The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-03
IN FLoRIDRS STATEH0UsE.
OFFICIALS THERE SEEM COMET
DENT OF NOMINATION.

DENT OF NOMINATION..
The Hardest Race Is Between sheats
and McBeath for Superintendent
of Public Instruction Secretary
of state Crawford Likely TO Be
Renominated - Attorney General
Lamar, Too, Seems to Have
Wnlkover-WOmbw Has Four
Opponents.
Tallahassee, Fla. June 2.-The last
weeks before the meeting of the Demo-
cratic State Convention, which will name
the officials who are TO administer the af-
fairs of this state from January, 1901, to
January. 1906, finds among the present
cabinet officers, all of whom are standing
for denomination, an air of serene conf
dence that their respective candidates. are
in satisfactory shape. Each one seems 10
feel victory assured, though with two
or three of them some uneasiness is mani
fest when one speaks of trades and com
binations and new opponents. This con-
fidence Is due partly to the fact that each
of the present officials feels that his rec
ord is clean and safe from attack, and
partly to the fact that the new men who
have been announced as aspirants for
cabinet positions are not, as a rule, gen
orally known over the state.
AT no time has there been any talk of
opposition to Comptroller William H. Rey-
nolds or State Treasurer James B. Whit
field The impression prevails that they
will be renominated by acclamation,and
that no other candidate will be mentioned
for either place.
Crawford Likely TO Win.
Scarcely less certain is it that the aged
and beloved Secretary of State, DR.. John
L. Crawford, will be selected by The nomi-
mating convention for a sixth term. There
has been. considerable talk about the for
nation of a combination which <yould re-
sult in the nomination of slate of new
men for all the cabinet officers, except
comptroller and treasurer, and, according
10 this alleged scheme, DR.. Crawford is to
be displaced this year and State Senator
J. H. Troup Bynum. Of Suwannee coun-
", who is a candidate for Secretary OF
State, will get the nomination Very lit
tie stock seems to be taken in this COM
bination talk here, and the impression Is
strong that DR.. Crawford-who, like
Comptroller Reynolds and Superintendent
Of Public Instruction Sheats, is a native
OF Georgia-will be his own successor.
The candidacy of Judge james T. wills,
OF Bradford county, for attorney general,
has been very little heard of for the last
two months, and it is quite generally be-
iieved that the present incumbent OF that
Office, Hon. William B. Lamar, will have
a walk-oyer for renomina ton. Mr.. La
mar is an exceedingly popular man with
the masses Of Florida Democrats, and this,
together with his excellent record as an
s,f...
whenever he has asked for it.
One of the Hardest Fights.
of all the state officials now seeking
denomination at the Democratic State Con-
ventioD next month, the one who is meet
ing with the most bitter and most per-
sistent opposition, is the superintendent of
public institution, Hon. William N Sheats.
The state press is against Mr. Sheats,
and so also, ii is said, are many of the
teachers. Charges almost without num-
Der chiefly of the nature of dictatorial-
ness, have been made and constantly re-
peated against him, and a great cry has
arisen to the effect that the interests of
the state schools win be seriously jeop-
ardized unless new man is selected for
the state SUPPLEMENTARY
The merit of the situation seems to be
that when Mr.. Sheats was first elected,
eight years ago. he found that the school
system of the state needed to be reor-
ganized and modernized, and to thls work
ne proceeded fearlessly. The plans which
ne adopted and has consistently followed
have resulted in vast benefit to the
schools. but in carrying them out, Mr..
Sheats has probably not been as tactful
and polite as he might have been, hence
the antagenisms which have been created
10 him.
Mr.. Sheats' most prominent opponent Is
Prof. Tom F. McBeath of Jacksonville,
who is grammar school principal in
that city and also editor Of the Florida
School Exponent Mr.. McBeath is under
STOOD to have some very influential back
ers though just who they are, aside from
the newspapers. has never developed. He
has lived in Florida only a few years,
and is not believed to have the support
OF the leaders who have hitherto been
most potent in Florida politics.
Il is sharp, wordy fight between
Messrs. McBeath and Sheats, with some
mudslinging. The contest is slightly more
complicated by the fact that Prof j. II
Fulks of Monticello and Prof L. w
BuchholZ Of Tampa have announced for
the SUPPLEMENTARY. Their candidates.
may assume more Importance If Sheats
and McBeath are found TO be anywhere
near equally strong.
WombwelI's Opponents.
The only other cabinet Office is that of
NOAhAihSSiohti vi Inc present
incumbent of which, Hon. Lucius B.
Wombwell, is a candidate for reelection.
There are four other aspirants for this
office: Col. Henry Curtis of Quincy, who
Is well known as the former land COM
missioner of the Florida Central and Pc
ninsular Railroad Company; State Sena-
tro B. e. McLin of Lake county; Repre-
sentative s. T. Overstreet, of Suwan-
nee county, and Hon. Sam Robertson of
Washington county. While the outcome
of this contest is in some doubt owing
10 the fact that Messrs Wombwell Cur
lis and McLin are. all strong and well
known men, still there is no excitement
over it. Indeed. Mr.. Wombwells rivals
are not displaying much activity. They all
seem to have let their friends announce
them and then decided 10 let things drift
and await developments. 1t is said to be
very probable that II serious opposition
is to develop TO Mr.. WombweIs renom-
ination at amy time, 1t will not be until
the convention gets 40 work Thara &c