The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-03-20
POLITICS WILL
SO ON BE
ACTIVE
The Coming Political Contest in
Florida from a TaIIahaS-
see Viewpoint.

The Tallahassee correspondent of
Savannah News writes to that paper,
under date of March Il, as follows:
Since the dates for the Florida
primaries have been fixed so early,
May 10 and June y, politics will soon
be active in the Peninsula State.
The most important Offices to be
filed at the approaching primaries
are those Of Railroad Commissioners,
Justice of Supreme Court ana Con
gE9ssmen. There wiz. be two vacan-
cies on the commission and two in the
Supreme Court. The present Rail
road Commissioners are candidates
&c succeed themselves. They are r
Hudson Burr, of Little River, and
jefferson B. Browne. of Key West
Thus far only two candidates are
mentioned as opponents to Messrs.
Burr and Browne They are e B
Bailey, of Monticello. and E. w r.
vine of Lake City. Mr.. Bailey is an
extensive farmer of Jefferson county,
while Mr.. Irvine is a travelling sales
man.
Supreme Court Candidates.
Justices Parkhill and Whitfield
are candidates to succeed themselves
on the bench ana thus far no opposi-
ton has appeared. Judge Parkhill is
from Pensacola. He is now serving
the UneXpired term of Judge Carter,
who exchanged places with Judge
Parkhill for a place on the Circuit
bench several months ago. Judge,
Parkhill had just been appointed to a
L
when he exchanged with Judge Car
ter. He is one of the most eloquent
orators of the state.
Judge Whitfield was nominated in
the last Democratic primary, along
with Justices Cockrell and Shackle-
ford. and in the drawing for terms he
drew the two year term so that his
present term expires before the pri-
maries in 1906. Juoge Whitfield has
been remarkably successful in his
career. He has been in office almost
continuously since he left college, He
is a resident of Leon county. Soon
after he left school and was admitted
to practice law. he was elected cOun-
~ judge of his county.
Resigned County JUdgeship.
Not long thereafter he resigned as
county judge to become clerk of the
State Supreme Court. This position
he held several years. When G. B.
Collins became involved and resigned
the State TreasuTerShip. Governor
RlOxham appointed Whitfield to fill
the vacancy. He was elected to sue
coed himself at the next election. AT
ter w. B. Lamar was elected to Con
gress from the Third district and re-
signed as Attorney General, White
field was again the lucky man and
became Attorney General by appoint
ment of Governor Jennings. A few
months thereafter he was appointed
to a place on the Supreme bench, and
on the reorganization of the court a
few months later. his good fortune
followed him again when he drew the
chief justiceship.
Tame Congressional Campaign.
It seems almost certain that the
contest for Congress in the Third
district will be exceedingly tame this
year. Sparkman and Clark will prob
ably have no opposition, while Lamar
will be in no danger. Hon. Jefferson
D. Stephens. of Jackson county. is an
announced candidate against Con-
gresham Lamar, but at this distance
from the primary it is not expected
that he will poll a very heavy vote.
The opposition to Lamar has been
feeling around for a candidate to Op-
pose him and to give him a hard race
but thus far no man has been found
who cares to enter the contest. La
mar made such a splendid fight for
1,a oh IF vh- &c
extremely disliked in this district
and was so successful in the case in
the body of which he is a member
that he is particularly strong in his
district at present. Then, too, he
made friends by his stand on the rate
question. His name is frequently
mentioned in connection with the
Senatorial race two years hence.
The State Legislature.
The full membership of the lower
house and seventeen members of the
upper house of the next legislature
of the state are to be nominated in
the coming primaries.
This contest will be watchaT with
interest, as the success of the adj
miniStratiOn's various reform meas
ures will depend. TO some extent at
least. on the complexion of the leg
iSlature. Bills for the perfection of
the Everglades drainage scheme will
come up in the next legislature. Gov
.arnor Broward is thoroughly conf
dent of the success of the drainage
of the Everglades and he is leaving
no stone untuTned to hasten the
work
The Life Insurance Question.
The next legislature must again
deal with the state life Insurance
question. A state life insurance bill
almost became a law at the last leg
islature It had passed the house and
was talked to death in the senate dur
ing the closing hours of the legisla-
ture. The recent disclosures in the
insurance investigation have mace
new friends for Governor Broward's
insurance plan.
The bill which was defeated in the
last legislature. which gave the rail-
road commission control over the
-