Warren Hearnes looks back on his days as Missouri governor

As his days as Missouri governor were drawing to a close, Warren Hearnes took time out of his schedule to give an interview to a Southeast Missourian newspaper staff writer.

What resulted is an interesting look back on Hearnes' years in office, what he considered his successes and his failures, and his thoughts on the recent gubernatorial race.

Missouri Gov. Warren E. Hearnes (Southeast Missourian archive)

Published Dec. 13, 1972, in the Southeast Missourian

HEARNES BRINGS FRESH IDEAS TO MISSOURI

GOVERNOR LOOKS BACK ON SUCCESS, FAILURE OF BILLS PRESENTED IN LAST 8 YEARS

By SALLY WRIGHT BROWN
Missourian staff writer

JEFFERSON CITY — When Warren E. Hearnes stood on the steps of the imposing white state Capitol one cold, blustery day in January eight years ago, he offered Missourians a new beginning.

"The change we offer," he said, "is fresh ideas, fresh faces, fresh attitudes and fresh dreams — dreams of a society which can, if necessary, rise above party politics, which can build a state emblematic of the times in which we live and symbolic of a government worthy of emulation."

The ideas, faces and dreams which the Charleston-born governor brought with him as a former majority floor leader of the House of Representatives and secretary of state will soon be stamped into the finality of history.

The last page

When Mr. Hearnes dons a top hat and strides out of the executive mansion to accompany a governor-elect to the Capitol on Jan. 8, the last page chronicling his tenure as governor will be written.

Swiftly, almost with the sound of chimes striking high noon, power will pass. Christopher "Kit" Bond, the youngest man ever given the mandate to occupy the state's executive mansion, will become Missouri's 47th governor, and Mr. Hearnes will return to private life and a law practice with the firm of Padberg, Raack, McSweeney and Slater in St. Louis and Charleston.

Watching the Missouri River roll by just a short distance below the north portico outside the splendid blue and gold oval office in the Capitol, the governor, happy and relaxed, took a last reflective glance at his eight years in office.

Legislation — its passage or failure — is a yardstick by which many people measure a governor's success. For Gov. Hearnes, the yardstick shows more successes than failures, although the governor is frank to admit some of his most wanted measures did not have the backing to ever win approval and become law.

Education — how to better provide educational facilities at all levels — has been a prime concern for Mr. Hearnes. During his years as governor, state aid to public schools increased by 167%, to higher education by 204%, to vocational education by 933% and to junior colleges by 812%.

Four-year branches of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the University of Missouri-Kansas City were fully funded and special education programs were expanded to include emotionally and socially exceptional children. Handicapped students' programs were improved, doubling the number of trainable children being accommodated, and 38 sheltered workshop programs were established.

In the area of mental health, state appropriations increased from $25.7 million to $84.5 million, a whopping increase of 228%. Alcoholism and drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation programs were set up, and the administration won national recognition by establishing nine regional diagnostic and treatment clinics for the mentally retarded, placed all families within a one-hour drive of needed facilities.

The governor reversed the state's mental health philosophy from one of custodial care to one of treatment and rehabilitation, enabling nearly 50,000 patients per year to receive state services rather than the approximate 10,000 in 1965.

Safety

Highways and traffic safety were given consistent attention by Gov. Hearnes, although a toll road proposed became a burr under the administration's saddle.

Drunken driver laws were tightened; 350 miles of four-lane highways were built throughout the state, better ambulances and medical technician services were established, and economic losses because of traffic accidents in Missouri were reduced by $14 million in 1970 and by an additional $13 million in 1971.

Mr. Hearnes was also instrumental in recruiting nearly 1,000 new manufacturing industries to the state, creating more than 107,000 new jobs through industrial growth and expansion.

Crime

An iron fist was used in the battle against crime, with uniformed strength of the Missouri State Highway Patrol increased from 500 to 750 officers. Computers were put to work in all law enforcement agencies, laws on drug abuse were revised and drug abuse education programs enacted, and the Missouri Law Enforcement Assistance Council was created to initiate programs designed to strengthen the entire system of justice.

