The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-02-03
Question that Should be
Submitted to the Voters.

One OF the most interesting and eX
citing fights before the last legisIa,
ture was precipitated by the introduc
ton of the bill providing for the di.
vision of Brevard county, and the
creation of the new county of St
Lucie. The fate IF the bill was In
doubt for several days, and in fact
up to the time of taking the vote its
friends were doubtful OF having
enough votes to pass it.
The representative from Brevard
and the senator from the district
which includes Brevard, were both in
favor of the bill, and without this II
could never have passed.
There seems to be a well estab.
lished precedent in the legislature not
to pass any county division bill unless
the delegation from the county inter.
ested be in favor of the proposed
measure. This precedent is not alto.
gether bad one, but we do not be
lieve any legislature should divide a
county unless the people directly in
terested have had chance to eX-
press their will at the polls, and de-
clare in favor of the division. II a
majority of the people of a county op-
pose division. and their delegation
in the legislature favor it, we believe
the will of the people, and not Of the
delegation, should prevail. This is a
point where the senatorial courtesy
proposition can be stretched too far.
If a county has made no express
sion on the question of division, as
was the case in the division of Bre-
ward county at the last session, then
it might not be a bad idea to let the
county delegations choice in the mat
ter be respected, if the legislature is
determined not to wait for a direct
expression from the people.
There was an attempt to divide
Holmes county at the last session of
the legislature, but the bill was de-
feated.
There is some agitation just now
over the division of Volusia county.
The people of the eastern part of the
county seem to want the division
They are claiming that the interests
Of the two sections are not identical.
and that the area of the county is
large enough for two counties The
people of the western section, in
which is located the present county
seat, are opposed TO the division.
and the DeLand News, in a re-
cent issue says: Instead of ex-
pending our efforts trying to divide
the county into pair of shoe strings,
we should keep down expenses in
every other line and put every avail
able dollar on our roads. Cut the
county in two, make another set of
county officers TO support, and the
good work now about to begin on our
roadways will be delayed several
years The interests of DeLand and
Daytona are mutual, and neither town
can afford to have Volusia county d.
vided"
The senator, and one of the repre-
sentatiyes from Volusia county, nail
of the western section of the county.
the section desiring the division, and
if the people of DeLand, and those
of the western section of the county,
are against this proposed measure
they had better get busy" ard get
a definite expression from he people
of the county before the legislature
meets.
1t might be possible that neither
the senator or the representative from
the eastern part of this county are in
favor of the division, but if they are
in favor of it the people who oppose
a division can do better work now
than when the legislature meets.
Perhaps Volusia citizens have never
been up against what is known as
senatorial courtesy" but We can as
sure them that when it looms up in
front of a proposition it has the
of Gibralta.
There Will be many matters TO en-
gage the attention of the next legiSla-
ture, and If the proposition to divide
Volusia county is to come before that
body, the people of that county can
save the legislature much valuable
time by settling this question in Vo,
lusia county instead OF in lie legis-
lative halls at Tallahassee.
We believe the best method to