The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-03-26
Warren Denies
Drake Charge
OF Pressure
Governor Says He
Never Has Applied
Any Pressure To
His Appointees

TALLAHASSEE tR-GOv. Fuller
Warren Tuesday denied ever apply
ing political pressure" to any APP
pointee OF his administration.
He suggested that Road Board
Member Trusten p. Drake, Ocala,
was "overwrought" from heavy
strain" when he charged Warren
with attempting to secure the
building of two roads that would
benefit the DUPONT interests in
Florida.
Warren said in. formal state
ment that Mr.. Drake and every
ether appointee of this admins
tration know / never have applied
pressure to them about any mat
ter. Pressure is not and never has
been my method of dealing with
people. II ! can't get thing done
by persuasion and friendly discus
sion, don't want it done"
Drake said Monday that Warren,
Supreme Court Justice B. H. Rob-
erts and Ed Ball, Jacksonville
banker, had tried to get him and
Road Board Member Marion Mel
son, Panama City, 10 construct
new link in State Road 40 which
would bypass Silver Springs and
run through property owned by
the DuPonts, and 15-mile stretch
CT highway at Port st. Joe that
would benefit the st. Joe Paper
Co, a DUPONT enterprise.
Mr.. Drake was my faithful
friend for nearly 30 years" War
rem said. CAS- Road Board mem
Ter he has worked very hard. Re-
Gently he has been under heavy
strain. Apparently he became over
wrought. do not believe that he
under normal conditiols--Would
have made the untrue and unbound
ed statements he Is reported to
have made"
The governor said he had OBJ
jccted to the Road Department in
augurating any new highway work
in Marion County because brakes
home county had drawn "dis-
proportionate" amount of proposed
construction in the 1852 road budg-
ct.
Drake proposed 10 spend nearly
five million dollars this year for
roads and bridges in Marion Coun-
ty, which has a population of only
37.973, while he planned TO spend
only 81 .003 900 in Orange County
in which ll4,l34 people live, War
rem said.
Drake bpdgeted only about three
million dollars for highway work
In Volusia County, which has
population nearly twice that OF Ma
rion, the governor added. He con-
tinucd.
During the past three years
nearly four million dollars has
been spent by the State Road De-
partment in Marion County. Mr..
brakes proposed expenditure Of
nearly five million dollars for
roads and bridges in 1852 would
make a total of nearly nine mil
lion spent in Marion County for
four years. while Orange County,
with population nearly three
times as large, would receive only
about pa million for the 4.ycar
period
~ felt 1t my duty to object to
such disproportionate expendi-
ture in che county Of the gas tax
money which is paid by the people
Of all the 81 counties.
Il deeply regret that Mr.. Drake
saw fit TO attack me because /
did my duty TO the people of the
other counties Of Florida. =
Warren declined to make public
the text Of the memorandum he
sent Road Department Chairman
Alfred Mcclellan ordering halt
TO new construction work in Marion
County.
An inter.officc memorandum is
not a public record. II is generally
regarded as not being proper to
publish an inter.officc memoran.
dun" he said.