The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1950-02-17
nE.MERlTT TELLS
rvnu fanNe f)nnl

on the uthtANt tfs
i rit,1ens III this community.
s'. e,srrssas Road and Toll Bridge
n,s.slrt chairman Anthony De
,s,ss Is presented the districts side
iof the argument
said Dcmeritt THE papers Y.
pade county arc anti Warren
ma they are not going q stof
their attack 81 the governor
s,st because 81 what ! am about
"a sav Governor Warren Is tbs
first friendly governor Monroe
county has had IN 70 years The
state Road Department Is meet
;ng 4 Kew West on March Il
las the Road Department eyer
moi n Monroe county before
!, Do YOU know what this means 6
the county,
Demeritt then answered Trey
ors letter that was published II
The Citizen recently Demeri'
stated that the commission dc
manded Bateman live IN Monroe
county to stop any possible 20
liticai or legal d;-eussion tha'
may have arisen had Batemar
remained outside the county.
The $4,000 spent on the cot.
taaa an pigeon Key was for ne
cessities and not luxuries for the
home of Baternan and his -four
adopted children, Demeritt ever
asked Dopp if he (Dopp) had
witnessed any luxurious furnish
ings on the premises.
mo, was Dopp's replvt
Demeritt told how B. M Dun
can, former district manager, lost
his position.
According to Demeritt, Duncan
opposed Warren in the latter
governorship race and as politics
lis today, as it has always been
Duncan was relieved for a man
who was acceptable to the gov
ernor
Demeritt said that the dis
trict was verv sound financial
". He cited as an example that
if not one penny Of tolls were
collected in the next two years
the district could still meet its
bond and interest payments.
Demeritt justified the SIS, 600
propose improvements for way
side parks with the statement
that the commission reasoned that
these improvements would re-
main for the county's benefits.
Tolls on the highway are slated
to end in 1852 when Governor
Warren has said they will be re-
Board Member Sam Harris
brought out that both RESIGNED
members. Trevor and William
Arnold. had voted for this i'm
provement.
Harris also brought out the
fact that the State Road Depart
ment would have to repair ali
damage done to the bridges no
matter from what source. Harri-
added that the SRD. and not the
county, owned the bridges,
Demeritt came back into the
discussion to reveal that the rea-
son for not answering the Trevor
letter was that the local paper
wanted payment for the reply.
Citizen Reporter Norman d.
Artman, present at the meeting,
answered Demeritt's assertion BY
stating that some of Trevor's
charges were personal attacks on
Bateman CTrevor would allow no
editing) and for that reason the
letter came under paid advertise
ment''. Artman told Demeritt
further that his personal attack
this morning on Trevor also
would not appear in The Citizen
Demeritt gave a thorough re-
ply to the Trevor letter, but near
the end he poured it on" the
local civic Iaadap
Demeritt did not pull his
punches, and he surely could moi
be accused Of hitting with kid
gloves"
The board chairman said he
did not want to have to say the
things he was forced to say, but
like Cicero in his Catalina adj
dress, nevertheless said them
Trevor was not present at the
meeting.
Those who jumped to his de
tense were Henry Haskins, anc
Judge Raymond r. Lord.
Judge Lord was very per-
turbed and indignant about the
attack.
Said the judge; Il don't see
what we have to sit here and
listen to this attack on our
former president Of the Key
West Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce is
a non.poIitical organization.
We should not involve our