The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-04-19
Smather.s Will
Fight For Navy
Base Retention
PROMISES LEGISLATION TO
KEEP PRESENT ESTABLISH
MENTS HERE: SPEAKS TO-
NIGHT OVER wKwF. Sis

| AS5loAdblOAL 1OA LAlG oll-I1lllC 1C-
Itention in Key West of present
naval establishments and installa-
ltions at peak level was advocated
here today by George Snathers,
candidate for Congress and Ma
Urine veteran with Is months of
icombat service in the Pacific.
| AS congressman, he pledged in
production of such a measure and
iadded that he would seek a post
on the powerful naval affairs
committee of the house ito enable
me better to serve the Monroe
Icounty part of this district" He
Ipointed out that his opponent,
Congressman Pat Cannon, had re-
lsigned from that committee and
ladded that Cannon now is
member of only one house COM
mittee, that on agriculture, where
as even freshmen congressman
customarily serve on from three
to five committees"
! Legislation to protect Monroe
county's commercial fishermen
and spongers against invasion of
! their market and price cutting by
foreign fishermen also was advo-
Gated by Smathers, who is at La
Concha Hotel.
Congressman Pat Cannon is
, telling people that / will play l,lll
with Senator Claude Pepper if l
am elected" Smathers said. "He
implies there would be something
levil in that. / do not think so. I
believe it will work to- the great
benefit of Monroe county to have
a congressman who will serve har-
moniously with Senator Pepper
on measures designed to develop
the great potentialities of this en-
tire district. Claude Pepper is my
| warm personal fr'cad and while 1
tmay not always agree with his
Views of international policies,
definitely will work in close har-
mony with him on measures to
benefit the people of this district
| 1t is to the very great injury of
| Monroe County that Congressman
4 Cannon is at loggefheads with
! Senator Pepper. ea.#l. :'t
"The people cannot forget that
The Congressional Record shows
that Cannon was present and vot-
ed on only 43 of 80 major bills in
l943, on only 38 of SO major bills
in 1945 and on only nine of 81 ma
jor bills up TO March 81 of this
year. He admits his absenteeism.
but maintains it is virtue. He
admits that the 400 other con-
gressmen voted on 30 percent of
the bills that came before con-
guess, as against Cannon's 20 per
cent. The 400 other congressman
can't be wrong"
Smathers said he would, if
elected, espouse the following
projects for the benefit of war
veterans:
l. Establishment of a Veterans
Administration Reconstruction FL
, nance Corporation, through which
veterans may obtain loans with :,
: minimum of collateral and red
tape.
2. Immediate construction in
this district of a new, modern and
properly equipped veterans hos
pital, with minimum of 1000
beds.
3. An outright rehabilitation
grant" for all veterans, "noW and
not Is years from noW"-to en-
able them TO buy homes or 60 into
business.
4. Immediate payment to veter-
ans who served as enlisted men of
accumulated leave pay, to which
!; they are as much entitled as were
the officers.
Smathers added emphatically
that he favors equal federal funds
for old-age assistance in every
state. He advocated changing the
formula by which states with high
average income get more from the
federal government to match state
funds than do states with low
average income.
Smathers speaks over station
lWKWF at R.15 tonight