page 21


 clique thing. You know, I didn't know him very well and the kid didn't

 know .but when he elected two Congressmen, he screwed up. Because

 up until then he had been the kingfish. I mean, every damn pork barrel

 that they rolled out in Washington, Clark Reed opened it. I mean, he

 had more patronage in Mississippi than we ever heard of in Florida, you

 know. And that irritated the hell out of me to tell the truth. But

 he was on the inside on everything. But now that he has got two

 Congressmen, they are sharing it with him, you know. He has diminished

 his power somewhat.

 W.D.V.: Why is the party stronger in Florida? Is financing one reason,

 or something else?

 Thomas: No, I think that it is the philosophy that we have and in having

 the counties organized. And in some of the states, they have a central

 committee and that is all, I mean, you know, that's the end of it. They've

 got a lot of talk and all, but particularly since, and you know, I'm

 not taking any credit for this, it's just what I believe in. I'm real

 old fashioned. I think that if you are going to win, you have to have

 every county organized and that's what I've tried to do, even with the

 little counties. I've probably spent more time working in the small

 counties than any chairman they have ever had. In fact, I'm probably the

 first one that ever spent any time, but we have tried to get the small

 counties. Because I know that it can work, I know that it can be done.

 Because I have seen it in Alabama and I tell them, "Look, I'm not telling

 you something that I read about, I'm telling you something that I saw

 happen." And you know, it's funny what one guy can do with a county.

 You get one good guy in the county that dares to stick his head up and

 if he is a good man, it is fantastic what he can do. We have a young

 state senator in Tampa, in Hillsborough County, one man. His father


From the Southern Oral History Program, #4007, Interview /- 60 in the Southern Historical Collection,
University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. FOR REFERENCE ONLY: PERMISSION TO
PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED. WARNING: MOST MANUSCRIPTS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT.