Two Mistakes Too Many

Time to "take off the gloves," said Governor W. Haydon Burns after he failed to muster a majority in Florida's May 3 Democratic primary. Instead, he stuck out his chin. In last week's run off for the party's nomination for Governor, he first threw away the votes of a lot of rural whites. Then he proceeded to throw away the votes of a lot of urban Negroes. That still left plenty of Floridians, but not enough to save the presumably entrenched political pro from disaster.

Burns's first mistake was his unsubstantiated charge that former State Senator Scott Kelly, a rugged upcountry conservative who ran a strong third in the original Democratic primary, had offered to sell his support in the runoff for $500,000. Burns's idea was to discredit Kelly; instead, he got Kelly hopping mad. Attacking the Governor for what he called "the big lie," the bluff country boy took to the backwoods to support Burns's city-boy opponent, Miami Mayor Robert King High, 42. Still trying to undercut Kelly in the outback, Burns then raised the race issue, warning that High would deliver the state into the hands of the "Negro bloc." He urged Florida to "follow the example of Alabama" in nominating a segregationist. Second mistake.

High kept his electioneering relatively elevated. He deplored the state's anemic educational system, raised statehouse cronyism and water pollution as key issues. He insisted that "the race issue won't work again. Florida has had excellent racial relations." He was right. Although he ran second to Burns in the May 3 primary, High this time won enough votes from Kelly supporters and disenchanted Negroes to come out on top, 585,000 to 499,000.

One of Burns's charges--that High's campaign was managed by Bobby Kennedy and the "Boston-New York-Washington axis"--had the ring of truth. High's campaign team did indeed include such Bobby Kennedy stalwarts as William F. Haddad and Robert Clampitt. Moreover, in his victory speech High reflected a definite Kennedy influence. His gestures and even his words ("Let us begin") were very much J.F.K. as he promised to work for such programs as state tax reform and business expansion.

First, though, High must face the Republican candidate, Jacksonville Investment Banker Claude Kirk, 40. Florida's lopsided Democratic registration makes Kirk the decided underdog, but he is highly personable, and proved his vote-getting talent two years ago by polling an impressive 562,212 votes against Democratic Senator Spessard Holland. And as Burns can testify, Florida voters are prone to swing.

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