Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-03
TALLAHASSEE TOPICS.
LIVELY TIMES AT THE OT,D
CAPITAL.

An Influx of Visitors from all Parts of
the State-The Rush for Ohice-A Busy
Session Expected-SambO and the
Circus-The Hotels Alive-Needs of
the schools.
TALLAHASSEE, Jan. l.-Editor Nornin0
Neacs To-day, the beginning of the new
year, is the last of the Christmas HOLIDAYS. The
american citizen of African descent" has
spent his little earnings and is addressing him.
self to the stern realities Of the new wear be-
fore him. Instead of the large crowd of that
element of our population which thronged our
streets during the last week. there is now a
crowd OF the Anglo -SaXOns. Our white citi-
zens from the country, strangers and legisla-
tors, all jostle one another ON our now
busy streets. 1t is a day of excite
ment-political, business and social-for
though this is legal holiday with many Of
us, 1t Is the busiest day of the year, and pleas
ure and work are often combined. Most of
our legislators arrived yesterday, and already
caucuslng Is actively going on. In front of the
various hotels may be seen our Solons in
groups, discussing various matters pertaining
to the organization of their respective houses.
Candidates for positions within the gift of the
Legislature are as thick as blackberries. They
can be easily distinguished, for they are
so anable, SO jolly and so intimate
with the various members. l had
very pleasant chat with one of these gentle
men this morning, but when he asked me
whether was in the Senate or House the con-
versation suddenly iagged-my new acquaint-
ance had some very important business to at
tend to.
Among the arrivals | note quite num-
ber of old friends, who have not visited here
in legislative capacity for years. Their
former experience Will serve them well dur
ing the coming session. Such men, with a
few of our Nestors who have not
missed a session for eight years,
will have strong healthy conservative in
fiuence in their coming deliberations. For,
disguise it as we will, there viii be some
qCdFhe 1o09k. Reform, retrenchments and a
proper administration of the law has been the
battle cry of more than one Of these new
comers and ''shOrt cut' towards calling a
constitutional convention will be the great
questions of the day. The few members |
have already cOnversed with fear this, while
there are others who onlthe contrary, prefer to
adopt the mode prescribed by our present con-
stitutiOn.
DR.. W. H. Babcock, your able Jacksonville
correspondent, is on hand ready TO contest the
claims of any other asplrant to the Secretary
ship of the Senate. For two terms he has
filled the office, and ere this reaches you will
probably be elected to the position for which
he is so well fitted.
DR.. VIM. f. Bynum, the veteran Chief Clerk
of the House, is also here, and will probably
be reelected. His long term of service, eX-
tending over a period of nearly twenty years,
renders him eminently fit for the position he
The lobbyists have not yet made their ap-
has an axe to grind, they will soon be here.
Tomorrow Lewis Great Eastern show is to
be here, and then we may expect crowd. As
ii has been several years since circus has Wis
tied Tallahassee, the probability is that this
one will be patr0nized very literally, and
many hard earned dollar will be taken out
of the country thereby. Many poor man
who has to deny himself of little luXuries, who
finds it difficult to make the two ends meet,
will spend his last quarter that he NAV see the
show. Sambo, especially, is a great admirer
of the cORiquc, and the grOtesque antics of the
circus clown are to him an irresistible charm.
From far and near he comes, and in num-
bers largely preponderates over the whites;
and as great religious zealot as he processes
to be, he would far rather be at the circus
than at l'rOtrdcted meeting.
On looking over the registers of the three
hotels, find that the arrivals during the past
two days equal those of an entire week pre-
ceding. The Leon wassopened yesterday and
booked some twenty arrivals by the Eastern
train. Others followed in the evening and
it will be full. | was mistaken in
stating in my last that mine host of the Leon
formerly had charge of the 'SwannanOa," at
Asheville, n. C. He is at this time the prOprie-
tor of that hotel, but it was at the Warm
Springs, \. c., that he gained such an en-
viable reputation and gave such unbounded
satisfaction; His fame as caterer at this last
place is such that he will find no lack of pat
ronage at the Leon during the winter months
and at the Swannanoa during the summer.
