The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-19
THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
STATE NOW HAS THREE "SHOE
STRING" DISTRICTS.

Interest in II at First Yet Now II
theoretically Doomed II for What
There Is in II, But the Liquor Men
Seem Indifferent - The Convicts
May BE Turned Over to the Com
missioner of Agriculture.
Tallahassee. Fla, May 1S-The week
just closing has been the most eventful
and far the most interesting in the pres
ent session of the Legislature. The hall
of the lower house has been the stage
upon which has been fixed the attention
of ALI the people of the state.
In redistricting the state so as to pro-
vide for the additional congressman gain
ed by the last Federal census. the Legisla-
ture was governed by four considerations:
Contiguity of territory, compactness of
territory, approximate equality in popula-
ton and approximately equal division of
sea coast in each district. The first three
of these are required by the reapportion-
ment act of Congress, while the last nam
ed requisite was born of a desire to secure
for all the ports along Florida's thirteen
hundred miles of sea coast as large por-
ton as possible of the appropriations for
river ard harbor Improvement.
This has resulted in dividing the state
into three "shoe-string" districts, one
formed by the long strip extending for
800 miles west of the Suwannee river
along the North Gulf coast, another of
the western half of the peninsula and the
third of the Florida East Coast. AL
fbOn0b IF M Of the Dlan
adopted fought 1t because they consider
ed 1t division of the state in the inter-
est of the railroad corporations, especially
in the case of the new Second District,
which is formed of the counties tributary
to Mr.. Flagler's East Coast Railway, 1t
is thought the new division is more sat
isfactory than any other which could
have been made in a state so irregularly
shaped as Florida.
Representative Sparkman Will still be
in the First District and the new Sec
ond District will include the home of Rep
resentative Davis. The Third, or West
Florida, District will have to find a new
man for Congress.
The Queer Dispensary Bill.
People who are at Tallahassee watch
ing the Legislature shape its record find
1t difficult to understand and explain the
status of the proposed dispensary law.
There has been no agitation in the state
for g. dispensary system. 1t is safe to say
that before the Legislature met not a
dozen of it's members had the slightest
idea that such a measure would be intro
duced at this session, and even these did
not seriously regard its chance of pas
sage. During the early weeks of the ses-
sion the gentlemen of the lobby, with the
dispensary bill, now pending, in their pos
al the CADitOl ValnlY
begging some member of one branch or
the other to introduce 1t. Finally Repre-
sentative Wall of Putnam, the watch
dog of the treasury" became interested
in it both as a temperance-promoting ana
revenue-producing measure. Mr.. wall
was hunting revenue for the state treas
ury the lobby for revenue for itself.
At first 1t was sneered at as a freak
bill. but when the House Temperance
Committee made a favorable report up
on it. the sneering ceased Still, the sa-
loon interests did not bat an eye, and
the lobby became desperate at the fall
ure of their effort to get saloon money
In circulation in Tallahassee. The lobby
went to work to rub its medicine little
more effectively into the liquor people
The bill was printed and widely distrlo-
uted. The members of the House took a
strong fancy to 1t, and when 1t was taken
up on second reading for amendment ana
discussion last Wednesday the eHort 10
kill it by indefinite postponement was
defeated by the overwhelming vote OF ~
to 49, -.
mass both the Senate and the House and
become law-this in spite Of the fact that
no considerable portion of either the peo-
nile or the press has demanded such an
enactment The saloon interests appear
to be Indifferent about the measure, and
the lobby remains unrewarded ana IN
consoled.
The Knotty Convict Question.
The legislature has again under con-
sidera ton the complicated question as 10
the future disposition of the state con-
victs, but there are really no new oe-
velopments in this matter. The present
lease of the convicts will expire on Dec.
81 1eO1 and the law, as it stands now,
gives the Board of Commissioners OF
state Institutions-the Governor and his
six cabinet oficers-full authority to go
ahead and enter into contracts to lease
the couvicts for another term or four
wears, beginning Jan. l. 1902. The storm
center of the agitation against contlnu-
ing the lease system has recently peeh
In the legislative halls, and the admins
trative officers are simply waiting to give
l.G2
change the law If II so desires. Many
legislators are conscientiously opposed to
the lease system and so are a number
OF the administrative officers and OF the
people; but the present law provides for
the lease system and the great difficulty
in the way of abolishing that system is
the fact that no satisfactory ana practl-
cable substitute has yet been submitted.
The latest and most definite solution
of the convict question is proposed by
Representative Chambers Of Marion coun-
tv in a bill introduced in the House yes
terday morning. Mr.. Chambers bill pro-
vides that the Commissioner of Agricul-
ture. with the approval of the Board of
commissioners Of State Institutions, may
enter into contracts with any person or
norsons for the labor. maintenance and
custody OF any, or all, prisoners
sentenced to, or confined within the state
nrison in such manner as the
said board may deem most advantageous
10 the interests Of the state, and with
due regard for the health, humane treat
ment and safe custody of the prisoners.
such contracts may be made for term
Of wears. not exceeding four. and the
prisoners shall not be worked before sun
rise or after sunset on any day, and no
labor shall be done OH Sunday. Such con-
tracts may provide for surrendering the
control and custody OF the prisoners 10
person or persons contracting for their
labor, subject TO such supervision of the
commissioner of agriculture as is pro-
vided for by law and for the payment TO
the state by such person or persons OF