The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-05-05
BY A. n. Roberts.

dudnd6See, May 4--frOm 10. 50 in
the morning until the shades of night
gathered, the state senate yesterday
listened to arguments on senate bill
NO. 3, by Mr.. Trammell fixing fran
chiSe tax upon public service corpora
tons. The original measure, taxing
the corporations per cent upon their
gross earnings was withdrawn some
days ago, and it's author introduced a
substitute, in which the rate was fixed
at u of per cent, and this measure
after the most extended argument yet
heard by either house during the pres
ent session, was lost by a vote of 10
ayes and II noes.
For three hours and half Senator
Trammell held the attention of d
large number of his colleagues and Il
good sized audience, defending the
merits of his bill, with the eloquence
and ability for which the senator from
the seventh is noted. But his bill
failed to receive a very large support
In the distinguished body over which
1T was his honor to preside two years
ago, and only nine of his colleagues
went with him to defeat on the meas
ure, two more who were absent being
paired however in favor Of the bill. 1t
would be impossible to do justice to
the speaker in the short space at COM
maid, in consideration of the import
ance OF the measure and of the length
of the speech, so it need only be said
that he fought to the last, in the face
of certain defeat, for the bill which
embodied in 1t his principles upon the
subject, and which he had modified
greatly from it's original text, preserV-
ing the principles OF the bill while
conforming its details so far as posi-
BILE to those which would at the pres
ent time be more .likely to receive
favorable attention at the hands of
his colleagues. He defended his bill
from the attacks upon its constitu-
tionality, quoting from number of
decisions of comparatively recent
date in support of his contentious. and
as we'll the justice and wisdom of the
measure as he saw it. His speech
was a full exposition of his ideas upon
the subject. which has been regarded
as probably the most important meas
ure of a general nature to come be-
fore the present legislature
Two of Senator TrammeIl's col
leagues spoke in favor of his bill,
Senators Hudson and Cone. and six
against it, Senators Adams. Broome.
Harris, Humphries. Buchanan. and
Beard, Senator Harris calling Senator
West of the first to the chair during
the greater part of the debate, in or
der to occupy a place ON the floor
Mr.. Beard and NJ Humphries op-
posed the bill on constitutional
grounds. while Mr. Harris and Mr..
Buchanan declared themselves against
the principle of license taxes Mr.
Crane of the eleventh in casting his
vote against the measure, read from
the statutes the sections at present
imposing licenses upon certain corDor-
ations, stating that he believed they
provided sufficient taxation from the
corporations as at present. and that
he believed the passage of the bill
before the senate would repeal these
statutes.
The following was the vote upon
the bill upon final passage:
Ayes: Messrs. Cone. COttrell
Crews. Jackson, o. Leggett. Massey,
Neel, Tranmell. West of the fourth
and Zim. Total 10.
Noes: Mr.. President. Messrs
Adams, Afford, Baker, Beard. Broome
Buchanan. Clark. Crane. Grill. Hender-
son, McCreary, Sans. Willis, Withers,
and West of the fifth. Total II.
Mr.. Hudson was paired with Mr.
Canova, and Mr. HUMPHREYS with Mr.
Girardeau, Messrs. Hudson and Gira-
deau being favorable to the measure
and Messrs. HUMPHREYS and Canoya
against it,
The senate in the morning adopted
the resolution offered by Mr. Zim, en-
dorsing Hon. William Jennings Bryan
for the presidency in 1908. The vote
was II to- Q and the action of the
senate was reported to the house
where the resolution went over under
the rules. A very slight applause
was evoked in the house by the mes
sage from the senate.
The vote in the senate was an in
dication that the senior body of the
legislature is opposed to franchise
taxes at the present time and state of
industrial development of the state.
The companion measure TO the Tram
nell bill introduced by Mr.. Mathews
of Marion. has not vet been reported
on in the house of representatives
which is believed TO be more favor
able to this kind of legislation than
Is the other branch of the Legislature.
AS is well known. Governor BrOward
Is a strong advocate of the franchise
taxation. which he recommended in
his biennial message.
In the House
The house of Representatives passed
by a vote of twentv-nine to twenty
one the Decker bill for the creation OF
Pineallas county out of the west
coast of Hillsh0rough. which has been
before the legislature for some time.
and which was passed in the face Of
an adverse report by the committee
ON city and county organization. four
or the nine members submitting Il
minority report in its favor. and carry
ing the fight on to the floor of the
house. The divisionists gained six
votes on final PASSAGE. their majority
on second reading being only three,
and the supporters of the bill feel con-
ndent OF its passage by the senate. or
70 be more accurate the bill lost one
vote on final passage and the oDpo-
nents lost five, the lineup being prac-
tically the same.