The morning news., 1897-05-18
FLORIDA's TROOPS.
They Go Into Encampment Near Tall
lahassee To-day.


Tallahassee, Fla. May 1.-THE town is
alive with the tread of resounding feet
and, were it not Sunday, the streets would
be gay with the sound of martial music
The annual encampment of the state mill
tia opens here at Camp Henderson Tues
day morning, and for the next ten days
the city will wear a martial air
Elaborate preparations have been made
for the reception of the military boys; the
grounds at Camp Henderson, which are
by long odds the best the state has ever
had, have been put in excellent condition;
and. successful as the encampment of two
years ago was when held at the same
place, this years outing promises to sur
pass all others.
The old open-air mess kitchens. with al.
their manifold discomforts, have been done
away with and new frame buildings
erected. One of these substantial struc-
lures will be devoted to the use of each
company, and some other necessary build
ings have been provided A new rifle range
has been laid out, and the old reservoir
has been cleared out and turned into a
swimming pool.
In the city, the Governors Guards, the
local military company, have fitted up
their armory in a very handsome manner
for the reception of their friends, with the
intention of making il the headquarters
for the troops during thnli' st9y here Writ
ing tables, and all the leading neWspa pers
and periodicals have been provided and no
pains viii be spared to make the guests
of the city feel at home. The following
committee on entertainment has been ap-
pointed by the Guards: Lieut. Lively:
Sergts. Lang and Splle and Privates Per-
kins, Tomkies and Taylor.
left the entertainment of the troops in
the hands Of its regular committee on con-
ventiOns, which is made up as follows
w. NJ. Mcintosh chairman; T. b. Byrd.
secretary, and j. r. Cohen, treasurer
The fact that the railroads of the state
haev declined to give the troops free trans
portation, as in years past, has given rise
to an impression that this change of base
is due to the passage of the railroad com
mission bill That this impression is
probably erroneous is indicated by the fact
that as .ong ago as last January, G. N.
Saussy, genera. passenger agent Of the Car
rabelle Tallahassee and Georgia railroad.
wrote Capt. Mcdonald, general passenger
agent of the Florida Central and Peninsu-
lar railroad, pointing out the injustice Of
imposing such burden on the railroads.
and suggesting that an understanding be
arrived at by which a reasonable rate
might be charged the state for the service
rendered. This has now been done. the
rate being fixed at one cent a mile; aud
the fact that the subject was broached
three months before the legislature con-
vened shows that the step was decided up
on without reference to the merits or de-
merits of the railroad commission bill.
Everybody is still discussing the polit-
icai revolution Of last week. They have
reason to discuss IT, Nothing ike il has
ever before been seen in Florida. Up to
the meeting Of the general caucus of the
anti-Chipley men Thursday night no man
In all Florida seemed more lost to hone
than S. r. Mallory. His name went be-
fore that caucus together with the names
of Raney. Hooker and Burford; and. after
three ballots he was decided upon as the
nominee. His election has broken the
Chipley-Sparkman compact, which. by ar
raging the two great counties Of Escun-
bia and Hillsborough against him. result
ed in his defeat for congress ana In the
election OF s. NJ. Sparkman.