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CAMPAIGN SPEECH
by
Farris Bryant
Bood evening, my friends in Florida. This is Farris Bryant,
who wants to serve Florida as its governor.
Political promises are the cheapest things in the world and
like most cheap things, they frequently have little value. 0n the
other hand. a record of performance is something on which you can
depend, because for two thousand years it has been true that you
know a tree by its fruit.
In this campaign for the governorship there are three candi-
dates with political records a former governor, the present
governor. and your speaker this evening, Ferris Bryant. Three trees-
what is their fruit? What have they yielded for Florida?
This former governor to when I refer, promises no new taxes and
honesty in government. Beautiful promises, but what is the record-
what is the fruit of his four years administration of the affairs of
Florida.
Eight years ago this man was running for governor, as he is non.
He was being opposed by a candidate who told the people of Florida
that he favored a limited sales tax. This former governor promised
the people of Florida that there would be no sales tax than he broke
his promise.
I show you now a photostatic copy of a campaign publicity
release, dated February 20. 19L8. This is a release from the
Publicity Headquarters of that candidate himself. It came from
Pensacola. Florida. and stated that Fuller Warren, of Jacksonville
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repeated his promise that no sales tax is .necessary in Florida.
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On April 22nd, 19h8. this former governor spoke in Daytona
Beach. Florida. His publicity head was Frank 8. Wright, now a resident
of Miami. he sent out a telegram on behalf or that former governor,
in which he made the statement that Fuller Warren, candidate for
governor. repeated his pledge to veto the proposed sales tax. The
fact is now written in the history that he not only did not veto the
proposed sales tax. but he used all the powers of the governor's
office first to spend so much money that additional taxes were necessa-
ry, and then to thrust the sales tax itself upon the unwilling people
of Florida.
Now, what of his promises to bring you honesty in government?
In 1953 when I served as speaker of the House, I charged that the
Florida State Improvement Commission under the Warren administration
had permitted the substitution of cheap materials in a construction
job at the capitol in Tallahassee and in another in the mental
hospital at Chattahoochee. A committee was appointed to investigate
that charge. and I have here this evening an exact copy or that report.
The Committee found, and I duets, that improper political
influences in connection with the construction Job at the Capitol and
the mental hospital at Chattahoochie. and I quote, "resulted in
excessive cost and loss to the tax payers of the State of Florida."
The Committee further reported that the responsible officials
of the Florida State Improvement Commission, selected by your former
governor. "were derelict in their duty to the public of Florida in
permitting political influences to sway them in awarding contracts and
making purchases on both Jobs." During the course of that investiga-
tion. the director and engineering supervisor of the Florida State
Improvement Commission resigned, and thereafter the Improvement
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Commission itself was abolished.
These are the fruits of that tree, and the taste of then is
still bitter in the mouth of Florida.
The present governor came to you two years ago and said he had
a program that could be accomplished in two years. And has he
accomplished it? If he has, he is entitled to great credit because it
was a wonderful program; and one that I. along with the other people
in Florida. heartily approved. He now seeks to he Judged on his reccrm
and that is what I want to help you to do this evening. He tells you
night after night that during the last legislative session he passed
ninety per cent of his legislatiVe program. What are the facts?
What are the fruits of his administration?
In his message to the Legislature he set forth in great detail
his legislative program. and it is that message I would like to
review. It called for
(1) Re-spportionment of the Legislature by constitutional
means.
(2) Re-organisation of the Executive Departments.
(3) Remedy of the local hill evil.
(a) The election of a Lieutenant-Governor.
(5) The submission to the people of Florida of a revised Consti-
tution at the general election this November, by special session of the
Legislature, if necessary.
(6) Consolidation of tax collection agencies.
(7) Creation of a central purchasing system.
(8) Creation of a division of investments.
(9) Abolition of the fee system.
(10) Repeal of the ouickie divorce law.
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(11) Strengthening of the segregation law, if that becomes
necessary.
(12) Abolition by legislative action of the power or the
Milk Commission to fix prices.
(13) Increase of fish and game licensee so as to create new
hunting areas.
(It) Eradication of the red tide menace.
(15) Establishment of a nursery to produce 25,000;000 more
pine seedlings annually.
(16) Increase of the dog track tax to provide additional money
for the general revenue fund for schools and hospitals and other
crying needs of the State.
(17) Abolition of closed meetings by public bodies.
(18) Department of Labor.
(19) Better budgeting procedure.
