The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-08-25
.FLOR|DA'S NEW
CONGRESSMAN
Candidates for Fourth Represen-
tive Will Soon Appear
ALL SECTIONS WANT IT
Peninsula Portion of State Has Strong
Claims for Recognition in Selection
OF New Member of House

The new Congressman to which Flor
ida will be entitled under the reappor-
tionment bill is causing much comment
throughout the State.
The following editorial from the Tam
pa Tribune shows two strong predom-
mating views:
The Pensat ola News prints very in.
genous argument to the effect that
Florida's Congressman at large, who
will be elected next year, must come
and ought to come from Pensacola.
The editorial fills two whole columns of
the News space.
Inquiries have been made as to how
it becomes necessary for Florida to
elect Congressman at large. The re-
cent Legislature failed to pass bill
-districtng the State; that is making
four congressional districts out of the
resentatve Mathews, which provided
that the fourth Congressman from the
State be elected from the State at
large, was passed. Hence, all voters
of Florida will have the privilege of
electing fourth member of the House.
In this way, each Floridian gets the
opportunity of voting for two members
of Congress -one from his own district
and one from the State at large.
The Congressman at large must be
elected in the primaries next year, be-
cause the reapportionment measure
provides that these additional Congress
men are to take their seats on March 4,
1913, the same date as the district Rep
resentatives. The election must there
fore be made by primary and by the
general election of next year.
The argument of the Pensacola News
is based entirely on the suppOsition
that when the Legislature does re-dis-
trict the State, the fourth district will
be created out of the present Third
district. or West Florida, and therefore
Pensacola or its immediate vicinity
ought to have the privilege of naming
the additional member.
The Tribune fails to see the force Of
the Pensacola papers argument. 1t is
not settled that the fourth district will
be created out of the present Third dis
trict. The redistrcting may be done
in different way. But, even grant
ing that the new district will be part
of the present Third district, does this
Justify the claim that Pensacola alone
is entitled to the honor of naming the
Congress man at large?
The Tribune is very much of the opin.
ion that the Congressman at large will
come from the peninsula section Of the
State. The northern and the western
counties have been getting the lions
share of representation in both State
and National affairs and they cannot
expect t. keep this practice up in
definitely. At present the two Sena-
tors and two of the three Congressman
are from points north of Ocala. Is
this part of the State to have no better
showing than. this?
This section of Florida is going to in
sist on a more equitable division Of the
offices in the future, and as prelimi-
nary, will insist upon electing The Con-
gresham at large. If Pensacola is to
dominate the new district when it is
created all the more reason why II
should not have the member elected at
large. In due course of time candl'
date will doubtless be produced in
South Florida who will become the
fourth member of our delegation in the
House.
The Tribune fancies that the News
has it's candidate for the office ahead in
mind and that its lengthy argument OF
Pensacola claims is inspired by the
desire to put this candidate to the fore.
We can almost spell the letters OF his
name between the lines of the editorial
in question. But he will reckon with
out his host. A South Florida mar
will be the first Congressman at large
from Florida.