The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-10-25
EXTRA SESSION
PROBABLE.


The Tallahassee True Democrat
of last week makes the following
sensible comments on the reasons
advanced by administration "cook-
COS" for calling an extra session Of
the Legislature:
The Tallahassee correspondent of
the Savannah Morning News con-
tinues to pirate about the calling of
an extra session. as If the almost
unanimously expressed sentiment Of
the people of the state, as reflected
in the newspapers. had not already
most emphatically condemned the
proposition as one fraught with dan
ger to the public interest.
The cores ondent referred to, who
conveys in his style the impression
that be is quite close 10 the admins
tratiOn. ayers that it does not Geces-
sarily imply an additional tax levy
to urge the calling Of an extra ses-
sion. and darkly mentions certain
special funds" which could be di-
verted from their original fixed pur-
pose, and spent. if only the Legisla-
ture would assent bic and so order.
What citizen desires SO Irregular a
thing TO be done? The snug bal
auces' reported as being held in the
treasury to the credit of these special
funds may excite the cupidity Of an
administration which cannot lay it,
hands upon all the cash il desires 10
spend. but the sacTedness Of such
funds ought to appeal with strong
force to a people already Overbur-
dened with heavy taxes. and 10 a
Legislature puTpOrtiug 10 represent
such a people. Hence IL is By no
means certain that any Of such
special funds" would be diverted
from their purpose 70 fill holes in the
general fund OF the treas uTy. The
correspondent admits that "a popu-
lar cutlery" would forbid such di-
version OF public funds.
But the snapper in this Temarka-
bic spOndence is in its final
paragraph. to the effect that the
Governor is a firm believer in State
Life Insurance as a palacEa tor the
ills of insufficient revenue" The
irrelevaucy Of this remark is appar-
ent, unless it be taken as a hint that
the Legislature may be convened for
the purpose OF establishing this pet
scheme of Governor Broward, urged
as "a pauacea" for the difficulties
now confronting the financial depart.
meut of the State government.
Just in what manner the adoption
by the Legislature OF this wild and
crazy fad Of State Life Insurance
can fill the State treasury. and ena-
BILE the Treasurer to pay the legisla-
tive appropriation of 1907. it would
be difficult to imagine, Such a
scheme would have to be heavily
financed at the start. before a dollar
of returns could be expected. Pay
meuts to the State for life insurance
would create fund-not to be spent
for appropriations, but-sacred to its
special and holy purpose OF pr0tec-
tion to the families Of the insured.
How could such fund be used to
make good the difference between
the public revenues and the eXtrava-
ganre of the last Legislature?
The facts appear to be, that Gov
ernor Broward is fairly aching to
call an extra session, to open the re-
port Of the Internal Improvement
Fund Investigating Commission, in
the hope that his administration and
that OF his immediate predecessor
may thereby be "vindicated,' and
that the Legislature may possibly
be also induced 10 take up and put
through his pet life insurance
scheme. If he does call it, as he
probably will. every citizen of FlOri-
da will know why.