The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-18
sATTLE WILL BEGIN TO-DAY.
FIGHT FOR FLORIDA's SENATOR
SHIP IN FULL BLAST.


Barred From the COntest-VVorIS of
FIorida's soIons-sifting the Vast
amount of Legislation on Hand.
constitutional Amendment for
elections by the People.
Tallahassee, Fla. April 17.-There is now
in session at this capital freak legisla-
TIRE. The term freak is used advisedly,
hut not within its usual mennng.
The constitution limits the duration of
the session TO sixty days. Exactly one
nth of that time has passed and not a
mistake has been made. So wisely and con-
eervatively have both houses been organ
ized. both as respects general officers and
committee assignments, and so able and
exnerienced. are their respective leaders,
that the belief each day grows stronger
that the work of the legislature of 1899 will
he so eminently satisfactory to the people
rs to gain for this body in future the
nroud appeHation of "the model legisla-
ture and a model Legislature, especially
IN Florida. would indeed rank as a prize
winning freak.
In the field of legislation, properly speak
ing. the most noticeable feature of the
work accomplished during the second
week of the session was its negative char
acter by which is meant the killing by
committees of ill-considered or unneces-
sarv bills and resolutions. The calendars
have already been loaded with measures
of various descriptions, but the filtera-
ton process has been applied to them IN
hesitatingly by the mmittees-and nota-
bly, by the judiciary and claims committees
of the House-and a large proportion of
them have gone to their death, never to
be resurrected.
Elections by the People.
At this time it seems probable that the
most radical and most important changes
to be made in the law at this session will
be the enactment of pending propositions
to make all state and county offices elect
i've. AT present circuit judges, state at
torneys and County Commissioners are
appointed by the Governor, subject to
confirmation by the Senate Amendments
to the constitution looking to the popular
election of these officials have been pro
posed in both houses. and seem quite like
~ 10 be submitted to the people for adop-
ton at the general election in November
1900. Should these changes in the organic
law be made a decided revolution would
be at once noticed in the operation of
publicly expressed the fear that the su-
premacy of the Democratic party in some
of the counties would be imperled
The bills to provide for the issuing of
bonds to refund the state bonds now out
standing and about to mature amounting
to a little over $1,00O,000, are making sat
sfactory progress and will be passed. as
this is a necessary financial matter. and
is, indeed, meeting with no opDosition
Tba dc mil
rate of interest as those now outstand-
ing, and this will mean a saving to the
state in interest charges of about S25 600
per annum.
Anti-Cigarette Law.
A curious measure, which, however
seems TO be meeting with unexpected
favor, is the bill introduced by Mr.. Clark
Of Jacksonville, providing heavy penalties
for the importation, manufacture, sale or
gift of cigarettes or cigarette papers in
this state Mr.. Clark seems very much
in earnest about securing the enactment
of this law, and as the House committee
on public health has reported favorably
on It, it has more than an even chance of
going through.
Health matters are receiving much at
tention at this session. The people of Flor
ida have learned to place the utmost con-
fidence in their State Board of Health, and
it is now proposed to largely increase the
powers of the board and it's executive Of
fcer, the state health officer.
Bills for the better protection and preser-
walton of wild game, plume birds and fish
have been introduced in large numbers
and the committees on game and fisheries
viii probably consume some time in culling
what is best from all of these and report
committee substitutes with favorable rec
concentrations. Practically the same thing
might be said of the numerous road and
fence bills All of these matters are all
most entirely of local interest and i'm
portance.
Who VIII he the SenatOrs
Far and away ahead of every bill or
resolution in attracting the interest and
consuming the time of the legislators at
this time is the overshadowng question:
Who will be elected United States sena-
tor? A prominent politician said to-day
that it would be worth as much as a year
salary Of a federal senator if any man
could make an accurate and certain esti-
mate as to who would lead on the first
ballot tomorrow.
Messrs. Pasco and Taliaferro seem to
be so evenly divided. such an unusually
large number of the legislators are as yet
non-committal as to whom they prefer
and Mr.. Calls strength is so much of an
ei'Ni4ONH qudHlity, lhdt tliS maj OutCoiic
deies the most experienced politicians.
The game of large politics has never
been played more skillfuliy or more de-
Gently here than during this contest.
Since the first legislators arrived here,
three weeks ago, il has been a stubborn
and earnestly contested struggle. but, on
the whole, it has been a friendly one
Personalities have not been INDUCED in to
any extent, certainly as between the two
l1adlng candidates There has been no
tank Of bribery from responsible parties,
and exceedingly little talk of unfair meth
DDS of any description
No whisky Furnished.
The people of Tallahassee have been
struck with one little matter which makes
thls senatorial contest contrast very
strongly with the bitter senatorial struggle
OF 1891 Two years ago the hotels, where
leading candidates had their headquarters,
were little better than barrooms. Whisky
moved like water; anybody could walk into
certain well-known rooms and tank up
without being questioned. The matter soon
got to be public talk, and added not a lit
lie TO the disgusting scandals which at