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NEWS CONFERENCE
GOVERNOR FARRIS BRYANT
TALLAHASSEE
MARCH 5, 196A
RIHSMEN PARTICIPATING: Bill Bowen, WCTV; Robert W. Delaney, ORLANDO
SENTINEL-STAR; James Gillespy, UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL; John Hayes,
WTVJ; Budd Melliehamp, ABC RADIO; Jerry Mock, JOHN R. PERRY
Wes; Bob Sherrill, MIAMI HERALD-8T. PETERSBURG TIMES SERVICE;
Doug Starr, ASSOCIATED PRESS; Ray Starr, ABC RADIO; George Thurston,
NFLA, WJXT; Everett Williard, FLORIDA TIMES UNION.
GOVERNOR: Good morning. It is a thin, gray line here this morning.
(laughter)
GILLESPY: It's early for it, Governor, but have you had any progress
report at all from Mr. Reddiok?
GOVERNOR: Yes, about two a day and I talked with him this morning
as a matter or fact. His prognosis is very encouraging. The arrest
by the Sheriff and Florida Sheriffs Bureau people of this chap
Rosecrans, of course, has not yet been fully exploited, but it is
being done and does provide us with a good lead which they are
working with nOW.
HAYES: Governor, in your Saturday news conference you said you were
asking Adjutant General McMillan to make a survey on the possibility
of the National Guard being used - concerning the utilization of men
and costs, has this survey been made?
GOVERNOR: I do not have the report on it.
MOCK: Governor, are you going to the Bahamas?
GOVERNOR: Yes, I will be leaving this afternoon and will spend today
and tomorrow and Saturday there.
ROCK: When are you supposed to get in Palm Beach -- about what time?
GOVERNOR: In Palm Beach?
MOCK: Are you going through Palm Beach?
GOVERNOR: I really dont know about that. That will be up to the
pilot I hear.
GILLESPY: Is it business or pleasure, sir?
GOVERNOR: Combination. I will be speaking at a meeting of Insurance
Executives tomorrow morning and I will enjoy it, so it will be pleasure,
too.
R.STARR: Governor, a health department official yesterday in the
pollution meetings used a quote that "Mr. Stewart Udall had advised
that Seadade be denied because of pollution." Do you have any
information on this at all?
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GOVERNOR: I do not. I don't have that information. I read it in
the Paper. That's the only information relative to his views that
I have.
R.STARR: What is the status on the Seedade-Islandia matter now --
is it still to come up before the I. I. Board?
GOVERNOR: That status is exactly as it was the last time I reported
to you rather fully, I think, after returning from Washington. There
has been no change since that time.
THURSTON: I would like to try again on the question I tried Saturday
which was outside the purview of that news conference: at the time
the President was in Florida, did you know about the threat to his
security?
GOVERNOR: Well, I don't know whether there was any real threat to
his security. I did know of the rumors relative to it.
THURSTON: Were you a part of any of the -- or were you involved in
any or the security measures?
GOVERNOR: We were involved from the beginning or his determination to
come to Florida in providing him with the normal security which you
want to provide the President upon his entry into the state. Mr.
Emrich, as a matter of mechanics, was in constant touch with the
Secret Service -- we had some 50 highway patrolman in the Palatka area,
we had a number, of course, in the Miami area.
D.STARR: How do you view the absence of Republican candidates for
so many state posts? What do you think is the reason for it?
GOVERNOR: Discernment on their part of the dim prospects of the
Republican Party in Florida. (laughter)
BOWEN: Along that same line, Governor, has Senator Holland solicited
your support during the next campaign to get out and stump around
the state with him?
GOVERNOR: No, he has not.
BOWEN: Would you?
GOVERNGR: I dont know whether that would be appropriate or not. As
Governor of Florida, I would want to be very careful not to be in the
position of trying to tell anybody else how to vote. I think you know
my views about Senator Holland ~- the high regard in which I hold him
and the high regard I have for the important work he has done for
Florida. But I have to be particularly careful that nobody has any
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reason to believe that I would use this position to try t0 tell
anybody how to Vote. I will express my own views on it, but that
will be the limit or it.
HAYES: Do you have any comment on the proposed march on Tallahassee
by the NAACP?
GOVERNOR: No. It ought to be good for business.
D.STARR: Did the peace marchers come in and speak with you last week?
