The Atlanta constitution., 1900-01-01
FIorida's Big City Is More
Than Anxious To Secure
State Capitol.
LEGISLATURE TO DECIDE
jacksonville Is the Railroad and
Commercial Center of the State.
Movement Has Strong
Supporters All Over
the State.

| SeLIlpu InaI the CITY OF JdthothF4tiN VIZ
renew and push with all possible visor
the effort made during the last session
| of the Florida legislature to get the state
| capftaI removed from Tallahassee to
| Jacksonville The struggle before the
| legislature last May developed the fact
that Jacksonville's aspiration to be the
seat of the state government has many
strong supporters in various sections OF
tho state Jacksonville is. more than
any other point. the railroad and com
mercial center of the state. the most
accessible CITY to all points. and the most
hustling The business of the state has
outgrown the accommodations of the old
capitol building In Tallahassee, erected
in territorial days, and that structure
| must either soon be considerably enlarged
| or new capitol built.
In order to effect a change in the loca-
tion of the seat of government the state
constitution will have to be amended.
because section l Of article 16 of that in
strument provides that "the seat OF
government shall be at the city of Tai
/ lahassee. in the county of Leon" If
! three-fifths of tho members of both
houses of the next legislature vote to
submit the question of capital removal
to the people for ratification or rejec-
tion. IT Is claimed with great confidence
by citizens and adhcrents of JacksonVille
that the busy metropolis on the ST
Johns will easily beat Tallahassee and
get the capital According to reports
considered very reliable. the business
men and the politicians of Jacksonville
are now devoting much of their energy
to doing quiet but effective missionary
work looking to the selection of legis-
lators who will vote to submit the mat
ter to a popular vote.
The people OF Jacksonville seem TO
fully appreciate the value of the prestige
aud monetary assistance which would
accrue to that city by having there the
state capital. Jacksonville has few nat
ural advantages outside of location. but
tho persistent enterprise and stubborn
pluck of her citizens have built up a city
which has outstripped all Florida rivals
4 in the race for supremacy. Down there
they have a way OF getting whatever
they start after. and that is the key
note Of the city's success. But her peo-
pie have had to pay dearly for what
ever they have got. and ono result IS
that Jacksonville has tremendous mu-
4 uic.pai ueuC. anu l>eeds* everything she
can get hold of to help meet her o5liga-
!, tons The state capital would help ma
terlally toward this end. and It is un-
derst0od that business men and others
going out from Jacksonville to all por-
tions of Florida are losing no oppor-
tuuity TO set forth with much plausible
ity the advantages to be found in their
city. in the way of hotel and railroad
facilities and general progressiveness,
which the present seat of government
does not offer.
| Tallahassee has been the capital OF
Florida for seventy-fve years-since the
territory WAS acquired from the king
dom of Spain. and in her fight to remain
the seat of government she has what
ever advantages lie in present possession,
I'm the sentiment OF tradition. in superior
healthfulness and In the argument that
the time has rot yet arrived to change
tho location of the capital. because the
settlement Of the state has not yet pro-
| lressed to the point where II can be
predicted with any degree of confidence
whether west Florida or peuinsular Flor
ida is going to lead in wealth. popula-
ton and influence. 1t IS conceded that
II the great lumber and agricultural sec
tion of Florida north of tho Gulf of
Mexico and extending for three hum
dred miles from the Suwannee river 70
Pensacola bay continues to develop ami
Increase in wealth and population as IL
has been doing for the last lew years
the interests of the whole state would
hardly be advanced by moving the seat
OF government way off TO Jacksonville
in the northeast corner of the state
VI
known as western Florida. is most inter-
est;uelv ana materially bound UP In the
. / action which the legislature may take
regarding the removal of the capital.
II has repeatedly been stated here al
the capital that the majority OF the sub
| stantlai and influential people west OF
, | Aualachicola river (Which IS the ~ndtta-
hoochee river after IS crosses the Florida
Ine) feel that their section of Florida
| ,rrlxr hn n a
| tbat their interests and sentiments are
moro nearly connected with Alabama
| than with east and south Florida; and
thar IL would be 10 their advantage TO
he annexed 20 Alabama Pensacola IS
the most important town in that section,
and most of the country tributary to Pen
saccla is IN Alabama.
In n somewhat smaller degree the same
feeling entertained by the people in that
mart of Florida west of the Apalachicola
river toward annexation to Alabama is
entertained about annexation TO Georgia
bv people IN what is generally called md
| dla Florida; that is the section between
the Apalachicola and Suwahee rivers.
Naturally, this latter section Is the rlch-
eet and most fertile in all Florida. Its
forests and soil, phosphates and cement
1a,,osits and fisheries await only proper
dovaIopment TO be- productive of immense
oaIth In it is located Tallahassee. the
| rasan+ state capital, and this fact has
| heretofore kept down the feeling that
Tho section should be naturally a part OF
Georgia. The exports from this section
nave always gone largely through Geor-
ola ports and commercial intercourse
has been more intimate with Georgia
towns than with east and south Florida
Talk of determined and organized ef-
| forts to secure the necessary legislation
| 10 effect the transfer of these two strips
| of Florida's pr sent territory TO Alabama
and Georgia, respectively, has been heard
| from time to We for a number of years
b,1t until lately it has been considered
Inv most practical men as mainly a
| dream Since the question of removing
the capital to Jacksonville seems to be
| Incoming q vital issue, however. the par
| tition of the state has received the earn
| cst attention Of practical and Influential
man and according to opinions expires sed
| Inv promineut men of west Florlda who
| have recently visited Tallahassee. the re-
uoyal of the capital to any point east
| uf the Suwanee river in the near future
= would precipitate an agitation in thai
part of the ste/ west of the Suwanee for
81 a reshaplng of state lines that would en-
| gross the atten lon of politicians and bus
n mess men in all of the three states
Alabama, Georgia and Florida.