The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-09
THE FUTURE OF FLORIDA.
GOV. JENNINGS SAYS 1T RESTS Up
ON A SOLID FOUNDATION.

what the Governor Saw During His
Trip to the, Pacific sIope@PoHffcs
in the Land of FIowers-A New
Paper Projected in Jacksonville.
The work of the Supreme Court.
The Criticisms OF That Tribunal.
other Matters Of Interest.
! + Tallahassee, Fla, Sept. S.-Gov. Jen-
nings brought back from his Califor-
/ MIA trip lively impresstonqof the>een-
dftions prevailing on the Pacific sbsFes
and a stronger conviction than lever
that the future of Floridas,rests 5upon
a solid foundation. During his absence
the Governor visited points as widely
separated as New Orleans and Denver;
Salt Lake and FL Paso; Pixies Peak
and the little oasis-like "eating sta
tion," known as Indie, in the great des-
ert through which the traveller enters
California by the southern route. While
in Nebraska Gov. Jennings visited his
cousin, William Jennings Bryan, with
whom he spent some time; and he
gives a vivid account, not only of
the immense corn crops of Kansas and
Nebraska, but of the marked increase
in the wheat acreage shown by both
states.
In talking of citrus culture as prac-
ticed in Southern California, Gov. Jen-
nings dangerously referred TO their
orange trees as perfect works of art. >"
! Trees, carefully trimmed, pruned and
nursed, were seen standing where they
had stood for perhaps fifteen years,
scarcely larger than a healthy 3-year-
old nursery tree in Florida, and bear
ing box or two of insipid watery
fruit, better by far to look at than to
eat.
When asked to give his opinion of
the irrigation system in the far West
the Governor replied that while won
derfuI results had already been Sc
cured by the artificial APP
plieation of water, by far the
greater proportion Of the arid
lands of that section seemed practi-
cally irreclaimable, because of their
altitude and broken surface. His con-
fidenee in the future of Florida, on the
other hand, is based upon the fact that
there is hardly an acre of land In the
entire state that cannot in some way
| be utilized, and which is Dot of some
value for something more practfSal
than the point of view of a scenic
photographer.
John Stocktens sudden and spectac-
| tlar appearance in the political Held
| has, at least, served to crystalline the
vague talk of a new morning paper for
| Jacksonville. 1t was at first thought
| that the rumors in question were pure
| ~ imaginary, but there is now good
reason TO believe that the proposition
is fast taking shape, and that Flori-
da viii before the new year have an
other metropolitan daily. to be run in
opposition to the Ttmes-Union and
Citizen. 1t is known that estimat IS
are about to be made and that experts
are already figuring on the cost of the
elaborate and expensive plant requir-
ed. While IL is not thought that the
working force of the new paper has
as yet been decided upon, a guess may
safely be hazarded as to the personnel
of those who are to fill some of the
more responsible positions upon pa
per whose policy is sure to be agrees
| SiVe, and whose future is equally sure
to be rich in the sensational incidents
| due to an aggressive and decided pol
| icy.
The Florida Supreme Court Is just
/ now coming in for some vicious digs,
and complaints are heard on
/ every manu- OF lIS uit0LOTY
| policy, which has now put the augu ct
tribunal some FIVE years behind with
its docket. In iS issue of Aug. IS
the Southern Reporter gives this list
| of opinions rendered by the Supreme
Courts of the following states:
Alabama, 10; Mississippi, 0: Louis
lana, 81 Florida, 0. For the last ten
issues of the Reporter (from June III
the following totals are given: Ala
bama, "a; Mississippi, 81; Louisiana,
145; Florida. 4.
Two years ago, it will be remem.
bered, the Legislature authorized the
appointment of a special supreme
court commission of three, to assist
the justices in their work The fact
that the tribunal is still behind with
its docket has naturally subjected II
to removal criticism. and the Gov
efnor has In some quarters been
severely censured for his alleged Sc
lection of the three commissioners In
observation-disclosures. Hooker, Maxwell
and Glenn. AS matter of fact, these
commissioners were named, not by the
Governor, but by the Supreme Court
itself.
These conditions were made the
subject of much discussion at the last
session of the Legislature which
passed a constitutional amendment
increasing the number of suprenIe
court justices from three to SIX. This
amendment Is to be voted upon by
the people at the general election in
November, when 1t will probably be
ratified, though many expert observers
contend that the root of the evil Is
to be found in the mode of procedure
adopted by the court, rather than in
the scarcity of laborers In this lofty