Done Up Classy in Tallahassee

By midmorning, despite a drizzling rain, one of the biggest crowds in Tallahassee's history was standing in front of Florida's steepled old state capitol. Democrat Fuller Warren, onetime farm boy from Calhoun County's peanut and sweet-potato country, was about to be inaugurated governor--belly laugh, handshake, campaign promises and all. The folks expected a good show. They got it.

The rain forced dignified Governor Millard F. Caldwell to cut short a resume of his administration. But it stopped as soon as the new man, handsome, greying, jovial Fuller Warren, stepped up. Warren was wearing a frock coat which hit him below the knees, but nobody minded. Cried he: "This is the first monkey suit I ever had on . . ." During the proceedings, an airplane flew over. Its wings bore the legend: "Hi Gov."

Warren made a speech which demonstrated his infinite capacity for the revolving, roller-bearing, dipsy-doodle phrase. He "took up the burden" . . . "entered upon consecrated service" and promised to "eliminate roaming livestock from the roads." He promised that one & all could come to his office and see him, though, he added with a wink, "... it will help a whole lot if you voted right . . ."

The new governor dived into the crowd which was gathered for the free barbecue--40,000 pounds of meat, and plenty of beans, cake, orange juice and Florida celery. He shook hands, posed for photographers, handed out chunks of cake, and hugged giggling women with democratic vigor. Then he went off to watch the parade, which had 127 floats, and bands, and herds of bathing beauties, many of them tossing oranges at the crowds.

That night he fought his way in & out of four grand balls--all of them so jammed that dancing was next to impossible. Everyone agreed that it had been a wonderful inauguration--everyone, that is, but a horde of newly appointed Florida colonels, who found that their new rank didn't even entitle them to reserved seats at such goings-on.

Chester Bowles was inaugurated as governor of Connecticut, and coined a phrase which seemed to stem equally from his background as 1) a New York advertising executive, and 2) head of OPA. Democrat Bowles promised the state a program of "competent liberalism."

Republicans in the legislature held up the inauguration for four hours, threatened to demand a recount of last fall's close election (Bowles won by only 2,285 votes). But the high point of the proceedings was Bowles's rakish appearance in the inaugural parade--he wore a dented grey hat with his cutaway. Said his wife: "Chet has a silk hat somewhere. But he just won't wear one."

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