The morning news., 1894-09-30
THE FLORIDA CAMPAIGN.
A Clear and Interesting Statement Of
the Issues.

The Fight for and Against a Railroad
County-The Splits in Other Coun-
ties-The Cause of Them and Specu-
lations as to the Outcome-Call and
Anti-Cal Faotions-What the Sena-
tor Has Been Trying to Do for
Years-Abrams and His Efforts for
Reelection No Commission Law
Will Be Passed-The Senate Will Be
Against 1t - other Matters of In
tsrest.
Jacksonville, Fla, Sept. 29.-Next
Tuesday, Oct. 2, the voters of Florida
will elect justice of the supreme court
the only state officer to be chosen, al
though the coming contest is spoken of as
state election" In all the counties,
however, members Of the lower house of
the helegislature are to be chosen, and over
half of the senators are 10 be chosen in
the senatorial districts. There are
thirty-two of these districts in all, and
the senator's of the odd numbered dis
tricts chosen in 1892 hold over through
the session of 1895; but three designations
nave occurred in the ranks Of these ''hold
overs since the last adjournment, and
one seat in the senate was declared
vacant by that body during the closing
hours of the session of 1898; in conse-
q1ence, four vacancies are to be filled in
addition to the regular elections in
Ihe sixteen even numbered districts.
IN all the forty-five counties elections are
10 De held for tax assessor, tax collector,
treasurer and three mem bers of the board
OF public instruction.
WHERE INTEREST CENTERs
Benjamin S. Liddon of Mariana is the
uomocratic candidate for justice of the
supreme court. There is no republican,
populist, labor or prohibition candidatein in
tne field, so Mr.. Justice Liddon, who is
already on the bench by appointment,
VIII have walk over. With the eXcep-
uon of six or eight counties interest in
.uls election ceased with the holding of
the county conventions and primaries By
the democrats, for in Florida demo
CIdLc nomination means generally an
election, and in fully thirty-seyen of the
Iorty-fve counties the regular democratic
nominees are not opposed by any other
Ucket. The issue at the primaries ard
tHe county conveD tions was the question
u tne enactment of a railroad commission
10" oy the next legislature, but local
issues in many instances complicated the
situation and obscured this issue some
What As a result, while the majority
OF the nominees for the legislature have
declared themselves on this question,
mere are some who are unpledged and un-
instructed on it. There are populist tick
eIs IN the field in very few counties,
ana IN Duval, Nassau, Volusia and Lake
.he democracy is split wide open with
'"o lull tickets in nominaJion-One repre-
sentlng the commission democrats and
'he other the opponents of such measure
,r,and this is where the interest in next
tuesdays election centers. There cam
palgning OF the hottest sort has been 60
ing on for the past sixty days, ana there
~ wal continue up to daybreak on oct. 2.
me eyer-recurring Call and anti-Call
guarrel Is also mixed up with this com
Ilisslon issue 20 a certain extent, for Cal
uemocrats are naturally anti-rallroad
men, and sixteen of the newly elected
senator's will have voice n choosing
senator Call's S successor in the legislative
sslon OF 1897. A little retrospect IS