The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1900-08-02
THIS IS THE PLACE
SAYS a Prominent Resident Of
Plant City
FOR The STATE CAPITAL
He Reviews the Situation and Con-
CIu6es it Should Remain Here.


gard to the Capitol removal question
now before the people, | ask permits
sion to offer through the columns of
the Times a few observations.
! hope to see the Capitol remain
at Tallahassee. | think this the'ideal
place in Florida for it's location.
While it is some distance from South.
Florida, yet it is worth trip there.
1t is a delightful transition from our
South Florida scenery.
In all probability, within the next
few years, there will be built rail-
road from Tallahassee southwark
into South Florida, skirting the Gulf
coast, and when this is done we will
be much nearer.
The citizens of Jacksonville seem
to be the leading and primary agita-
tors of this movement, and they are
very much concerned because the
people of this portion of the State
are so far from the seat of the gov
eminent, and at first view this might
occur as weighty argument why
the people of this section should de-
sire the Capital removed to Jackson
vile.
But if anyone will stop to consider,
it will be readily seen that the aver
age citizen has no occasion to visit
the Capital every day in the year,
consequently, cannot be concerned
where it is located, so far as distance
is concerned. About the only class
of citizens who at any time are COM
PEELED to 60 to the Capital are men,
bers of the Legislature and attor-
neys. Members of the Legislature
receive mileage for their travelling,
and as many of them 90 there on
passes any amount paid them for
mileage is that much supplemented
to their salaries there should be No
kick from them in regard to distance.
Attorneys, except perhaps whenpu
suing some extraordinary remedy,
are not usually required to attend the
Supreme Court, being perGfsted by,
the rules to file briefs in all appellate
matters before the said court.
This being the case, what differ
ence can it make where the State
Capitol is located? and as it is in
Tallahassee, why not let it remain
there?, Let the State provide there,
which l think it ought to do, suita-
BILE accommodations for the transac-
ton of the public business. This
cen be done at much less cost to the
State than to remove the Capitol,
even though Jacksonville should pay
the bonus they promise, and this is a
mere promise of theirs. There seems
no way to bind them, even though
the people by their votes direct the
change. They are not legally bound.
Very few States ever change thG
Capitol site. Kentucky tried to do
so few years back, when Louisville,
the metropolis of the State, tried to
wrest the prize from Frankfort, and
so with Missouri, but the people
failed to ratify the proposition in
either State.
Tallahassee has been the Capital
since the organization of the terri
tory, and there has grown up around
It a halo of memories of the States
past glories which I think we should
not forget. None of the places now
working for the prize are doing so
from patriotic reasons, but from sell
fish motives.
Tallahassee is healthy and free
from epldemips, Jacksonville, as
well as all coast cities, is liable to ep-
idemics, more so than interior cities,
and in case of epidemic in the Capt.
tai City there would be great dis
turbance to the public business.
At Tallahassee the Legislature will
be freer from the influence of the
pernicious lobby, while Jacksonville
is said to be a hotbed of politics, and
if the State Capitol was located there
no doubt they would feel it their duty
to influence and shape State legisla-
ton, as far as possible.
The Jacksonville bar association
seem to be actively engaged in the
campaign for the removal Of .he
State Capitol to Jacksonville, and no
doubt they are actuated by the fact
that if the Capitol was located in
Jacksonville the members of the bar
would have the opportunity Of max
ing free use of the Supreme Court
library, which is now very large and
complete.
The removal of the Capitol will
entail upon the State large expense,