The state's first civil rights law, the Public Accommodations law, saw passage during Mr. Hearnes' administration, and other steps toward improving civil rights were taken, including enactment of a Fair Housing law.

Environment

Concern for the environment found its way to the front the past several years, resulting in an air pollution law, the strengthening of state water pollution regulations and passage of $150 million water pollution bond issue to provide state matching funds for sewage control construction projects totaling about $600 million topped the list.

More attention was paid to the licensing and inspection of nursing homes, and aid and services to the state's elderly were augmented as Mr. Hearnes focused on the importance of older Missourians to the state's future.

With expanding industrial development in Missouri, Gov. Hearnes pushed for urban, community and rural development, providing local voters the right to enact a municipal sales tax and thereby provide their cities with a revenue source tied to economic growth while reducing local property taxes.

The Department of Community affairs was created to assist local governments, and through the department, $3.8 million was funded to cities, counties and regional planning commissions and $270 million was funded to units of government in Missouri for urban renewal, housing, community centers, water systems, sewage facilities and other local improvement projects.

Efficiency

In other areas of state government, the governor cited creation of the State Reorganization (Little Hoover) Commission to provide for realignment of state agencies for increased efficiency, reform of election laws, enactment of a public defender system, creation of the Missouri Council on the Arts (the second such council in he nation), and creation of the Missouri Commission on the Status of Women as major gains.

"When speaking of a person's achievements as governor you can't speak only in the field of legislation," he said, noting riots in the ghettos in Kansas City several years ago that could have exploded into an uncontrollable situation without fast — and decisive — action.

Accomplishments mad during the past eight years "will be very hard to match the next four to eight years," Mr. Hearnes said. "I'm not saying that in a bragging way," he remarked. "To do what we've done we've had to take our lumps, believe me.

Mr. Hearnes, a Democrat committeeman from his state, boosted Missouri from a state that rarely made national headlines to one that became focal point for the nation on several occasions.

A credit

Citing his election as chairman of the National Governors' Conference as one of his main accomplishments outside the Legislature, the governor said hosting the meeting in the Missouri Ozarks was a "credit to the state."

The Midwestern Governors' Conference also convened in Missouri, and the affable Bootheel native turned governor also made headlines for himself — and Missouri — when he led a delegation to the Soviet Union, sitting down with the premier of the USSR to discuss an upcoming meeting between Soviet officials and the U.S. President.

These events, plus what Gov. Hearnes called a "personal effort" in bringing industrial development to Missouri, are among what he thinks are the most notable of his administration.

"It's a never-ending battle for education, health and welfare," the governor admitted, looking ahead to what issues will most concern Missourians in the years to come. Almost 90% of the state's money goes in those three fields," he said. "I don't think many people realize that."

A state, unlike the federal government, "can't escape the headache of not having to raise money," he explained, pointing out the huge deficient budget on which the federal government operates.

"Politicians talk about saving money. They talk a good game, but people get the wrong impression that these things — health, education, welfare — can be achieved without funds from somewhere."

Outspoken on issues which concern his party, Gov. Hearnes was among the first who urged Democratic party chairman, Mrs. Jean Westwood, to resign. And at the recent one-day meeting of Democratic governors in St. Louis, Mr. Hearnes' thoughts were echoed by most present.

Many governors favored Texan Richard Strauss, who won the post as new party chairman and MR. Hearnes, although mentioned at one time as a possible replacement, declared, "I have no interest in seeking the job. Announcement of my joining a law firm should put an end to any speculation."

Asked if a Democratic Legislature and Republican governor can successfully work together, the outgoing governor replied: "The people apparently thought so when they cast their votes."

Almost immediately after taking office in 1965 Mr. Hearnes began working for a constitutional amendment which would permit governors to serve two consecutive terms. The change was quickly approved, but now the governor has some second thoughts.

"To say a governor can only serve one or two terms is an insult to the people. What you're really saying is that voters don't have the intelligence to choose officials," he declared.

