The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-05-06
Somebody Blundered in
the Alleged Bribery Case
Continued from First rage)


Thursday, and the bill went to the en-
crossing committee with a slight
amendment, which took Osceola coun-
ty out of the Tenth circuit and put it
in the Seventh. Senator Johnson. got
his bill, making eleven circuits substi-
tuted for the committee bill for thir-
teen circuits. 1t is needless to say
that this Is displeasing to number
of senators, most of them lawyers, who
wanted to see the thirteen circuit bill
adopted. This bill was recommended
by the State Bar Association. 1t looks
as IL the action in the senate is final,
and 1t is not unlikely that the house
will pass the senate bill, though the
same fight will take place there also.
According to the Johnson substitute
the state has been redistricted accord
ing to circuits as follows:
First-Escambia, Santa Rosa and
Walton.
Standardization, Leon, Wakulla,
Franklin, Jefferson, Liberty.
Third-Madison, Taylor, Lafayette,
Suwannee, Hamilton. Columbia.
Fourth-Duval, Nassau, Clay, st.
Johns.
Fifth-Marion, Citrus, fernando,
Sumter, Lake.
Hillsborough and Pasco.
Seventh-Orange, Osceola, Volusia,
Brevard and st. Lucie.
Eighth-Alachua, Bradford, Levy,
Putnam, Baker.
Ninth-Washington Holmes, Jack
son. Calhoun.
Tenth-Polk, Manatee, DeSoto, Lee.
Eleventh-Palm Beach, Dade, Mon
roe.
According to the other bill Monroe
county would have been a circuit of
itself. The inaccessibility of the Key
West county caused this to seem a
very reasonable plan, and there was
hope at one time of getting it through,
but the hope faded into thin air upon
the adoption of the johnson substitute
In addition to the circuits enumerated
in the general bill there is the likeli-
hood of an additional circuit judgeship
being created, under the bill offered in
the senate by Senator LEngle and in
the house by Mr.. Butler. This pro-
vides for judge of coordinate juris.
diction of the circuit judge to relieve
the court in Duval county alone. 1t
is provided that this judge shall be
paid out of the county funds. The
reasons offered are the congested con.
ditions in the circuit docket. Mr.. But
Ter says that matters would not be re-
Iieved much even If Duval were made
into a separate circuit, for it is alb
solutely impossible for one judge to
handle the business. Being a local
issue the additional judgeship will
likely be created.
RETAIL MERCHANTS AT WORK.
The Retail Merchants Association is
at work on several bills relating to col
lection laws. There are five of them.
including a proposed constitutional
amendment relating to homestead
rights and exemption of personal prop
erty from forced sale under process Of
the courts. Secretary Harry N. Bur-
hans has been in Tallahassee looking
after the measures, and like the nu-
merous others who have measures that
seem good to them, he is hopeful of
their passage.
PIONEER or PINELLAs.
When Representative Harry Floyd
was hurting his anathemas at Pinellas
in the house Thursday, during the
course of his speech. he referred fire.
uuently to the Confederate flag Incl
dent. using his as a prejudicial argu-
ment against the creation of county
whose people were not accustomed to
respect the southern flag, there was
stern pressure being brought to bear
upon one of the Pinellas patriots to
keep him from rising then and there
and making emphatic protest This
pioneer of the peninsula known as
Pinellas was George W. Meares. He
fought under the flag and has lived in
Pinellas twenty seven years. His father
raised the first Confederate flag in
Florida, at Key West. and there is no
man who so venerates the flag as Vet
eran Meares. Representatives FLOYD
barely missed thrill, and the house a
scene which would have made the
Pinellas contest more memorable.