The Key West citizen., 1954-12-15
Hearings On Suspended McCarty Appointees
End In Bitter Telephone Call Exchange Tues.

TALLAHASSEE R-The two day
hearings for II suspended McCarty
appointees wound up in a bitter
long distance exchange between a
suspended game commissioner and
Acting Gov. Johns over the agency
insurance.
Mayor E. Sterling Hall of Bra
denton told Gov. .-elect Leroy Col
Inns yesterday he was fired from
the State Game and FreshWater
Fish Commission because 81 would
OF lend myself to his (Johns) ne
farious scheme to pay off political
debts with public funds,
In his office two floors below
the hearing room, Johns declared
"The man is telling a bald faced
lie" and again asserted that the
Senate was the proper constitu-
tional body to hear his charges
against the suspended officials.
Collins, who called the hearings
to give the McCarty appointeeS a
chance to answer charges filed
against them by Johns, said he
would study the testimony and de.
eide later whether he would re-
inState them.
| If the suspended officials are
reinstated they will be entitled to
draw back pay amounting to about
$4,000 for the approximately 13
months they have been under sus-
pension.
Hall, suspended Sept. 3, testified
he was fired because he refused
to permit Johns to dictate where
the commission insurance should
be placed. Premiums on commits
sion policies have been running
more than $4,000 a year.
Hall said Johns told him he
wanted the commission toplace
its insurance with a friend of his.
A. J. Cobb of Mariana. He said
the commissioners learned in June
that Cobb had been down to the
commission offices and actually
had written and billed the commis-
sion for the policies.
According to Hall. Johns told
him "he had to have the game
commission insurance come what
may because he had run very
heavily into debt in his campaign
and had to have it in order to take
care of that"
Then he added:
II was kicked out because I
would not lend myself to his ne
farious scheme to pay off political
debts with public funds"
Hall said the commission met
June II and agreed unanimously
to award the insurance to another
firm. The commission later select.
ed Mldyette Moor of Tallahassee
Johns then directed the comptrol-
ler'S office to stop payment on the
insurance premium to the Talla-
haSSee firm.
When told what Hall had testi-
fled, Johns said:
The man is telling a bald-faced
lie. | don't curse or | would make
it stronger. I'll tell Mr.. Hall so
to his face.
II repeat that my charges are
documented and the Senate is the
proper constitutional body to hear
these charges"
Johns said he had talked to Hal
about giving the insurance to Cobb
because Cobb was a friend of his.
but declared Hall was lying when
he said Johns was in debt because
of the governorship campaign.
Il have never profited personal.
ly by one cent by virtue of holding
the office of governor from any
state business of any sort" he
said. MY conscience is clear"
Johns didn't appear at any oi
the hearings to support his charg
es against the McCarty racing
: commission, hotel commissioner
road board, turnpike authority OF
the two game commissioners.
Halls story that the insurance
dispute motivated the suspension:
of Hall and E. w. HinSon o.
Quincy, was supported by HinSon,
Henry NJ. Jernigan of Fort Pierce
a McCarty appointed game com
missioner who resigned in protesr
against the suspensions. ant
Charles w. Pace, the commission