Now that we have good t-class hotel,
our HtAl move VII DE IOf railroad TO InO0laS-
vile. The Page syndicate are earnest work
ers, and it is hoped that for their road from
Carabelle via Tallahassee to Thomasville
they will receive from the Legislature a
liberal grant of land. At present there are
but two connections with the Georgia system
one from Like Oak, the other from Chattahoo-
chee. There are no less than four different
roads now being built having Tampa for one
of their terminal points. All of them
have received grants of land. Surely
Middle Florida, that has but one road which
lns rnAo hr-..r al.
1t is our right, and will not be denied us. As
long as the present system of transportation of
mails and passengers is continued, Just so long
will the public be subjected to Inconvenience.
So great are the discOmfOrts attending travel
by way of Live Oak that the daily line of
hacks between here and Thomasville is liber-
ally patrOnized. Once on the train at the lat
ter place there is no change in the route to Sa-
vannah. But if the traveller leaves Tallahassee
for Savannah by our Z 80 p. m. train, he has
to remain at Live Oak from 80 a. IN. until
sos a. M; change cars again at Dupont and
Ggtin at Waycross-three changes and long
detention against but one and no detention
two years ago. Can it he wondered that the
travelling public from this section prefer the
And now would say that in a brief CONVEX
satiOn with Major W. NJ. Davidson, General
Manager f. c. & W. X. r.. 1 find that my
structures our mail service have been mis-
understood by him. 1t is not that we may re-
ceive our mails earlier that we ask they be
sent via Live Oak, but that we may get them
InOIc regular IuOugn LIle W dycfOSS tram Is |
due at Jacksonville at p. m. and the hour of |
departure for the Western train at 80 d. m. |
yetit too often happens that the former is over |
two hours behind time and makes no cOnnec-
tion with the latter. But if our mails came |
via Live Oak, as the fast mail is due there at |
GAS p. NJ, and the +. G.. & w. for Talla- |
hassee at l:3O, if the latter were four, five or
even screen hours behind time, connection |
would be made and we would get our mails \
regularly at 80 a. IN. These grievances will |
all be remedied by our proposed new railroad, |
aionr Il ,,xadf 70.
With the close Of the holidays we are once |
more having the bright sunshine. Since the |
Christmas of 1866 we have not experienced |
such dull, sloppy and disagreeable weather as |
during the last ten days So far we have had |
more cold weather than L have ever before |
noticed in Florida. have known the cold to /
be more intense, but it lasted for but few |
days. Wood sellers tell me that they have al |
ready sold more wood than during an entire |
winter IN former years. But the orange trees |
are still unhurt, proving that though indi- |
genous to the tropics this fruit will thrive in |
higher latitudes than its native.
This day being both national and State
holiday, the pupils of the various public |
schools enjoy one more DAYS freedom from |
their books Tomorrow the exercises will be |
resumed, and work will go steadily on until |
vacation in June next. As the seminaries
fostering care of the State and sup
ported mainly from the interest of the |
proceeds of sale of the seminary lands an |
effort viii be made during the approaching /
priation for the purpose of purchasing two
fine telescopes for their use. While these in
are fairly well endowed and are
possessed of very good philosophical and
chemical apparatus, yet their limited income
has hitherto precluded them from having any
thing approaching good astronomical outfit
They are both allowed to confer degrees, have
both adopted q college curriculum, and each |
one has an able faculty. While the cry of
economy In the administration may cause
some to go to extremes, yet it is hoped
that in the matter of education at least wise
counsels will prevail, and that all matters Of
this kind will be carefully looked into and lib
orally encouraged. In the fields of science the !
student must have Occular demonstration of /
its truths, and what he learns from his text /
book must be demonstrated by observation.
1t is earnestly hoped that our Solons will take
a proper view of this matter and max hand
some appropriation for the cause of science.
State pride alone should induce them to put
these institutions of learning on par, as re-
CARDS educational facilities, with others of
similar grade in other States. LEON.
The Federal Finances.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.-The debt state
mont icGl1p6 tn-dau ShOxuc tho Ioorooeo ofl !