The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-07-17
Is the Com I'M issiOner Of Immigra-
ton Legal OmCer.

Article Y. Section t.. 9! tho (naS.lt0ti"n 81
Florida provides tnr t.ti"'t" Admimi> ralivc
officers. consisting ~ "a ~o,l'fafN 81; STATE, A.
torney General Innl,Iu,irI, Treasurer. sur
vcyor General. superintendent ct Public ln> rue
ton ami Comm>siu ct Immigration ana
Article VII, Section O. provides That the office
of Commissioners oi Immigration ,b,H cep|ft at
tie rAd IF fttt<n gsttr> II m lic iatiticaiun "i
the Constitution. hui the Legislature shall have
the power to cuutinuc il hN law. Article III OF
the amendments 10 the Constr utuu Cf 1865. -
ratified by The people III Apil, ISL provides
that the offices 81 surveyor &, neral an! Com
missioner OF lmmlail'i lion ltr hereby c'n9oll..t-
ted under the name ui Commissioner M Lands
and immigration
The Constitutional limit Ter lhr cNj>'eucr #
the office of Commissioner ot Imme grafton -
therefore expired on the fist "Wednesday MAY
last. and the law making department at the GOV
eminent has iailr, /" 'naCl law giving a
longer lease OF lie la said Cabnri onicr Tie
merging OF the office Of . surveyor General "
with that of the Commissioners "l lmmieIn-
ton, although The name 81 the Office. as
slightly changed. did nul. and dos not altccr Tie
Constitutional lie OF the onrr
- Wonttre{(0 t"Hsttt"fi0n
Our esteemed and generally correct
contemporary has fallen int" grave CT
ror. As the FLoRIpIAN published weeks
ago, that very question arose when Judge
Whites name was sent in to the Senate
for confirmation As Commissioner of
Lands and Immigration. The Chair
man OF the Judiciary Committee re-
qucsted the Executive to obtain the opiu-
ION of the Supreme Court upon this very
point The Governor under the author
itv vested on him by the Constitution
(Artlclc \, Section ll.) referred to the
Supreme Court, and that tribunal cave
not Il "verbal opinion, ~ the C">,@tif,t-
ton states in the article from which We
extract the above, but a written upinion
and that opinion will he published with
the other Supreme Court Reports In
that opinion the Court distinctly states
that the consolidation of the offices If the
Surveyor(ieneral and Commissioner of
immigration, a> ratified in ISL, abol-
ished the two former offices ana made "A
new office, to wit: that of the Commits
>ioncr Of Lands and Immigration, hirh
embraced all the dutic, and powers of the
two former offices, and did not expire At
the end of fifteen ycrr>, H. that 1T = Com
missioner of Immigration lij under
Article VII, Section ., OF the Cpn>titu-
ton, before being amended. Such being
the case the Supreme Court decided that
no Legislation was required, a The new
office of Commissioner of Lands and
immigration" created by Constitutional
amendment, had no limit II t. how long
it continued
Our contemporary plain Of lack OF
economy originates in lack Of the inior-
nation which was in his reach |, vas
in the interest Of economy that the
amendment was intended, and under it
Judge White discharges the duties which
tormer Y pcrtaincd to tw" positions, and
draws the pay "i only one, without any
porqui>itrs. :" the salary III one is
saved In view of such facts vvllat be-
comes of the reckless statement that the
official sets at defiance the fundamental
law and .l;"-s H." .tli..,. tI... Ii. -.l.,v
and the Prerequisites :" 1t ha> not the
slightest scmhance of truth /" stand
upon-and the reverse is the truth