(20) Fixed speed limit.
(21) School Health Program.
(22) hyacinth eradication.
Not one of these twenty-two much-needed reforms were enacted
into law. Instead of passing ninety per cent of his legislative
program, it would be more accurate to say he passed ten per cent of
his program; and ninety per cent of it failed. It failed because he
lacks leadership his reputation for leadership is the product of
the largest horde of state-paid press agents in history.
But though his legislative program railed, there may be other
achievements to his credit which make up for that failure. He promised
the people of Florida that reads would be built on a basis of need,not
of greed. The other evening in Orlando he took a former chairman of
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the Road Department severely to task for spending more money per
cspita in his own county then was spent in other larger and more need-
ful counties. His promise to build on the basis of need; not of greed,
had a particular appeal for this great area where bumper to bumper
traffic has created an almost desperate situation. what is the fruit
of that beautiful tree?
During 1955 he spent less of the primary funds in Dede County
than did his predecessor. Acting Governor Johns, whom the people of
this area repudiated at the polls. In his home county of Leon he
spent over twice as much in 1955 as did his predecessor, Acting
Governor Johns. He spent fourteen times as much money in his home
county as was spent by the Administration of the Honorable Dan McCarty.
In 1955. in Leon County. with less than sixty thousand people. he
spent of this road money {1.2ao,ooo, while in Dede County; with
715.000 population; he spent only ':,l.60,000. He spent 93.00 per
capita of state primary funds in Dede County, and $30 per capita in
his home county of Leon. You know. as well as anybody in Florida.
whether or not this is construction on the basis of need or on the
basis of greed.
But above all these things. this governor of Florida has promised
you; and promises you now. that under his administration we will have
clean efficient. economical government at all levels that our
government must be clean by both legal and moral standards. I believe
this promise, and I know that you did. Therefore it came as a shock
to me. as I know it will to the many fine people of Florida who have
supported him before. and some of whom are supporting him now. that
the same sorry tale of political favoritism and illegal practices
at the expense of the tax payer prevails now as it has before.
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This is e photostetic copy of the public record of e lawsuit
tried in Leon County, Florida; the governor's home county, before
that same fine judge who held the governor eligible to run again.
There are two methods of making concrete pipe for drainage work
in road construction. One company in this area uses the cast method.
another company. the machine method. For fifteen years both methods
have been approved by the State Road Department for the production of
concrete pipe. Both methods are still approved by the State Deed
Department in all areas but one Dede County.
In Dede County the Associated Concrete Pipe Company makes
concrete pipe by the machine method. Some of the owners of that
company did not support the present governor in his race for election
two years ego. On August 9; 1955. the State Road Department of
Florida under the present administration sought bids for the construc-
tion of the Sbth Street project in Dade County. This project reeuired
concrete pipe for drainage; and the specifications for that pipe were
changed so that machine made concrete pipe produced by the Associated
Pipe Company could not be used on that Job. That Company charged in
its complaint that the result or that action; if allowed to stendeould
drive it out of business in Florida and give to its competitor a
monopoly in the furnishing of concrete pipe in the Dede County Area.
The court found that there was no rational basis for requiring, as a
part of the specifications for the Job in question, that the pipe for
this Job be produced by any particular method. It round, indeed, that
the concrete pipe made by one method is fully the equal of concrete
pipe made by the other method. The court noted that one of the
engineers of the State Road Departments upon examining samples of both
pipes before the court; could not tell the difference between the
samples of pipe, and confused one kind with the other.
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The court further found that the specifications on this Job
were in violation of both the spirit and the intent of the competitive
bid statutes of Florida, and were invalid and void. The court ordered
the Head Department not to enforce these illegal specifications in the
future.
The facts speak for themselves, and I have no comment to make
except to call your attention to the fact that although this order
was signed on the 27th day of January; 1956; none of the officials
of the Reed Department have been suspended or reprimanded by the
Governor.
These are the facts. Yen, the voters of Florida, must draw your
own conclusions. I! the conclusion is an ugly one. it is only because
the facts are ugly.
when Farris Bryant is governor of Florida, the road funds belonging
to one county will never be used to build political fences in other
counties. The business of the state will be conducted as a public
trust. I will never be guided by vindictiveness against those who
oppose me, nor by political favoritism for those who aid me; because
the government belongs to the people. not to the officials whom they
elect. The old spoils system may be good politics -- it is not good
government.
MA; to
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