The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-31

good reason to be. Corbett and Mitchell
and their hackers, together with the Du-
val Athletic Club in Jacksonville, gave
the Florida chief executive a good deal
of trouble year ago, keeping him ex-
cited and angered for fully
six weeks, and causing him
many a sIeepless night, no doubt
He has it in for the sporting fraternity,
and, it is said here, will make the sub
Ject of prize fighting a leading one in his
forthcoming biennial message suggest
ing the passage of the most far-reaching
and prohibitory measure imaginable. VIII
the legislature follow his advice? Nobody
can tell. 1t is said that the friends of
glove contests have come to an under
standing with the governors supporters
and advisers, and that they have little
or no fear of hostile legislation. Further,
it is predicted that, if the trend of senti-
ment in both houses appears to be in
favor of prohibiting fights, the sporting
men in Florida will combine to defeat the
pool-selling bill and any bill proposing
the granting of a charter to a lottery COM
pany in Florida, for it is an open secret
that agents of such a company have long
been at work in this state among the
members-elect and their friends, and
know exactly how every senator and rep
resentatiye stands in this matter. One
hears a heap of talk about this legislature
being faVorably disposed toward the
granting of a lottery charter which would
bring in the state fat annual revenue
for the next ten, fifteen orStwenty years,
but the facts are hard to ge$ at. The whole
scheme, if there is one at all, is being
run on a graveyard railrbad and the
sound of a whistle, event. seldom rises
above the surface Everybody knows
that the great cutlery against lotteries
in Florida, which was ringing in the ears
of the people In the year 1894, was sud
denly and mysteriously choked about ten
months ago and this circumstance, to-
gether with other straws, shows which
way the lottery wind has been blowing of
late. There are many men on the ground
here now who do not hesitate to predict
that the present lottery law will stand,
just as it is, and that nothing less favor
able TO the lottery interests will take its
place. Ibis is funny world.
Controller Bloxham in his annual report
recommends liberal appropriation by the
state for an appropriate participation of
Florida in the Cotton States and Interna-
tional Exposition in Atlanta next fall.
Gov Mitchelps message, it is said, will
contain a recommendation of a similar
character. The people generally appear
to be of the same mind. Gov. Mitchells
attitude on this question is everywhere
commended, especially since it is in mark
ed contrast to the position which he took
with reference to a Florida state appro-
priation for an exhibit at the Worlds
fair 1t will be recalled that he vigorously
opposed the appropriation of a dollar for
this purpose during the session of the
legislature in the spring of 1885, going so
far as to announce that he would veto
any measure which carried with it the
spending of nickel of the states money
for Worlds fair purposes In view Of the
widespread disasters consequent upon the
two freezes of the past winter and the
anticipated difficulty in the collection of
taxes this year, it may he that the legis-
lature viii see no surplus money in sight
and hence decline to make any provision
for Florida exhibit at Atlanta. Further
more there are some people (and presum-
ably some legislators) who question the
constitutionality of measures of this sort.
It is safe to predict that a large MAORI
ty of both houses IS favorable to a state
exhibit and state building-provided
the condition OF the treasury will warrant
IT, The only question will be whether the
commonwealth can afford the luxury.
While the decentralization wing Of
the Democratic party was generally sue
cessful at the polls last October. a portion
Of the public Offices in Duval county Is
stIll in the hands Of the anti-administra-
ton faction-known locally there as the
"straightouts" or the Barrs-Stockton fac.
tion-and this faction has absolute con-