The Pensacola journal., 1907-05-26
Lines Drawn Very Sharply
IN Many Ways Among
Legislators.
TWO GOOD CAUSES
ARE UNAFFECTED
Pension Appropriation and
Educational Fund are
Literally Fed.
Mr.. WILLIS OF LEVY WRITES a
RHYME AT EXPENSE OF MEM
BERS WHO DO NOT HELP THE
GOOD ROADS CAUSE-DRAIN.
AGE SENTIMENTS STRENGTH
BY jefferson Bell.

Tallahassee, May 25-Another'
week of pandemonium. and peace.
which had taken to the woods. will
again descend upon us. As is usual
ly the case during the last weeks OF
the session, the lines were tensely
drawn. | have been reading Omar
K'hayyam TO brace up my philosophy,
and can say that if the legislature
has done things it should not have
done and left undOne things it should
have done (as legislatures frequently
do,) the commonwealth will endure
the shock. There will be others vet
to come
Fear not lest existence closing your
Account, should lose or know the type
no more;
The Eternal Saki from that bowl has
poured
Millions of bubbles like US, and will
pour
When you and 1 behind the veil are
past,
Oh but the long long while the world
shall last
Which of our coming and departure
heeds
AS much as Ocean of pebble cast"
"One moment in annihilation's waste,
One moment, of the well of life to
taste
The stars are setting, and the caravan
Draws to the Dawn of NOthing-oh
make hastei"
Pension LiberaIity.
Exceedingly liberal are the provis-
sions of the pension law enacted this
week. Heretofore, the state has
granted pensions only to soldiers and
sailors (and widows of such) who
were in actual service during the
civil war. Pensions were not granted
to home guards or reserves. Under
this law, about $500 names are on
the roll, about fifty per cent of all
applications filed having been al
lowed. The present law provided for
a tax levy of mills to meet the pro-
visions of this act. Only mills,
however, has been levied. The as
sessed valuation of taxable property
in this state is s142,01S.S7l. and the
three mill levy for pensions produced
s426.056. OF this amount. about $780,
900 will be paid this year to pension
ers already on the roll, not including
the increase of two dollars per month,
which will require an additional
eighty thousand TO. meet With the
gates opened wide to the home guards
and reserves, it is estimated that the
roll will probably be doubled within
the two years, and the problem Of
meeting the increased payments with
mill levy will be very serious
one
There was practically no opposition
to the bill in either house, although
it was characterized yesterday on the
floor of the senate by Mr.. Hudson as
n rnhhnVxv tho
payers of Florida" opening, as it
does, the gates 10 all.
Liberal pensions to deserving sol.
diers of the COnfederacy has the un-
qualified approval of all, and the easy
passage of this law shows how marked
was this sentiment at this session OF
the legislature.
Good to Education.
Another very liberal appropriation
made by The legislature was in Mr..
BuciIman's bill, carrying more than
half a million dollars for educational
purposes, three hundred thousand of
the amount being equally aDpOrtiOned
between the University and the Fe
male College
Ofsetting this liberality, the senate
declined TO increase the salaries &C
the cabinet officers or state officials
ditor and the adjutant general
Drainage Sentiment.
The decidedly favorable drainage
sentiment in both houses was attest
ed in the house by adoption of the fol-
lowing resolution. offered by Mr..
Reese. of Escambia, thursday:
Whereas, under an act of congress
approved September %, 1850, the
state has received 2O,152,o1S-44 acres
of land for drainage purposes; and,
whereas, 1888, ,376.04 acres have been
disposed of. leaving only 2,63S, ,6424O
acres in the fund and none of these
lands have been drained, as required
by Section Is of Chapter $40, acts OF
1855. Section $40 of the general
statutes of 1906; and, whereas, four
suits are pending ii the courts of the
United States and two suits are pend
ing in state courts against the Trus-
tees of the Internal Improvement
Fund to compel the conveyance to
railroad companies of over four mil.