The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-01-05

way SyStCIl, & uIuuOLlS 1OT the
lower Tampa Bay bridge and is
plugging for highly controversial
275 million dollar turnpike and sew
eral lesser projects as the term
runs out.
When he took office Jan. 4,
1949, with a call for frontier fru-
gality" the 43-year-old 29th COVER
nor found general fund balance
of five million dollars ann obliga-
tons for the future which tie 1947
Legislature had deferred meeting.
New revenue was essential. He
proposed a series of special in
dustry taxes to furnish it, but the
Legislature wouldn't go along.
legislative leaders preferred
sales tax, and he was pledged
against a general sales levy.
The regular legislative session
ended with no new tax money and
the state went through a tough
financial summer.
Warren sought to dramatic the
situation by passing up his salary
and borrowing money on his Cadil-
lac Just before he left for Cali
fornia to be married. The stunt
backfired with a wave of public
indignation and ridicule.
Finally, in a September special
session, the Legislature and War
rem agreed on what he called a
''limited sales tax" exempting ne
cessities of life.
Since then, the states finances
have improved steadily. Receipts
from the sales tax ard older levies
on consumer goods have mounted
on the wings of rising prices, state
growth and general prosperity.
Warren is leaving his successor
four times as much in the general
fund as he found when he took
office.
The sales tax bill came in a
package with two other measures.
Florida cities, which long had
sought financial help from the
state, were cut in for rebate of
all cigarette taxes collected within
their boundaries. Counties got for
road building the seventh cent of
tax on gasoline which formerly
went to the state general fund.
No sooner had the financial prob
lem been solved than another stu
alton rose to plague the governor
and his administration.
C. v. Griffin, a wealthy cam
paign hacker, fell out with Warren
and charged wide open gambling
and vice was being permitted.
The furore brought a public cru
SADIE against gambling by the
press, the Miami Crime Commas.
sion and finally the Kefauver Com
mittee. Warren slapped at all Of
them. He claimed his adminiStra.
ton bad suppressed gambling.
At its height, he suspended six
SheriffS and five constableS.
One of them was Sheriff Jimmy
Sullivan of Dade County, who later
was reinstated by Warren on the
basis of a Supreme Court decision
several months earlier that an in
dictment charging the sheriff will
neglect of duty was technically in
sufficient. Within three months
Sullivan resigned and now is under
indictment for income tax evasion
The Sullivan reinstatement
brought the impeachment move il
the 1851 Legislature. Along with 9
whole series of investigations, i
kept the Legislature in high fever;
but in the end only six representa-
tives voted for the Impeachment
articles and the move failed.
But the Senate refused to cor
| firm reappointment of Warren
racing commission, and he had t
get a whole new board.
| For the final IS months of hi
administration, Warren has divide
his time between swapping publi
statements with his critics, plug
ging for highway safety with som
apparent results). pushing tn,
turnpike proposal and trying t
promote more tourist business ant
greater industrial development.
Il For almost half Of his admins
tration he argued at long distanc
with Sen. Kefauver who becam,
his arch enemy.
i He issued debate challenges tim
after time while the Senate Com
mittee was in session and later
while kefauver was running fol
the Democratic presidential nomi
nation in the Florida preferential
primary.
But the two never came face tC
/ face. &
The governor sent back a sub
poena by which the committee
sought to question him as a wit.
ness. He said it was an encr0ach-
ment on state sovereignty.
Last spring Kefauver. running
for the presidential nomination,
called on Warren in the capitol but
the governor had just left. Both
agreed to a debate a few days
later in Miami. but they never got
together on a time or place. Ke-
fauver went on televiSion beside
an anAxau chair hna rim. Mar-nr.. !.