The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-04
NOT GREAT n POLITICS.
Last OF the List, Politically speak
ing, Is the PeninsuIar stale.

ing, Is the PeninsuIar Stale.
From the New york sun
There are forty-nye states in tho union,
and twelve OF them have never been
honored with the Presidency. the vice
presidency. o place in The cabinet or the
speakership Of the House Of Representa-
tives. These twelve states are. ten Of
them. western eommonweaiths. some Of
which were admitted 10 the union only
Ia recent years. namely. Idaho. Montana.
Nevada North Dakota, Washington wy
oming, south Dakota and Utah Two are
western states longer In the union, but
not recognized In the cabinet, Kansas and
California. and two are eastern states,
little Rhode Island in New England and
FLORIDA on the Atlantic and Gulf sea
board.
Florida is nearly fifty times larger than
Rhode Island. II hasa population larger
IMAM Rhode Island by nearly 1900. II has
the same electoral votes as Rhode Island,
ana up TO a few years ago the suffrage
was more general iu the Peninsular state
man IN Rhode Island. In the election Of
1870 when both states We're warmly con-
tested (which they haven't been since),
the total electoral vote OF Florida was
J,WDs while the total electoral vote Of
Rhode Island was only 5000 Since that
time, however, the property qualification,
as restriction upon voting has been re-
moved in Rhode Island, and now the
TWO states are nearer together In voting
population than they are in inhabitants.
Ihough Rhode Island has never had a
place IN the cabinet, IL has twice had the
acting vice presidency Of the United
states through the president pro tenn OF
the senate. William Bradford held this
place in the Fifth congress and Henry
ID. Anthony In the Forty-first and Forty
second congress. Florida, however, has
been totally ignored by the statesmen Of
both parties In this as in other particu-
lars.
The state has never been deemed worthy
OF any Of the political honors which have
been strewn lavishly upon its more fors-
innate neighbors. South Carolina, a state
about three-tfths as. large, has furnished
the government with one Vice President,
TWO Secretaries of State, two Secretaries
OF War, one Secretary Of the Navy, one
Attorney General two supreme court
judges, two speakers Of the House of Rep
resehtatlVes, and three presidents OF the
United States Senate. In the distribution
Of party honors below the grade of those
or hrst importance Florida has rarely been
considered. Though II sent delegates TO
participate In the last republican national
convention Of 1892, no electoral ticket was
run by the republican party In Florida
IN the contest succeeding, and the republi-
cans OF that state completely abandoned
the held without any pretense of con-
test
Untll 1863 Florida was one Of the depend
encies of Spain, and for the fifteen years
succeeding 1t was under the jurisdiction
Of England Then in 1921 Spain coded IL
TO the United States. 1t was organized
as territory in the year following and
admitted into the union as a state in 1875
But no resident of Florida has ever sent
as representative of the American
government either to Spain or to any other
foreign country of Importance, and the
statesmen of Florida when in Washing-
ton are at all time glad to forego their
claims to higher Office for a humble and
sometime unremunerative cIer<snlD
The influence of the Peninsular state on
legislation is small