GOVERNOR: No, they didn't. I understand they were in the office,
but -~
D.STARR: They said they were going to try.
GOVERNOR: I don't believe they tried. I don't recall. Perhaps I
was out -- in fact I am quite sure they weren't here while I was here
or I Would have known about it.
DELANEY: Governor, to get back for a moment to that question about
the lack of Republicans on the qualifying list. The Republican
State Chairman Tom Brown has blamed this on GOP Congressman Cramer.
Do you think there is a possibility that the lack of these Republicans
comes from a fear or a feeling on the part of the Republicans that
President Johnson will carry Florida big this year?
GOVERNOR: No. Looking at this thing as realistically as one can,
the reason that the Republicans don't run for a particular office,
or the reason anybody doesn't run for a particular office in so many
instances, is that they feel they don't have a chance to be elected.
I think it is a great tribute to the Cabinet; I think it is a great
tribute to this administration, as a matter of fact, that the general
feeling of the people as discerned by the Republicans toward this
administration and this Cabinet is such that they Just don't feel it
worthwhile to make the effort. And I agree with them.
DELANEY: let me put the question another way, if I may: had not the
late President Kennedy been assassinated and had he been the likely
nominee, do you think there would have been more Republican candidates?
GOVERNOR: Oh, I don't know. That never happened so I couldn't say.
DELANEY: Do you think it's the strength of President Johnson that
has scared a good many of them away?
GOVERNOR: I wouldn't know that. I cannot tell that.
DELANEY: None of us know, I Just wondered what your opinion was, if
you have one?
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GOVERNOR: I certainly think that President Johnson is stronger in
Florida than President Kennedy would have been, but that is conJecture
only.
R.STARR: Governor, we know that you didn't make it down the hall
the other day by twelve o'clock noon. Are your plans, sir, still
to go back to Ocala and practice law?
GOVERNOR: Yes, sir.
R.STARR: Have you had any other offers, Governor, that you care to
tell us about?
GOVERNOR: No, none that I care to tell you about.
R.3TARR: But you have had some?
GOVERNOR: I have, yes.
R.STARR: Are you considering any of them?
GOVERNOR: Yes, I am.
DELANEY: Do you plan to take part in the discussion on waterways
this morning with Colonel Gee?
GOVERNOR: No.
SHEEXZLL: Has Mr. Gong's suit to redistrict stirred any thought
overnight, Governor, about the subject of redistricting other than
you have already said in the last two conferences?
GOVERKJR: No, I think the filing of the suit in view of the Supreme
Court decision is an appropriate development and there may develop
out of it guidelines that will assist Florida in reaching a solution
of this problem.
Are there other questions? I think that you will be glad to
know if I may wrap it up that the financial picture as developed
through very preliminary February figures is extremely good. And if
the final figures bear out the indications of the preliminary figures,
Florida's prospects will be even better than we had anticipated and we
anticipated it would be good.
BOWEN: Governor, one question a moment ago I asked about the
Tallahassee march -- are you familiar with the NAACP plans at all
for this march?
GOVERNOR: No, I am not.
BOWEN: Well, briefly, they plan to have about 5,000 marchers march
on the 27th on Tallahassee in support of civil rights legislation,
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to give strength behind civil rights legislation do you concur with
that that they should march on Florida's capital city and make a big
demonstration?
GOVERNOR: If they want to, it's all right. I think like other
demonstrators they must be peaceful and citizens must accord them
the right of expression of their own views, but if they want to do
it I think this is fine.
BOWEN: No one has approached you as an act of precaution as far as
using the highway patrolman or anything, have they?
GOVERNOR: Oh, that would depend upon the number and the temper of
the times. We will do whatever is required to assure all citizens
the right on the one hand the peaceful expression of their views on
this subject matter and on the other hand the normal pursuit and
peaceful pursuit of their business.
HAYEsz Governor, if the climate didn't seem to be good, do you foresee
the Cabinet declaring Good Friday a state holiday and, therefore,
closing down the state offices when the marchers come to town?
GOVERNOR: I don't know whether the Cabinet has in mind declaring
Good Friday a holiday or not. So far as I am concerned the presence
of marchers here would have nothing to do with that. Now, every now
and then we get requests to let the employees out to view a parade
and this might be entertained, but I don't know of any other
motivation.
Are there other questions?
SEVERAL: Thank you, Governor.
GOVERNOR: Thank you.
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