The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-05-07
Rv j. n. Reese.

BY " n. Reese.
Tallahassee, Fla, May 6.-The joint
committee of the house and senate will
report favorably the resolution for a
constitutional amendment to bond the
state for ten million dollars for hard
roads and also the bill to abolish the
convict lease system and place state
convicts on roads. The bills had the
endorsement Of the Tampa and Jack
sonville boards of trade, South Florida
boards, Farmers Union and other
commercial bodies. Angle of Polk is
the author.
A caucus for the organization Of the
third house was held this afternoon,
amid much excitement. No agreement
was reached as to choice for speaker
and another caucus will be convened
Monday. The meeting of the third
house was postponed until Tuesday
night.
WEST A CANDIDATE.
Representative Tom West Of Santa
Rosa is spending the weekend at
home. Before leaving he told friends
that he would enter the race for attor-
ney general. He is regarded as an
able lawyer and is one Of the leaders
in the present assembly.
The bribery investigating committee
held a short session today but exam
ined no witnesses. House Messenger
Edwards was summoned to appear
Monday. 1t was the messenger who
handed Representative Wall the en-
velope containing two hundred dollars
last Monday night It was out of this
incident that the investigation has
4 e. hok baA
great influence in passing the anti-race
track bill.
The Pinellas people claim majority
IN the senate and say this bill will
pass.
THEY COME AND co.
Legislatures come and go. Some
sticller Tor theSe eSeecurate may contend
that the Legislature comes and goes. for
the legislature is an institution, q gov-
ernmetal entity, composed OF different
men as the years come and go but
grammatically singular and constitu-
tionally peculiar but in no sense plural.
But the purist must admit that the
legislature Of 1909 is one legislature
and the legislature of 1911 is another
legislature, for each is separate or
ganization. bearing in some remote an
alogy likeness which is illustrated in
the Episcopal burial service as to the
glories that be, one Of the sun, one of
the stars, and so on. Let us then pro-
ceed as in the beginning: Legislatures
come and go, legislatures have come
and gone for many years, but none OF
them for the past thirty-one years has
missed the figure of Sergt. David Ellis
until the present one.
Sergt. Ellis has been night watch
man at the state house for the period
mentioned, but he has other claims to
distinction, which will be, hereinafter
related. for it is proper to relate at the
outset that the reason for his nom ap-
pearance at the present session is an
illness which siezed him several
months ago and has confined him since
TO his bed and he is the daily receiver
of visit from the old timers who have
heard OF his misfortune.
Sergt. Ellis is the hero of three wars,
and one of the very few survivors of
the 474 days war in front of Sebas-
topol. Filled with the ever verdant
romance and glamour Of war his life
would AFFORD material for the novelist
and many lines of valuable data for
the historian. AS child he knew the
youthful Victoria, who afterward be-
came the queen of England, and as he
related "reminiscences of those days to
fNYrn