The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-05-27
STATE DIVISION
(Tampa Times)

(1ampa IlmeS)
Tallahassee, May 26.-Although it
was "north" Florida man who intro
duced the plan for state division, yet
it was from "south" Florida men that
most of the support came. If north
Florida has felt that south Florida
was only bluffing in its oft reiterated
assertions that it was not getting
fair deal from the northern part of
the state then the north Floridians
had rude awakening coming to
them. South Florida met the idea
with glad acclaim and fell in to push
it along, almost without exception. OF
the two south Florida men who spoke
Saturday against state division, one,
Epperson, of Levy, is from the ex-
treme northern county of "south"
Florida, while Wicker, from Sumter,
opposed division on sentimental
grounds and on the fear that repub-
licans would gain control of "south"
Florida.
In speaking against state division,
Amos Lewis of Jackson, the same
Amos who would not see that there
was any good in the state helping to
save the great citrus industry from
destruction, said that sectionalism
was really only myth, that there
was nothing to it but aagame of pol
itics.
"The fight on citrus canker was not
sectionalism," said he, "just a game
of politics"
Nevertheless the interests of the
two sections of the state are so diff
ferent, their interests and industries
so diverse that representatives from
north Florida and representatives
from south Florida can never agree on
what is best to be done for their in
dustries. Time divergence of opinion
is growing more acute every year
with the growth of population in
south Florida. North Florida has
preponderance in weight in the legis-
lature far beyond her due, given her
by the old constitution of 1885 and
she absolutely refuses to give UP this
unfair advantage. Otherwise fair
minded men from that section will
assert that they will never vote to re-
apportion the state, though they will
admit that there is condition of in
justice prevailing in many of the
smaller counties of west and north
Florida.
Along with Mathis constitutional
amendment went a bill to carry state
division into effect if it is voted for
by the people of the state and is
granted by Congress. Much of the
debate centered over the contingency
that republican Congress would not
allow to state to be made that would
furnish two more democratic sena-
tors. Some of the "north" Floridians
taunted the "south" Floridians with
the assertion that probably there
would be two republican senators
from the peninsular section. This
was as strongly denied by the penin-
sClar party.
Mathis bill calls for the creation of
state of south Florida, the northern
part of the present state to be known
as Florida. It's boundary line is as
given. Delegates to a constitutional
convention to meet at Orlando the
second Tuesday in January, 1921, are
to be eletced at the general election
in November, 1920, in south Florida.
Each county and each senatorial dis
trict shall have a delegate. The sum
of $4,000 is appropriated to be paid
back by the new state for the con-
vention. If the people do not vote for
state division in November. 1920, then
the convention is not to be held. Its
constitution is to be submitted to
Congress with the request that it be
ratified.
Florida is to retain. without COM