handful of newcomers
from trying to run the city Of
Key West. That is plain scurvy.
Someone trying to save his own
skin over the heads of our dear
loved absent ones on the battle
| fronts.
Who is hollering WOLF" any
way, and what is he afraid of?
Mo- efficient city Official has ever
failed to be returned to office if
he chose to run, and the new
charter would have nothing on
earth to do with the peoples
choice in any election, either city
council or city commission form
of government. l"i' :" . .'''f -
Maybe this anonymous writer
hhas the filters and mixed the
lfcharter business with the voting
machines. Now, that is the bug
ger to dread because elections
will have to be honest. The
Charter Committee had nothing
to do with the purchase of voting
machines.
Could some city officials fail
to know that as all cities grow,
even New York City, the laws
have to be adjusted and rewrit-
ten to new and modern ways to
make progress from horse and
buggy days to the motorcar age.
No honest person need fear the
voting machine; it would only
annoy thief. I say thief, be-
cause anyone who would steal a
ballot, would steal out of his
fathers pocket. A thief is a
thief. So-back to the anonymous
pamphlet and it's whimper of
pain about the newcomers.
!. How any chinless, brainless
wonder could write so pin
headed an opinion I cannot i'm
agine. Surely no one who would
aspire to the job of running a
municipality would be so foolish
as to antagonize, rather than
welcomes new settlers in our
community. 80 ~ !,
May point out that one of our
highest taxpayers, the Du Pont
/ interests, are newcomers? Let us
hope this silly thing will not dis
, courage their future plans. No
city official should forget that
newcomers own and operate our
only bank in Key West, which
at times has had to lend money
for operation of this municipality.
Also, let us remember, wheth-
er new or old resident, the tax
payers, the man whose property
is assessed for money for salaries
for public officials, should not be
insulted. N. B. T. Roney, that
; great developer, along with Carl
: Fisher of Miami Beach, who
built Roney Plaza and other fine
Beach Hotels and also Russell
Panroast, who have brought mil
lions of dollars in wealth there
that. their city might grow and
prosper, have expressed great in
). tereSt in the development of
Key West. Let's hope they have
not heard such childish fol-de-rol
, about newcomers. '' :'''
!, Every enlightened person
knows hundreds of thousands of
dollars are spent annually by the
{ whole state of Florida to bring
newcomers in.
4 Being from a family who has
| lived in Florida for generations,
can we'll recall hearing my
grandfather tell of the wilder
b., ness it was before newcomers
Flagler and Rail Road Builder
Plant arrived.
Let's put aside self seeking;
let's be- unselfish and public
spirited; let's have clean, lovely
city that will make Our children
happy and proud, and be attrac-
tive to desirable newcomers.
Let's have a reputation of being
the friendliest city in Florida.
The tourist business will always
be our largest industry. We have
no farming country background
to support us: no mines: no mills.
Thege are lot of people who do