The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1907-01-18
MISS JEFFERSON BELL
Discusses Many Things Most
Interestingly.
The ocaIa Banners Special Tallahassee Letter.

lceedingly high on account of the fact
I that the officials and attaches of the
/ departments are birds of passage.
whose stay at the capital depends on
/ the turn of the wheel of fortune.
The constitution creating the 81
Ipreme court OF 1868 provided for a
chief justice ana TWO associate JUS
tices and fixed their salaries al
800 and $4,000 per year. During the
panic early in the seventies, the sal
aries were reduced to $1,000 at which
amount they have since remained. As
concerns the highest court in the state
we have gone backwards instead of
forward. In those days they were bet
ter paid. held their offices by appoint
ment for life and had but little to do.
Today they are paid less, forced TO
go into a primary for election and
their duties have grown until their
entire time is given to the state.
At the state house all the depart
ments are busy getting their reports
ready and incidentally We are getting
ready for the legislature which now
looms in the near future.
The special commission provided
for in the last Legislature to inspect,
examine into and report to the legis-
lature the needs and requirements of
the state hospital for the insane Wis
tied the hospital Wednesday. The
commission consists of Governor
BrOward. Comptroller Groom. DR.. J.
Y. Potter, of the state board of health
ID. Louis de NJ. Blocker. of Pensacola.
Rev. DR.. w. E. BOggs, Of Jacksonville.
and Mr. S. B. Cameron. of Barlow. Ac-
companying the commission was Mr..
Claude L'Engle, of the Sun, who will
probably give the public a graphic
story of this institution.
\ familiar figure seen in the corridors
of the capital Wednesday was Mr..
Bryan. of Washington. Mr.. Bryan
comes into prominence by defeating
the pOpuIists in Washington county
and served as representative in The
legislature AT the last term. This
preachCrpoiitiCian is man of rather
er striking appearance. tall and wears
q patriarchial dark beard He has
voice of magnificent tone and volume
and is an orator of local note. 4
story told of Mr. Bryan during the last
session is as follows:
Some member with a measure he
wanted passed went to Mr. Bryan and
asked him TO vote for it. This Mr..
"ryan rather curly declined 10 do.
Then If you won't vote for my bill,
pray for me-" Recognizing the scar
casm that lurked in the sanctimonious
request he quickly replied, MY friend,
! just brought religion enough up here
to do me through this session and my
stock is now running lOw-pray for
Yourself
From two letters on file in the pen
sion department the following extracts
show the variety of requests that are
made TO the state officials:
TO the HOnibIe s. G. Groom. Compt-
Roller at Tallahassee. Florida.
To whom it ali may concern:
Dear Fellow COmrade:--I this morn
ing take my pencil and paper in hand
TO write to you few lines to let YOU
know how | am am not we'll &
besides NY Bro. am in trouble: no one
but god in heaven 4 myself can ex-
press my aking heart that is the cause
OF all my troubles at this appointed
time. ! will now my Bro. in christ d
also Bro. comrade will lead Won in
the light of said troubles & the cause.
viz: You remember not more than >