"I think a governor's term should be unlimited." And even though he does not try to hide the fact that he has tremendously enjoyed the gubernatorial post he is quick to add that "I'd step down in January anyway, for a rest — mentally and physically. But I believe to say a person can't serve more than two terms is to discriminate against him."

Appointments are a controversial part of any governor's job, and during Mr. Hearnes' administration some of the most controversial appointments were those made to patronage offices.

Patronage

However, the governor is staunch in his support of the patronage system, one that fell under heavy fire in Mr. Bond's gubernatorial campaign.

Gov. Hearnes is vehement in his belief that "with the help of media patronage has been built up as something bad. Once people are propagandized by the media, you never can change it.

"Just because an employee is under the merit system doesn't mean he's any better. I've seen patronage employees who are better than merit employees and vice versa." Only one-twentieth of all state employees are patronage employed, he noted.

The proposal to eliminate license fee offices also rankles the governor. "Fee offices are not staffed with state employees; they're staffed by independent contractors. It's been suggested to move fee offices to the offices of county clerks. First of all, if the county clerk has the room and time to do the extra job he evidently didn't have enough to do in the first place.

"And if more people are hired to help in a county clerk's office to handle license fees, you gain nothing but additional expense."

Labeling the proposal to eliminate fee offices as they now operate the "biggest hoax in the campaign," Gov. Hearnes continued: "You take a small fee office, for example. Whoever runs that office makes about $400 a month. And if you get bad service, there's somewhere in the state to complain. But it won't be that way in the county clerk's office. If someone gets bad service, there's nothing he can do about it until the next election."

Although the gubernatorial campaign is long over, it is still a much discussed topic in the state's capitol. The press, and most Missourians, Gov. Hearnes said, "didn't understand the 'mess' in Jefferson City. What is the mess?

"You know, propaganda in war or peace is a tremendous weapon. This campaign, on both sides, utilized propaganda and very few reporters were intelligent enough to pierce the veil. There were no lies — just half-truths, but as long as people reported without question, even the half-truths won't be uncovered."

Disappointment

The most severe disappointment during his eight years in office was delivered when students at a University of Missouri football game booed the governor during his final year in office.

"That hurts a person more than you know," he revealed. Especially when I've tried to as much as I can for the university."

That more four-lane highways were now constructed throughout the state is also an admitted disappointment for Mr. Hearnes.

"I just never could persuade people on a turnpike," he reflected. "One man said it was ridiculous to pay money to travel on a road to Jefferson City. But what he didn't understand is that there's a choice. You could either take the new, faster four-lane highway and pay a small amount or take the old, curvy road for free."

Bond issues were not an easy thing to have passed, either, said the governor. "Automatically 40% will vote against a bond issue without even knowing what it's about," he stated. Education has gone down as a priority with voters, he noted, pointing out education bond issues used to pass handily but now meet defeat more often than not.

Even though his term is rapidly drawing to a close, Gov Hearnes hasn't slowed down. And his work hasn't stopped piling up, either, he laughed. "I even worked last Sunday," he sighed.

Looking back to his two inaugurations, Mr. Hearnes said he "worried more about the first" but "both were equally exciting, although the first was more of an experience into the unknown."

Daughter Lynne's wedding in the executive mansion is the fondest memory both he and Mrs. Hearnes will share of their eight years in the grand old home, he said, "but I'll also recall many happy times hosting friends at the mansion."

Politics is always a serious game, but "you never get away from the serious part," the 49-yar-old officials said. "You never cease to be the representative of the office to which you're elected. You're governor 24 hours a day."

Queried about whether, if possible, he would have chosen to be governor of any other state, Mr. Hearnes was quick to reply: "No. These are the people I know. My pick would be Missouri."

On leaving office Jan. 8, when state government will literally change hands during a noon hour, Mr. Hearnes said many memories will go with him as he leaves the capitol office for the last time. "But I try never to look back. I think deep down I'll be thinking of the trip home and how fast I can get there."