Awakening the Virgins

On the sunny, sluggish Virgin Islands (pop. 27,000), even an ordinary walk seems like a mad rush. Into the languid territory last year charged a fast-moving new governor: Archibald Alfonso Alexander, 67, self-made Des Moines building contractor and onetime first-string football tackle (Iowa, '12). Last week Reformer Alexander, the island's second Republican governor,* was making some progress with the beautiful, backward Virgins. He was also making some enemies.

"Stealing Going On." In the islands, family income averages only about $400 a year. The territory badly needs roads, schools, sanitation, even water, despite $100 million in past U.S. subsidies. Surplus federal property turned over to local officials has been neglected; one Navy-built hospital was leased for hotel use at a very low rental. The legislature spent $180,000 in two years-almost four times as much as Hawaii spent on its legislators --for salaries and expenses, including such items as cigars and cases of beer.

To clean up the Virgins, the U.S. Congress handed Archie Alexander a new broom: a revised organic act giving the governor sweeping powers, and a comptroller to check on the cash. An audit turned up a shortage in government funds of $125,000, still untraced. "Some stealing," said Alexander, "had been going on."

Alexander rattled the islanders with straw-boss mannerisms. When an unpaid volunteer adviser remarked, "There's a lot of work to be done," Alexander boomed in reply: "Well, you son of a bitch, why don't you get to it?" The adviser quit. Inspecting a ramshackle nursery school, lowan Alexander snapped: "This looks like an Iowa pigpen-fix it!" Moreover, he paid for the fixing out of his own pocket.

"Ten-Dollar Punch." The governor cut out lavish Government House parties, served instead of good whisky an economical "ten-dollar punch" of fruit juice and local rum. As his official car he bought a Cadillac-vintage 1949. He consolidated 95 government bureaus into 19 and 150 government bank accounts into one, transferred 50 federal workers to the local government payroll, saving $80,000 a year.

Alexander's economy drive reached its peak when he vetoed the eleven-man legislature's $62,500 appropriation for its payroll and expenses. At that, the legislature's vice chairman, Earle B. Ottley, exploded. Said he: "I go to bed every night hoping Alexander will be removed by morning."

Last week Archie Alexander had no fear of removal and no plans to quit. "I have been facing front for 60 years," he said. "I am not going to turn around now."

* The first G.O.P. governor, 1931-1935: the late Professor Paul Martin Pearson, father of Columnist Drew Pearson. He requested that upon his death his ashes be scattered in the Caribbean around the Virgin Islands.

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